The soft bed in the Fan residence was as comfortable as ever. The children, normally treated like little emperors, were now sleeping peacefully under the careful care of the nannies. No one would disturb the people in the main room. Fan Xian was indeed tired and fell into a dream after exchanging only a few words with Wan'er, his feet still soaking in hot water. Lin Wan'er sighed, got up, draped a light robe over herself, and began to continue her work.

Kyoto at night was serene. The vast majority of people had already drifted off to dreamland, except for their diligent and extraordinary Emperor, still reviewing memorials sent from the seven circuits and prefectures. Although these memorials had already been reviewed twice by the Chancellery, the Emperor was accustomed to scrutinizing the world in detail, so his workload remained considerable.

The lamplight in the Imperial Study remained steady, but the door trembled. Eunuch Yao, leading another eunuch with a plain face, entered the Imperial Study without asking for permission.

The Emperor looked up at the two men, frowned slightly, and asked, "What have you found?"

Grand Eunuch Hong had died on Da Dong Mountain, and Eunuch Hou had died during the surprise palace attack in Kyoto. Now, Eunuch Yao controlled all the eunuchs in the inner court. Although the power of the inner court was not strong, its unique position made its abilities not to be underestimated. In addition to palace defense, the main responsibility of this department was to serve as a bridge for His Majesty the Emperor to secretly control the Supervisory Council.

This was the dreaded Internal Affairs Department that plagued Supervisory Council officials.

However, due to Chen Pingping's presence, the inner court's eyes within the Supervisory Council appeared relatively humble and could not play a significant role. Later, His Majesty the Emperor allowed the Censorate to compete with the Supervisory Council, so many people had forgotten that the inner court had such a function.

Eunuch Yao did not dare to say anything and directly took two dossiers from the plain-faced eunuch, placing them on the desk in front of the Emperor. The dossiers were thin, so the contents inside were definitely not much. The Emperor glanced at them, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to his usual demeanor.

However, this subtle change caused Eunuch Yao's heart to plunge into ice and snow. His Majesty could remain unperturbed even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, and he could still talk and laugh amidst the siege of two Grandmasters, yet he was moved by these thin sheets of paper. It was conceivable that the contents inside had caused a great shock to His Majesty's mind.

The contents of the paper were unrelated to the assassination attempt at Suspended Temple. Even if they were related, it was only to the later part. The content the inner court had been investigating for the past two years was the whereabouts of several city defense crossbows produced by the Bing Workshop of the Internal Treasury that winter.

Those few city defense crossbows had almost killed Fan Xian in a mountain valley outside Kyoto. Later, both the Emperor and Fan Xian discovered that the assassination was the work of the Qin family, but these city defense crossbows were ordered under the military product number in the name of the Dingzhou Army.

The Emperor withdrew his gaze from the dossier, remained silent for a long time without saying a word, and seemed unable to understand this matter. That day, when Fan Xian was assassinated in the suburbs of Kyoto, as a king and a father, he could not suppress his anger, but after investigating, he could never find any specific matters. Until today, after the inner court's hard investigation, he discovered that behind that matter, there was actually a shadow sitting in a wheelchair.

The Emperor was shocked and puzzled. Even someone like him could not understand why that old dog would have done such a thing at that time.

Moreover, Anzhi clearly did not know about this matter, otherwise, he would not have gone to such lengths tonight to seek a glorious and comfortable retirement for that old dog. The Emperor rubbed his tight brows, coughed softly twice, picked up another dossier, glanced at it, and asked, "Did the North Qi envoy also go to Dongyi?"

"Yes," the plain-faced inner court investigator said respectfully. "Danbo Duke captured the Emperor of North Qi and took him to Lu residence, and later met privately by the sea. As for what they specifically said, your subordinates cannot find out."

Fan Xian had not reported this matter to the Emperor. The Emperor looked at the paper, looking at the record of Fan Xian's every move in Dongyi, his eyebrows became somewhat gloomy. After a long while, he said, "What else?"

