The sound was crisp, unlike the muffled thuds of the royal guards' staffs landing on censors from the Censorate outside the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It was more like someone tapping out a rhythm for a lively song.

The tapping stopped after only ten strikes. The three directors of the workshops didn't end up like Brother Bao Yu, gasping for breath, nor did they faint like Fan Lao Er.

Fan Xian watched the scene with great interest, somewhat surprised by the toughness of the three directors. They hadn't even groaned after being hit ten times. He knew the style of his subordinates; when he ordered a beating, no one dared to hold back.

The three directors were sprawled on the benches, their clothes pulled up, their pants pulled down. Their buttocks and backs were covered in red welts, a pitiful sight. But they had been humiliated too much today, in front of Fan Xian. They stubbornly refused to cry out for mercy, though the blows were undoubtedly painful. Besides the pain, there was a sense of humiliation at being stripped in public, bringing tears to the eyes of these middle-aged men. Their eyes welled up, filled with both tears and hatred, like pathetic little puppies.

Fan Xian clapped his hands and said, "Take them away."

"Yes!" his subordinates responded in unison, helping the three directors out of the yamen.

As the three already humiliated directors were being carried away, Fan Xian didn't forget to call out like a merchant, "Three days! Three days! Don't forget!"

...

...

The yamen fell silent. The gazes of the officials toward Fan Xian were now filled with even more fear. Everyone in the world knew Fan Xian's reputation, but those who weren't from Kyoto didn't have firsthand experience with the icy chill hidden beneath Fan Xian's clean name and literary fame. It wasn't as clear as the pain felt by the literary officials of the Second Prince's faction.

But today, everyone finally witnessed it. While secretly frightened, they couldn't help but feel a hint of schadenfreude. 'Beat them if you want,' they thought, 'you're just beating the treasurers to show us officials. But no matter how learned you are, Lord Fan, you're still clueless about the inner workings of the treasury. Offending these three great workshop directors will only make things difficult for you later.'

Fan Xian may not have been aware that his subordinates were secretly planning to watch the show in three days, or perhaps he simply didn't care. He casually said a few more words, ordering everyone to repay the debts within three days and to confess any illegal activities themselves, then dismissed the officials.

He kept behind the Major General from the Ye family and his close assistant, the Deputy Commissioner of Transportation. He needed their help in many ways for what he was going to do in three days.

No one knew what he discussed with the two officials in the back garden, but their expressions grew increasingly grave. Finally, they slowly nodded, gave Fan Xian a respectful bow, and left.

...

...

"Lord," Su Wenmao handed over the intelligence summary from the Supervisory Council. Fan Xian took it and nodded slightly as he read. "It seems the people of the Fourth Bureau are still useful, but they've been suppressed by the Eldest Princess and the treasurers for years, never given a chance to show their talents."

Su Wenmao watched him immerse himself in the documents, and remembering the previous scene, he couldn't help but frown. Gathering his courage, he said softly, "Those three workshop directors deserve to be killed."

Fan Xian looked up at him and chuckled. "Of course they deserve to be killed, but killing isn't like cooking. You don't have to rush to kill them just because they deserve it."

"Lord was too lenient earlier." Su Wenmao, being from the First Bureau of the Supervisory Council, always emphasized ruthlessness in dealing with officials and administration. He felt that Fan Xian's earlier actions were too merciful. Three directors were nothing; they should have been killed to establish authority with a thunderous blow. What was the point of talking so much and only giving them ten strokes?

He said indignantly, "Lord only gave them ten strokes earlier. It was too light. I'm afraid these people will be resentful."

Fan Xian waved the Supervisory Council's intelligence summary in his hand and said calmly, "Based on the evidence I have, I could have chopped off their heads, and no one would have dared to say anything."

Su Wenmao was stunned, wondering why, if that was the case, the thunder was so loud but the rain was so light, letting those three lawless fellows off the hook.

Fan Xian explained with a smile, "Thunder and rain, they are all... the Emperor's grace. If I had been too harsh earlier, although the officials and those big and small treasurers would have been dissatisfied or even resentful out of fear, they would have had to obey. And threatened by the sharpness of the executioner's blade, they would have been honest. As for the three-day deadline... I'm afraid it won't even take a day. The officials will make up the deficits, and the treasurers will be sending silver to the yamen like madmen."

"Isn't that... the outcome Lord wanted to see?" Su Wenmao became even more confused.

