The carriage made a few turns along the quiet streets of Kyoto. Suddenly, a sharp but not loud sound came from the residences beside the street. Deng Ziyue turned around and reported, "The few lackeys following us have been knocked unconscious. The road is clear."

Fan Xian nodded with a wry smile and said, "It's strange. Although you were personally selected by Wang Qinian, I've carefully reviewed your resumes. You're all skilled in tracking, tailing, and concealing your presence, but when it comes to fighting, you don't have the imposing presence one would expect from the Overwatch Council."

Deng Ziyue explained with embarrassment, "Sir, most of the members in the group are veterans from the First and Second Bureaus. Lord Wang is most skilled in tracking techniques, so he chose us primarily for that aspect." After thinking for a moment, he said with a serious expression, "Sir, it's truly our failure that we had to trouble you to take action personally today. However... please transfer some personnel from the Sixth Bureau. They are the true assassins and bodyguards of the Council. You saw their capabilities on the journey north. They are much stronger than us in terms of martial prowess."

Fan Xian shook his head, saying nothing. He was somewhat afraid of dealing with that "Shadow." He had encountered the Shadow Assassin when he occasionally went to see Chen Pingping. Although the other party had remained silent, it was clear that the head of the Overwatch Council's Sixth Bureau had a strong interest in him, this guy who had once studied under Wu Zhu.

This interest was definitely not of the homosexual kind, but rather the desire to have a fight with him.

So he was a little afraid of dealing with the Sixth Bureau. Moreover, in terms of martial prowess, the Tiger Guards secretly trained by his father seemed to be even more formidable than the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau. According to Yan Bingyun's deduction, he should receive this batch of Tiger Guards in a few days, so he was not in a hurry.

"Investigate all the illegal activities of Baoyue Brothel."

He gave the order softly.

Deng Ziyue was startled, and then asked for instructions, "What about the owner behind them?"

Fan Xian thought for a while and shook his head. "Since the Council is covering for him, let's start with the periphery. First, seal up Baoyue Brothel, and that person will naturally get anxious."

In fact, he vaguely guessed that this brothel, which made money every day, must be inseparable from the involvement of the Heir Li Hongcheng. First of all, Sang Wen said that the madam of Baoyue Brothel was named Yuan. Secondly, it was able to mobilize these young masters from the Duke residences. Moreover, the marriage between the Prince of Jing's heir and Ruo Ruo had long been spread throughout the world. If the Second Prince's faction took advantage of this to suppress the Overwatch Council in his name, it was also a possible fact.

Thinking that the other party might be taking advantage of this matter, anger gradually arose in Fan Xian's heart. Although he was trying to sabotage this marriage, he still would not allow anyone to use his and his sister's names.

A good, government-funded prostitution trip ended up being nothing more than an investigation and struggle without any novelty. Fan Xian couldn't help but feel annoyed. He looked at the quiet and well-behaved girl, Sang Wen, sitting next to him and said, "I'll have someone send you out of the city to take refuge. You can come back after the case is closed. But first, write something down, listing all the things you know in detail."

Through his conversation with Sang Wen, he knew that this girl was thoughtful and had a clear mind. She would definitely be of great help with the affairs of Baoyue Brothel.

Deng Ziyue didn't understand Fan Xian's painstaking efforts to deal with Baoyue Brothel. He purely thought that the lord just wanted to vent his frustration from tonight, and was only investigating who within the Overwatch Council was covering for the other party.

Shi Chanli thought a little more. After looking at his gatekeeper and receiving a nod from the other party, he said in front of Sang Wen, "Sir, why not directly ask Mu Tie? He is, after all, the acting head of the First Bureau. Baoyue Brothel rose to prominence during the time you were not in Kyoto. Since he reminded you, he should know some inside information."

Fan Xian shook his head with his eyes closed. "The reason why Mu Tie only reminded me, and didn't say everything clearly, is that this matter must be related to me... or to my family. It's enough that he was able to say a word while maintaining his sense of propriety. There's no need for me to drag him into this matter. Moreover... if I can't even handle such a small matter, how will I gain a foothold in the officialdom in the future?"