"The sabers that appeared in Qingzhou City were indeed produced by the Bing Workshop of the Internal Treasury, but these were trial models and had not yet been distributed to the military, so it was impossible for them to have flowed out from the military." The plain-faced eunuch continued, "A total of three such sabers appeared, and in the end, we only obtained one. Following your Majesty's instructions, this saber was sent to Lord Fan, giving him a reminder."

"Looking at it now, it should be the one from the grasslands who snatched the remaining two sabers, seemingly trying to cover something up for Danbo Duke."

"Xia Mingji's and Fan's Second Young Master's cross-border shipments have been closely watched, and they are all some daily necessities. These sabers should not have left through this channel."

Although Eunuch Yao was nominally the leader of the inner court eunuchs, the inner court's external investigations were directly responsible to the Emperor. Therefore, this was the first time he had heard these seemingly vague but actually alarming news. His face was pale, knowing that if the Emperor really believed the inner court's investigation report, Lord Fan would be in great trouble, and the old man in the wheelchair would not have many good days.

Contrary to Eunuch Yao's expectations, the Emperor sneered at this time: "With just three sabers, they want to sow discord between the monarch and subjects of Great Qing and alienate the bond between me and Anzhi?"

As soon as these words came out, Eunuch Yao and the plain-faced eunuch exchanged glances quietly, and both saw the fear in each other's hearts. Everyone in the world knew that Lord Fan was His Majesty's illegitimate son, but no one in the world could say this fact in front of His Majesty. But today, His Majesty directly revealed this matter in front of the two of them!

"That little fellow in Shangjing City is very interesting." The Emperor smiled slightly, "Taking advantage of Anzhi's little bit of mercy, he actually came up with such a thing."

The eunuch swallowed and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, should we continue to investigate?"

"Continue to investigate the mountain valley assassination, and the Suspended Temple incident...can also be investigated." The Emperor closed his eyes wearily and said, "Stop investigating Anzhi. In the future, as long as anything is found that leads to him, let it go."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Emperor closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time. He did not understand what role Chen Pingping had secretly played in the past. He suddenly had a thought, thinking that perhaps Fan Xian, his son, knew something about the role Chen Pingping had played, which was why he was so eager to seize power from the court.

He believed in Fan Xian's loyalty, just like everyone else in the world. From the perspectives of interests, morality, and character, Fan Xian could not betray him. The Emperor had this confidence, even if one day this son knew the stories that happened many years ago, at most he would only inflict a sad anger on himself, and would not betray this country.

——————————————————

The next day, it rained in Kyoto, it rained again. Fan Xian, wearing a black lotus robe, walked in the rain, followed by three members of the Qi Nian Group, plus a group of sword-wielding guards from the Sixth Bureau, silently entered an alley. After leaving the alley and circling around, they saw the not-so-spacious gate of the residence.

Every time he came to the Yan residence, it seemed to be raining. Perhaps the heavens also knew that the father and son living in this residence were one of the most powerful sleepers in the world, maintaining a distance from secular society in the tone of black and light, and sympathizing with them.

The Jingchengzi residence was still the Jingchengzi residence. So many years had passed, but the Yan residence was still so low-key. His Majesty's rewards and the court's favors were not displayed on the surface.

Fan Xian took off his wet raincoat at the gatekeeper's place and headed directly to the backyard without waiting for notification. Before long, he saw the large rockery blocking the view of the backyard.

The first time he entered the Yan residence, Fan Xian had noticed this large rockery. Although architecture did emphasize the pattern of obscuring the door and hiding the scenery, this large rockery was too big, too fake, too abrupt, and too ugly.

Today was a holiday. The usually busy Young Master Yan had managed to steal half a day of leisure and was playing checkers with his wife. He had been married to Miss Shen for some time, but there was still no sign of movement in Miss Shen's belly. However, Yan Bingyun was not worried, and it seemed that the entire Yan residence was not worried.

Seeing Fan Xian's arrival, a hint of surprise flashed across Yan Bingyun's face. He knew that Fan Xian had returned to Kyoto last night, but he always thought that with the laziness of the Chief Supervisor, he would either be playing spring sleep in the house today or be drinking with the princes in the Prince's Residence or with the Eldest Prince. He did not expect the other party to have found his residence.