Fan Xian waved his hand. "Wrong. Suppressing them temporarily, only killing the three directors of the workshops, what fundamental change can that bring to the Internal Treasury? It's like hunting monkeys on a mountain. You have to kill the monkey king, and then the other monkeys will scatter. You know I can't and don't want to stay in the Internal Treasury for a long time. What will happen when we leave? Those monkeys will run out of the mountains again and steal our corn."

Su Wenmao's heart stirred, understanding something. The monkeys in the Lord Supervisor's metaphor were naturally the numerous treasurers of the three great workshops. If he had killed the three directors today, the treasurers would obediently return the money and pay the wages owed to the workers. But then, the Lord Supervisor would have missed the opportunity to wield the knife again. When the Lord Supervisor left Minbei and returned to Hangzhou, so far away, the treasurers would likely become active again, and the workers of the three great workshops would face even more brutal retaliation.

"It's squeezing a boil," Fan Xian said with a smile. "It looks like your face is smooth, but the pus is still inside. So we don't rush to scrub first, but open the pores and squeeze out all the pus."

Su Wenmao was stunned, obviously not having taken a beauty course, but he understood Fan Xian's meaning well enough. He said with a smile, "Lord speaks so elaborately, isn't it just flushing out a hidden enemy?"

"Flush what? This is called rousing the grass to startle the snake." Fan Xian touched his smooth hair, realizing that his analogy wasn't quite right, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Anyway, with the three-day deadline and the humiliation of the ten strokes, those spoiled treasurers won't be able to stand it."

"If... someone returns the money, what will happen?" Su Wenmao asked doubtfully, worried that the Lord Supervisor's great reputation would frighten the little monkeys from jumping out.

"Learn from past mistakes and cure the sickness to save the patient," Fan Xian said seriously. "Any treasurer who hasn't violated the Qing laws and statutes, as long as they return the money cleanly, I will naturally give them a chance to start anew. I'm here to manage the Internal Treasury, not to destroy it."

"Understood."

"For the enemy, we must differentiate, sort things out, treat them separately, and unite everyone who can be united... We'll see who jumps out in three days, and we'll know who is rejecting my good intentions," Fan Xian said with a smile. "Not only targeting the treasurers, but I believe the Eldest Princess's confidants left in the Internal Treasury won't miss such a great opportunity either. From Xinyang's perspective, if I offend all the treasurers, the Internal Treasury will naturally fall into paralysis. At this time, they will definitely jump out. You have the people of the Fourth Bureau keep a close eye on things these two days, and draw up a list. I will dismiss all these unstable elements one by one."

Su Wenmao finally understood everything. The Lord Supervisor was going to do a thorough cleaning job. Remembering the conversation in the garden earlier, he said cautiously, "But... Lord, the Deputy Commissioner is from the Ren family, so he can be trusted. But the Ye family?"

Fan Xian knew what he was worried about. According to the news from Kyoto, several days after the First Prince married the Great Princess of Northern Qi, Ye Ling'er finally married the Second Prince. And the Second Prince also took this opportunity, with the Empress Dowager's intervention, to be released from his confinement.

"Don't worry about anything. I didn't say too much. I just asked Major General Ye to pay attention to the outgoing routes recently. I wouldn't be so arrogant as to think I can win over the Ye family with a few words."

Fan Xian laughed. What he asked Major General Ye to do was just to prevent the treasurers from taking advantage of their geographical advantage and secretly transporting the money they had embezzled over the years. Although most of the ill-gotten gains were definitely used to buy land, the deeds... the treasurers' personalities dictated that they could only be kept at home.

"And don't casually associate the Ye family with the Second Prince and the Eldest Princess," Fan Xian said after thinking for a moment. "The Ye and Qin families are famous side by side, it's not as simple as most people imagine. How could they unilaterally lean towards one prince? That would be too stupid. Even if they have a tendency, they will still have to give me some face until things become clear. Unless Ye Zhong really wants His Majesty to send him even further away, he wouldn't risk falling out with me for a group of treasurers."

Su Wenmao was startled and said nothing more, taking his leave.

Fan Xian sat in his chair in silence for a long time before sighing. Ye Ling'er had finally married. What fate would the Second Prince meet in the future? He wasn't a benevolent person, but he had once said in the tea shop outside the Baoyue Building that the reason he wanted to cast the Second Prince into the dust was to save his life. This was partly because of Ye Ling'er, and partly because he subconsciously wanted to compete with the Emperor, who emphasized iron-blooded parenting, to see who was better at playing the game!