The carriage fell into silence, and the atmosphere was somewhat strange. After all, everyone had just seen Fan Xian's ruthless actions like a wandering spirit. Now, looking at this lord with a gentle smile on his face, they couldn't help but feel a little different.

Fan Xian's martial skills had gradually become known to the world since the Niulan Mountain incident last year, but very few people had actually seen him in action, because those people were basically dead. So, a scene like today was really rare.

...

...

Although Fan Xian had warned Mu Tie not to always think about learning Wang Qinian's comedic style, Deng Ziyue had also heard it by the side at the time. But at this time, seeing that the Commissioner Lord seemed to be in a somewhat depressed mood, he still couldn't help but learn from the former's actions, and asked carefully, "Sir, why were you so sure that I was carrying so many silver notes on me earlier in Baoyue Brothel?"

Fan Xian lazily opened his eyes, smiled and looked at him, and said, "The twenty thousand taels offered by the Cui family are with you. You said you were worried that your subordinates would waste money, so you only rewarded each person with one hundred taels, which is three thousand two hundred taels. Then you sent five thousand taels to that little old man, Wang Qinian's, family, leaving you with eleven thousand eight hundred taels."

He closed his eyes and said as if he were counting his own treasures, "You are a frugal person. Your food and clothing are all provided by the public. You even only gave a five-tael silver red envelope for the wedding of Mr. Peng's son from the Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council, and you complained to me several times afterwards, saying that you wanted to curb this unhealthy trend. In this case, you can only spend at most two taels of silver a month."

"You are different from Wang Qinian. You have never married and are still a bachelor. Where else can you put these remaining ten thousand taels of silver notes? You are such a cautious person, of course you wouldn't dare to put them at home, so you naturally carry them with you."

Fan Xian laughed, patted Deng Ziyue's shoulder, "But frugality is frugality. That little widow next door to your house, since she refuses to marry you, you should still have a few silver hairpins made for her. Don't let a woman always complain that you are stingy and miserly. Our Overwatch Council can't afford to lose face."

The few people in the carriage laughed.

Deng Ziyue's face flushed slightly, and he explained, "Sir, I reported the matter of the silver to you before distributing it. One hundred taels is already a lot."

Fan Xian scolded with a smile, "So stingy, how can you be so generous to the Wang family? He is not your superior now."

Deng Ziyue was slightly silent and said, "Lord Wang... is after all in Northern Qi. This subordinate always thinks that in case there is any problem, his family will always need silver."

Fan Xian didn't expect that he would actually say such a thing, sighed, and was slightly touched. If they were ordinary Qing envoys and scholars, staying in Northern Qi would naturally be extremely safe. In the words of a certain generation, they would be able to enjoy national treatment. But like Wang Qinian, a head of secret agents, who knows what kind of end he will have in the future?

Shi Chanli asked from the side, "Are you really going to Baoyue Brothel tomorrow to ask for silver?"

Fan Xian was thinking about Wang Qinian, who was far away in a foreign land, and the recent news that Si Lili had entered the palace. His mood was complicated. Hearing these words, he became angry. The Overwatch Council was risking their lives for the imperial court outside, but the princes and nobles in the court were fighting each other fiercely, and even wanted to drag the council into the muddy waters. It was really abominable.

"Of course, I'm going."

He said coldly to Deng Ziyue, "Reveal your identity! When I spoke with that woman earlier, she once said that I redeemed Sang Wen from Baoyue Brothel, and that she would obediently send her back the next day. As a result, the other party actually came to snatch her in the middle of the night!... We should have some respect and courtesy for such an enemy who keeps their word."

"Since we said that we would take back these ten thousand taels of silver tomorrow, then we must take them back," he said decisively.

——————————————————————————

After receiving the order, Teng Zijin prepared to send Sang Wen to the manor outside the city early the next morning when the city gates opened. After handling these matters properly, Fan Xian returned to his room.

Under the quilt, Wan'er looked at the worry hidden between his eyebrows and asked him with concern what had happened. Fan Xian didn't hide anything from her and told her what he had encountered tonight. Of course, government-funded prostitution naturally became an opportunity to investigate the case in a most legitimate way.

Wan'er pondered, "There is something strange about this matter."

Fan Xian nodded, "I think so too."

