(Haha, I didn't pretend to be anything... and nobody is punishing me by making me kneel on a CPU or hitting me with a stick. Monthly tickets are bonuses; if I can get them, I'll definitely be happy. My mentality in this regard is truly infuriatingly good, really, keep voting! ...Xia Ming Ji, scare Ming too.)

...

...

"Do you know how the barbed copper wire that His Highness the Crown Prince used when slaughtering the Hu horses was invented?"

"Hmm? Isn't that iron?"

"The difference isn't that big, you know?"

Truth be told, the Northern Qi didn't actually have this thing. The Northern Qi court officials were also most interested in the military products of the Southern Qing's Inner Treasury's Three Workshops. It was not easy for one party to proactively bring this up today, so the young lady on the other side naturally felt a little happy and sincerely said, "I don't know."

"Oh, copper wire is very difficult to draw." That gentle voice sighed, "I heard that it was the merchants from Jiangnan who pulled it out forcefully in order to grab a piece of copper coin."

The joke itself was amusing, but it sounded rather cold coming from his mouth.

So the young lady just curled her lips.

He asked again, "Do you know how the channel for the Shahu Lake to break the embankment and enter the river in Shazhou was dug out?"

The young lady shook her head, not really wanting to play these games with him.

That person shook his head and said in a sing-song voice, "Because a Jiangnan merchant dropped a copper coin into a rat hole on the embankment."

...

...

Haitang looked at Fan Xian, who was telling jokes, and stared at him quietly for a long time before saying, "I can understand these two jokes, I just don't know what you're trying to say."

Fan Xian scratched his itchy and sore neck. Sisi hadn't been feeling well these past few days and had been pulling her hair too hard when combing it every day, so some small red spots had appeared on the back of his head. He scratched while saying, "These two jokes tell us that for merchants, stinginess is always the most admirable virtue, and profit is always an irresistible temptation."

These were two jokes he had heard about Jews in his previous life. Using them on Jiangnan merchants at this time didn't feel too awkward.

He turned around and pointed to his back, having scratched an itch which quickly spread to the center of his back. Although with Fan Xian's little tricks, his palm could easily reach there, it didn't feel right.

So he pointed to his back.

Haitang glared at him, but her hand had already reached over, gently scratching his back through his clothes.

Feeling that miraculous hand, which could easily defeat the Second Priest, scratching his itchy spot with supreme mental techniques, Fan Xian felt completely relaxed and groaned comfortably, continuing, "Stinginess is the nature of merchants. It's a bit unexpected that Ming Qingda is so willing to cut the flesh, and since it concerns profit, next year I will definitely have to appease the Sun family in Quanzhou and the merchants who missed out this year. So I have to trouble you to tell your emperor that next year at most we can maintain this year's share; anything more than that would be extremely difficult."

Haitang hummed in agreement.

Then she continued to ask, "How are you planning to deal with the Ming family? It seems like you're very satisfied with Ming Qingda's attitude."

Fan Xian shook his head and said seriously, "His attitude doesn't completely represent the Ming family's attitude. The events of that night haven't been resolved yet, and I can't stop. The Ming family's current wounds are all on their economic body. In the coming year, just by using the Inner Treasury's goods to restrict him, I can make his family continue to bleed... but the Ming family's overall body is still healthy. If I want to eat them in one bite, it's impossible, so as long as I'm in Jiangnan for one day, I will cut off a piece of meat from them every so often."

The so-called slow consumption, perhaps that was the idea. Haitang couldn't help but feel sorry for Ming Qingda listening to it. That old Master Ming put on a low profile, but still couldn't control Fan Xian's powerful plan execution.

Seeming to guess what she was thinking, Fan Xian explained, "The Ming family certainly won't sit idly by, the problem is that this time, Xiao Yan's plan is different from dealing with the Cui family. The Overwatch Council's methods are all visible to everyone, and everything I'm doing is in accordance with the Qing laws. This isn't a conspiracy, it's just an open plot. Faced with the difference in strength, the Ming family can't launch a direct counterattack. Don't think that Ming Qingda purely wants to resolve the matter; he's still buying time, waiting for the situation in the capital to change."

He emphasized, "For the Ming family, the situation in Kyoto must change, otherwise they can only wait to be eaten by the court."

Haitang softly replied, "So you won't let them wait so peacefully, but you want to weaken their strength as much as possible before the situation in Kyoto changes."

"That's right." Fan Xian said expressionlessly, "Everything is done according to the rules. The only thing I'm worried about is that the Ming family's reputation is a bit incomprehensibly good. No problems can be found in the Inner Treasury Transportation Department's accounts; their ability to erase traces is too strong... Now there's no news from that island again, it seems someone is helping them cover up. Faced with such a seemingly gentle and virtuous family, if I, or rather the Overwatch Council, push the Ming family too hard, and the Ming family puts on too pitiful a front, the scholars and people of Jiangnan might have a backlash."

"You're not someone who cares about other people's opinions," Haitang said with a smile.