In recent months, the Ye family had been played by the Emperor. Having no other choice, they had to get closer and closer to the Second Prince. Thinking of this, Fan Xian was filled with anger. The Emperor's foresight might be real, but his paranoia and absurdity as an Emperor were also undeniable. It seemed that people in different positions had their own limitations. The limitation of the Emperor on the Dragon Throne was that he was too suspicious. He first tested them with a marriage, then developed unfounded suspicions, and finally framed them shamelessly, forcing the Ye family to the opposite side of the Crown Prince!

The Crown Prince? Why did that third son follow him out of Kyoto?

The Emperor... was really not one to be trifled with, using methods that were impossible to discern. Fan Xian was a little annoyed, but then comforted himself, saying that he, this little rascal, couldn't understand, maybe the old rascal was also fighting a chaotic battle, and even he didn't understand.

As for why Fan Xian was so determined not to reconcile with his mother-in-law, it wasn't just because he had suffered as a son-in-law during the love process, nor was it just the reason he had told Haitang about "taking good care of the family business." The most practical reason was that if Fan Xian and the Eldest Princess really joined forces, the combined strength of the two sides would be so powerful that it would be terrifying, enough to shake the foundation of Qing.

And this was absolutely not something the Qing Emperor could allow.

As for Fan Xian, who did not have the power to control the world, his current principle of conduct was only one: to appear extremely wise while actually being foolish. He would never do anything the Emperor didn't allow, unless someone wanted to beat him to death.

—————————————————————————

In the following two days, Fan Xian, the newly arrived Imperial Envoy to the Internal Treasury, took his seven personal maids and flitted about inspecting the workshops. He gradually became familiar with the processes of the Internal Treasury, and gained a more emotional understanding of the Ye family's past influence. He would inevitably sigh with emotion by the river and the waterwheel, and occasionally sit down with the workers in the workshops to discuss the art of blowing glass. It was a pity that his skills were too poor and his appearance too beautiful, so he couldn't succeed, but the texture of the glass was undeniably displayed.

He wandered around like this for two days. Most of the workshops near the official yamen knew what the new Lord looked like. Although they dared not stare directly at the legendary Little Fan Lord, the poor laborers secretly stole glances at him. They all said that this nobleman was really good-looking, but his hands and feet were a bit clumsy. He was also kind, and the seven maids around him were all beautiful as flowers, except for one maid who was really ugly and had the manners of a country bumpkin, not like a girl from a great family.

On the other hand, the inner four lines of defense formed by the military and the Supervisory Council suddenly tightened their patrols. The Internal Treasury's patrols were already the most strict in the world. Suddenly tightening them, they found some contraband items, although not the technical secrets of the Internal Treasury, but also some heavy things.

They were light pieces of paper, but they were heavy deeds.

As Fan Xian expected, the first reaction of the treasurers and related officials, including the three workshop directors, after the promulgation of the Three-Day Order was to find a way to transport the most valuable things around them to relatives and friends outside the Internal Treasury.

But after encountering strict searches, the officials and treasurers finally despaired, knowing that the new Imperial Envoy would not allow them to transfer their property. And if these paper assets remained with them... Heaven! If they didn't make up the deficits in three days, wouldn't they be subjected to confiscation of their families? Moreover, none of these people were clean. If the Imperial Envoy wanted to find their faults, it would be death either way!

The work of Shan Da and Major General Lin was obviously effective. From the second day on, no one tried to transfer property anymore, and an evil wind began to blow in the Internal Treasury's various residences and the three great workshops. As for the source of the wind, there were naturally scattered spies secretly inquiring.

That night, there was heavy rain in the Min area, and the rivers swelled. Although there were no problems due to the solid embankments, the atmosphere of howling wind and surging waves had begun to make many people feel strange.

The treasurers, feeling a strong danger, began to collude. More than two hundred treasurers, from top to bottom, had their own plans in the face of the "Three-Day Order." Some, with a remnant of conscience, prepared to return the ill-gotten gains and start anew. Some, fearing Fan Xian's power, began to secretly prepare to report the illegal activities of their colleagues, seeking a clean slate for themselves. And more people began to gather in the residences of the three great workshop directors, secretly discussing how to deal with the matter.