Wan'er had lived in the palace for a long time and didn't know much about the Duke residences in Shangshu Lane. After all, their identities and status were different. She had to comfort him and said, "Find an opportunity to ask Sizhe's mother tomorrow. Liu Shi grew up in Shangshu Lane, and her family is a Duke's residence. She should have some information."

Fan Xian's heart stirred slightly, but he immediately denied his guess. Liu Shi, such a seasoned and inconspicuous figure, would never drag him down when he was still in his prime. He now had a more comprehensive understanding of Liu Shi. This woman always put the interests of the Fan Mansion or his father first.

"Are you still going to Baoyue Brothel tomorrow?" Wan'er frowned and said, "Those children have a notorious reputation in Kyoto. Although you are not afraid, you still have to be careful."

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "Don't worry about me. I've just been very vigilant about this kind of thing since I was a child." He smiled gently and said, "When I was in Danzhou, the thing I wanted to do most was to beat up the playboys who bullied men and dominated women on the street, but I never got my wish. I didn't expect to satisfy my childhood fantasy tonight."

Wan'er gently poked his chest, "Danzhou? Shouldn't you be the biggest playboy?"

Fan Xian didn't answer, and said in a daze, "The most terrifying thing in the world is not cold-blooded killers, but those dignitaries and young masters who like to kill without asking the reason, because killers kill people for a purpose, but these dignitaries and young masters just..."

"...Just purely indulge in this kind of stimulation. You must know that if a baby can kill, then he dares to do it for a drop of milk, because the baby is the most instinctive stage and has no sense of guilt, because they don't understand anything. Therefore, these young masters in Kyoto, the younger they are, the less respect they have for the imperial court and the world, and the more ruthless and reckless they are in their actions... Once this gap is opened, it will be like the dike in Jiangnan this year, and it will never be blocked."

He shook his head, thinking of those ruthless young masters who had fallen under his hands, and the deepest hidden worries in his heart faintly floated in his clear eyes.

————————————————————————————

The fight on the long street that night naturally alarmed many people immediately. The Kyoto Prefecture, which was responsible for the security of Kyoto, undoubtedly bore the greatest pressure. Those little overlords who roamed the streets, relying on their family background and the imperial court's generous treatment, had always been ruthless and lawless in their actions. This time, they had blocked the street to fight, and ended up in such a tragic state. It was really surprising.

The Kyoto Prefecture officers who were responsible for investigating the case were shocked when they saw the fractured and broken bones of the young masters. They also felt a trace of fear and suspicion towards the "Young Master Chen" who had taken action - the other party clearly did not take the power of these Dukes to heart. Where did this ruthless figure come from?

As Deng Ziyue said, Fan Xian's identity could not be concealed from everyone in Kyoto.

After the detailed details of that night spread out, although the Kyoto Prefecture had not yet found out who the Young Master Chen was, those smart people smelled a familiar scent from the black-clothed people who jumped down from the residences beside the street. Everyone knew that the young Commissioner Lord of the Overwatch Council had a close team called "Qinian Group" by his side.

"Let Yuan Meng come back," the Second Prince of Qing said gently with a faint tenderness between his eyebrows. "There will be no good days if you offend Fan Xian."

The Heir Li Hongcheng walked slowly to the window, feeling a little gloomy in his heart. He knew that his cousin's scheming was extremely meticulous, and said quietly, "No one would have thought that Fan Xian would go to a brothel. With his stubborn nature, he would definitely not let it go."

The Second Prince smiled slightly, reached out and grabbed a dried fruit from the small plate next to him, rubbed off the skin, and put it into his mouth, chewing slowly, "The more carefully Fan Xian investigates, the more solid the evidence of Baoyue Brothel is, the more interesting this matter will become."

Li Hongcheng turned back to look at him and said faintly, "From the beginning, you designed it this way, but... why give Fan Xian this opportunity to take action?"

The Second Prince seemed a little lost in thought. After a long time, he said, "Because I am still looking for a way to reconcile and coexist with Fan Xian. Baoyue Brothel is the last chance. If Fan Xian is willing to extend his hand, I will shake it with sincerity... I want to give him a chance to take the initiative to shake hands."