Young Master Yan was a famous talent in Kyoto when he was young, and later when he disguised himself in Shangjing City. He was proficient in Qinqi calligraphy and painting, but in front of Fan Xian, he was simply unwilling to display any of his talent and artistic mood, like a block of ice, strictly adhering to the distinction between superiors and subordinates, which was quite boring. Therefore, Fan Xian generally did not want to engage in recreational activities outside of official matters with this guy. Whenever Fan Xian entered the Yan residence, that meant the Supervisory Council... something major was about to happen.

"What a good mood today." Fan Xian said with a smile.

Miss Shen hastily bowed to her husband's superior and retreated to the backyard. This daughter of Shen Zhong was still an escaped female prisoner from North Qi. She had lived in the Fan residence for a long time in previous years and had a good relationship with the women in the Fan residence. But in front of Fan Xian, she always had very complex emotions in her heart and naturally did not know how to get along.

Although no one had ever said anything explicitly, Miss Shen knew that her father's death and the destruction of her family were not only due to the connivance of the North Qi royal family and Shang Shanhu's murderous intent, but also had a great relationship with this young leader of the Nan Qing Supervisory Council.

Looking at the figure of the woman disappearing into the room, Fan Xian's emotions turned somber, and he suddenly said, "How's the matter I told you about last time? If you are willing, I can have her remove her status as an escaped prisoner from North Qi."

Yan Bingyun stood up and stood under the corridor, seemingly looking at the rain, seemingly thinking. After a long while, he said coldly, "Don't think that no one in the world knows about your dealings with the people of North Qi. It didn't matter before, but what is the situation now? Once the two sides go to war, this is aiding the enemy... Instead of quickly clearing this relationship, you actually want to use this relationship to gain some benefits, don't think that because your identity is special, no one will suspect you of treason."

"Treason my ass." Fan Xian scolded with a smile, "Aren't I just in a hurry to earn money? Besides, I didn't spend most of the money myself. You also saw the accounts that were sent to Hangzhou and the River Works Yamen in previous years."

"I just don't understand this point. Anyway, you gave this money to the imperial court, why go around a bend in the middle? The most important thing is that you avoided taxes in the middle, and the money the imperial court gets is even less."

"Fewer procedures mean fewer bad experiences of being skinned by officials." Fan Xian said, "And I like to be in control of these things myself."

"The palace must know about these things. His Majesty has been tolerating it all along, and you also know why. Don't go too far." Yan Bingyun couldn't help but remind him.

"If the Eldest Princess can earn money, why can't I?" Fan Xian said, "If the monks can touch it, so can I... Why did you change the topic again? Are you willing to do what I said earlier? If you are willing, I have to send a letter to Shangjing City quickly."

"All of her family members are dead, and she won't be returning to North Qi anyway. Why care about that?" Yan Bingyun shook his head.

"Home always has a day to return." Fan Xian smiled, patted his shoulder, and said, "Find a quiet place, I have some important things to discuss with you."

Yan Bingyun's expression suddenly became serious and said, "Let's just talk here. No one in my residence dares to eavesdrop on anything."

Fan Xian was silent for a moment, acknowledging the other party's confidence. Yan Ruohai was a Ming spy who had been planted in the military by the Supervisory Council for decades, and Yan Bingyun was one of the most successful spies in Qing's history. Such a father and son must have eyes as sharp as needles and would never allow unreliable people to stay in the residence.

"I'm about to take over the position of Director." Fan Xian looked at the rain falling down the corridor and said softly.

Yan Bingyun's face did not show any surprise. Chen Pingping had long since ceased to be in charge, and there was no difference between Fan Xian and the Director himself. As for whether he would immediately take over the position of Chief Supervisor, he was not very concerned about this matter. But since Fan Xian had spoken, he remained silent for a moment and still said, "Congratulations."

Fan Xian lowered his head and said softly, "So I need you to quickly draft a procedure. I want to be the real Director."