The three directors of the three workshops, having been beaten, could only lie in bed. Although located in three different places, their hatred for Fan Xian and the resentment in their eyes were surprisingly united. In short, they refused to bow their heads to Fan Xian, because they had done too many bad things. Even if they bowed their heads, they were afraid they wouldn't escape death in the future.

In the collusion of these treasurers, the confidants left in the treasury by Xinyang also played a very negative role, guaranteeing to the treasurers in the name of the distant Princess in Kyoto that the court was still primarily concerned with the Internal Treasury's output and profits, not the small pieces of silver you had embezzled.

What is one chopstick? What are ten chopsticks? In short, the vast majority of the treasurers finally tightly formed a group and began to bowl like bowling balls towards the Imperial Envoy Fan, who seemed to know nothing and only knew how to travel with beautiful women.

...

...

On the last day of the Three-Day Order, Fan Xian, following the rules of the previous two days, still stayed in the official yamen in the morning to discuss matters. Although the treasurers had not voluntarily confessed their crimes, many officials had already returned some silver. As for whether they had returned enough, that was a matter for later, but at least the superficial respect was shown.

Some treasurers also secretly confessed, proactively climbing to the Supervisory Council to become witnesses with blemishes. Fan Xian naturally accepted them with a smile, indicating that the other party was indeed not a solid piece of iron. The Internal Treasury's manufacturing process was indeed not up to par.

He drank tea, staring blankly at the drizzling rain outside the hall. He thought of the heavy rain last night, wondering if the Qing Kingdom would be hit by floods again this year. It seemed he had to hurry, otherwise the silver his father wanted might not be delivered to the Yangtze River coast in time, and the dikes would collapse again.

"Lord!"

A voice full of panic, like a muffled thunderclap, woke Fan Xian from his sage-like thoughts.

Fan Xian looked up in confusion, only to see a group of officials with wet clothes running in. These officials were the ones who had gone to the various workshops to promote the last day of the Three-Day Order today. Why were they all running back?

The leader was the Internal Treasury's number two figure, Deputy Commissioner of Transportation Ma Kai. He looked shocked, grabbed his lapel, and rushed in, not caring about the dirty water on the ground wetting his shoes.

"Lord Ma, why are you so flustered?" Fan Xian looked at the other party and frowned slightly, putting on a show like Cao Cao.

"Lord, something bad has happened!" Although Ma Kai had long known that the treasurers would react to the Three-Day Order, he was flustered by the sudden news today and hurried to report to Fan Xian.

"The three great workshops... have gone on strike!"

...

...

Fan Xian was slightly stunned, standing blankly on the stone steps.

Ma Kai thought that the Imperial Envoy was also shocked by the sudden bad news. He wiped the rain off his face and said with a bitter smile, "This is terrible, this is terrible."

The three great workshops went on strike? This had never happened since the Qing Kingdom took over the Internal Treasury! In fact, Fan Xian had not killed anyone and used methods that were not as bloody as the Eldest Princess's back then. But the problem was that Fan Xian issued the Three-Day Order and also had the secret spy power that the Eldest Princess did not have. He also blocked the treasurers' attempts to transfer their property, which was tantamount to swallowing the money the treasurers had deducted over the years.

What is money? Money is the life of most people, so the treasurers dared to use such a shocking act of strike to fight Fan Xian!

Fan Xian was only stunned for a moment and immediately woke up, a faint smile appearing on his lips. In fact, he was not surprised by the treasurers' intense reaction. He was just thinking that this world also had labor unrest...

"Lord, what should we do? Should we withdraw the Three-Day Order first?" Ma Kai said with a hopeful face. He did not agree with Fan Xian issuing the Three-Day Order. Now that the treasurers had really gone on strike, how much silver would the court lose if the three great workshops of the Internal Treasury stopped working for a day? Who could bear such a big crime? Even if you, Fan Xian, had an extraordinary family background and were not afraid of the world's opinions, His Majesty would not spare you!

Contrary to Ma Kai's and the officials' expectations, Fan Xian gently stroked his smooth hair, moved his neck, and revealed a hint of excitement on his face: "Indeed, I was not disappointed. They caused a big stir... That's good, I'll rush ahead and kill them all clean... clean!"

"Ah?"

The officials stood foolishly in the drizzling rain. A pair of swallows danced lightly on the wooden beams of the yamen.

——————————————————————————

In the pouring rain, Fan Xian, wearing a black Supervisory Council lotus robe, led the Transportation Department officials, a total of more than twenty people, and rushed to a certain large workshop in Jia Workshop, the first to call for a strike. The officials stood outside the workshop and found that they could not hear the crackling sound of the furnace, nor was there any black smoke coming out of the workshop. It was deadly silent. Everyone couldn't help but cast their gazes on Fan Xian, wondering how the Lord was going to deal with this silent protest.

No one knew that the Qinian Group and the Sixth Bureau swordsmen who had followed Fan Xian to Jiangnan had already put on raincoats and silently arrived near the large workshop, waiting for orders.

In the distance, Major General Ye, with a gloomy face, clenched his fists and nervously talked with Su Wenmao beside him, but his mind was entirely on the large workshop where the strike was taking place. Behind the two, a battalion of soldiers with knives and guns was waiting.

The people on strike in Jia Workshop were gathered in this large workshop, which still had the residual heat from last night. This was the place responsible for refining glass.

Fan Xian walked into the workshop with steady steps and looked up at the high workshop roof, praising, "The rain protection is well done."

The workers were huddled in the back in groups of three or five, their faces filled with fear. These lower-level workers naturally didn't know why the work had suddenly stopped today, and they were terrified when they saw the newly arrived Imperial Envoy.

In the front of the workshop, a dozen treasurers in blue clothes forced themselves to remain calm and gave Fan Xian a salute.

"Why haven't you started work?"

"Please allow us to inform you, Lord," Workshop Director Xiao, with a grudgeful look in his eyes, looked at Fan Xian. "The rain was too heavy last night and put out the furnace and damaged the molds, so we couldn't start work."

The workshop director and the treasurers were not fools. Of course, they knew they couldn't openly say they were on strike, otherwise, if Fan Xian really went crazy and killed them all with his knife, he would be justified. So, they could only find some reasons, but in reality, they were still threatening him with a strike.

This was, perhaps, the so-called art of negotiation.

In terms of poetry and writing, Fan Xian could be said to be an artist, but his job was often to destroy art without aesthetics. He said with a sullen face, "The molds are broken and the furnace is wet, then what about Yi Workshop? Did the scalding steel water also solidify? Can the spinning machines also rust?"

Before the Workshop Director Xiao could reply, he narrowed his eyes and said, "I think you treasurers' brains are really rusting!"

There was no negotiation at all. Fan Xian only needed someone to make trouble. The replacement of the Internal Treasury's technical supervisors was imperative. How could he miss this opportunity?

"Come on, cut off this Workshop Director Xiao's head and warm the furnace with his blood," Fan Xian clapped his hands and said amiably.

Workshop Director Xiao was stunned, seemingly not understanding what the Imperial Envoy meant.

As soon as Fan Xian finished speaking, the Supervisory Council officials in raincoats had already entered the workshop. One subordinate raised a chair for Fan Xian to sit on, and several others cleanly kicked Workshop Director Xiao to the ground and dragged him to the furnace, about five zhang away from Fan Xian.

Fan Xian waved his hand.

The Transportation Department officials behind him were in an uproar. Deputy Commissioner Ma Kai was anxious and shouted in a panic, "Lord, you can't!"

Workshop Director Xiao, who had been pushed to the furnace opening, finally woke up at this time, knowing that the Imperial Envoy really wanted to kill him... really dared to kill him! He began to struggle desperately, his feet kicking against the loose soil on the ground, making a rustling sound, and shouted with a crying voice, "Spare me, Lord, spare me!"

The world is full of fools who can't see through the situation and beg for mercy when they are about to die. It's a bit late.

The treasurers who were friendly with Workshop Director Xiao's eyes were about to split open, and they rushed forward, wanting to save Workshop Director Xiao.

With a whoosh, a flash of snow-white light flashed past!

A head with a dark face rolled into the furnace, and blood spurted out, hitting the furnace wall.

Numerous screams erupted in the workshop. Everyone was shocked by the bloody scene in front of them. The small treasurers wailed and were terrified. In a flash, they simultaneously stopped their forward steps. The instinct for survival finally overcame the inner fanaticism at this moment.

Fan Xian looked at the corpse at the furnace opening, then at the hundreds of frightened workers gathered behind the workshop, and said calmly, "I have my reasons for killing people."