Yan Bingyun's eyes narrowed, quietly staring at him, seemingly trying to distinguish the true meaning of the other party's words from his words.

"Including your father, that bald-headed supervisor of the Seventh Bureau, and even the old servant beside the old cripple, their control over the courtyard is far beyond our imagination." Fan Xian seemed unable to feel his gaze and said indifferently, "If I want to be the real Director, I have to let the old comrades completely rest. These people must be isolated from the courtyard's affairs."

"Are you saying that you want Director Chen to completely disengage from the Supervisory Council, so that even if he wants to interfere, he will have no way to do so?"

"That's what I mean."

Even with Yan Bingyun's calmness, he couldn't help but feel endless astonishment at this time. He stared blankly at Fan Xian, not knowing why the other party would suddenly have this idea. After a long while, he laughed angrily, "You want me to deal with my own father."

"It's just metabolism." Fan Xian laughed, "It has nothing to do with dealing, it's just separation."

"I need a reason."

Fan Xian was silent for a moment and said, "I'll tell you a story, a story about the wind and snow in the valley."

After the story was finished, Fan Xian looked at Yan Bingyun.

"I don't understand." Yan Bingyun's face was quite ugly, "The Old Director valued and loved you so much, how could he have done those things."

"I don't believe it either." Fan Xian lowered his head somewhat painfully, "But His Majesty seems to have found something. If His Majesty really believes this, if the old cripple really wants to kill me, what kind of ending do you think this would be?"

"His Majesty once summoned you to the palace. You are one of the seven gentlemen in his heart. Qin Heng is dead, but there are still six of you young people left. Help me with this favor and let the Supervisory Council truly fall into my hands."

…

…

Sitting in the carriage leaving the city, Fan Xian began to laugh triumphantly again. Last night, he had deceived the Emperor once, and today, he had relied on his superb acting skills to deceive Yan Bingyun. With this Supervisory Council official taking action, plus the meeting with Chen Pingping later, presumably the thing he was most worried about would become a story that would never happen because of the comprehensive restructuring of the Supervisory Council.

The mountain valley assassination itself had the shadow of the Supervisory Council behind it. If it hadn't been for Yan Ruohai following Chen Pingping's instructions and cooperating with the Qin family, solely relying on the Qin family's private soldiers from Xiaoshan and Qin Heng's covering up from the Kyoto Garrison Division, it would have been impossible to calculate the route of Fan Xian's convoy coming from Jiangnan, let alone launch such a fierce attack.

If Chen Pingping wanted to kill Fan Xian, this point alone would be enough. Fan Xian also used this story to convince Yan Bingyun to believe his sincerity and to make Yan Bingyun believe that he had no intention of revenge, but just wanted to follow the old example of attacking the Second Prince, take the lead, and let the Old Director retire peacefully.

The reason for going around such a bend was because Fan Xian dared not tell anyone about the Shadow, about Ye Qingmei, not even Yan Bingyun, and not even his wife.

"You tell me, how many people in the world know that you once thought about killing me." Fan Xian sat in the quiet room of Chen Garden with a beaming smile, listening to the distant opera singing, looking at Chen Pingping, who looked old beside him.

Chen Pingping's expression was calm, and he gave him a cold look, saying, "In order to force me to leave Kyoto, you are willing to go to such lengths. That matter was done by Yan Ruohai, do you think Yan Bingyun will investigate?"

"I'm not counting on investigating, I'm just counting on you to quickly return to your hometown to find your first love." Fan Xian laughed heartily, "You have to know that starting tomorrow, I will be the Director of the Supervisory Council, and you are just a retired lonely old man, what will you use to compete with me?"

As soon as these words came out, Fan Xian suddenly fell silent, saying extremely solemnly, "You promised me to let go at first, saying that you had figured it out, but you didn't, so I had to force you to leave."

"You little bastard!" Chen Pingping scolded while coughing, "I'm not in charge of anything anymore, and you're still not at ease?"

"At ease?" Fan Xian said somewhat sadly, "If you were at ease, you wouldn't have done these things. Tell me... three years ago, why did you poison yourself?"