Fan Xian also laughed, "That's true. But I don't care doesn't mean His Majesty doesn't care. His Majesty wants to leave his name in history, and he also wants to solidify the imperial power forever. This is originally a troublesome matter. If it weren't for this, the court has too many ways to directly flatten the Ming family. Why hasn't he taken action all along? Isn't it because he's afraid of leaving an impression of the emperor's lack of kindness and the court's harshness in people's hearts, afraid of leaving an unflattering mark in the history books?"

"Is the Qing Emperor this kind of person?" Haitang asked doubtfully.

"Believe me." Fan Xian said with a wry smile, "His Majesty is indeed a person who values his reputation. Otherwise, last time when auspicious omens descended from the sky, he wouldn't have insisted on arguing with your emperor over that unnecessary quarrel... This time, His Majesty sent me to Jiangnan to take over the Ming family, of course, he hopes that I can do it beautifully, and he wants to crush the Ming family, but he can't leave any bad reputation. If at that time the people of Jiangnan, even the people of the whole country, complain for the Ming family... if those forces in Kyoto make a fuss again, even if His Majesty is ruthless enough to be willing to let me be a scapegoat, he will be forced to summon me back to the capital."

"If that's the case, today is already the fourth day after the Inner Treasury bidding, why haven't you done anything?" Haitang asked curiously.

Fan Xian said with a smile, "Who says I haven't done anything? I still put a lot of thought into the Bao Yue Tower."

Mentioning Bao Yue Tower, Haitang felt a little strange, sighing, "It's fine that you borrowed money from me to repair the river works, but the silver of my Great Qi Dynasty... you actually used it to open a brothel. If this news is sent back to Shangjing, I'm afraid His Majesty will laugh me, this little shigu, to death."

Fan Xian knew that this Northern Qi Saintess always felt a little uncomfortable about him opening a brothel, he said seriously, "River works are doing good deeds, and what you know, the resettlement of refugees that I'm about to start is also doing good deeds, but actually you don't understand, opening a brothel... is also doing good deeds."

Haitang was greatly puzzled, thinking, how could a brothel, which forces women to do such pitiful things, have anything to do with doing good deeds?

"The two oldest professions of mankind, one is an assassin, and the other is a prostitute." Fan Xian snapped his fingers, then pointed to his back again, indicating to Haitang not to stop scratching his back, "You can't change this, I can't change it, even my mom can't change it... Since this is the case, this industry will definitely exist forever, then we might as well control this industry in our own hands, set some rules, and protect the interests of those poor women as much as possible."

After saying Gu Long's famous saying, he repeated the statement he used to persuade Shi Chanli, Fan Xian solemnly concluded, "I open a brothel to protect those prostitutes. If I blindly put morality on my head, ignore it and pretend that there is no such thing in this world, then that's truly not having a benevolent heart, treating those prostitutes as non-humans."

When Fan Xian specifically talked about Bao Yue Tower's various "new policies," such as hiring doctors and providing monthly leave, Haitang's hand that was scratching Fan Xian had already stopped, looking at the back of his head with slight shock, seemingly not expecting that what Fan Xian said was not just empty talk, but he was actually doing these things.

When she heard the last sentence, the look of admiration on Haitang's face appeared and disappeared immediately, softly saying, "Anzhi speaks reasonably."

"Hmm?" Fan Xian turned his head in surprise, not expecting the other party to reply so seriously. This feeling was really not good, like Xu Ziling was trying to persuade a Buddhist nun.

He shook his head, driving this sad and sorrowful association out of his mind, and said without thinking, "Duoduo, I'm sorry."

This time it was Haitang's turn to be surprised and hummed in response.

Fan Xian said, "A few days ago, you and I were a little estranged. Afterwards, I thought about it, this is mainly my problem, of course, there is also your problem, but fundamentally, it is my problem."

Although Haitang didn't quite understand what he wanted to say, nor did she understand this strange and redundant sentence structure that wasted words, she still easily associated it with the eight or nine o'clock sun, the world is yours and mine, etc., that this young man had said on the ancient road outside Shangjing, Northern Qi.

A shallow smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

Fan Xian clapped his hands and stared into her eyes, saying, "I desire frankness between friends, but in fact, I haven't been frank enough with you, so this is my problem. And since you left Northern Qi and came to Jiangnan, you have to keep an eye on so much money every day, and you have to worry about how I am, your pressure is too great, making your mind uneasy, not as good as before, unable to successfully resolve this pressure, is your problem. But, you have pressure, I have pressure, fundamentally, these pressures are created by me, so this problem is also mine."

Haitang laughed, covering her mouth, only revealing those bright eyes like a clear lake.

Fan Xian was slightly stunned, and subconsciously said, "Your eyes are very beautiful."

"Hmm?" The third "hmm" between the two.

Fan Xian chuckled, "I didn't expect you to have the side of a little girl... but in the end, you still haven't told me, how old are you exactly."

Seeing Haitang's slightly angry expression, he waved his hand dismissively and said, "Change the subject! Didn't you just ask, why haven't I taken any action against the Ming family these past two days?"

"You said you were busy with the renovation work of the brothel." Haitang was also able to joke, but it was a bit stiff.

Fan Xian nodded and said with a smile, "That's one thing, of course, the main problem is... I'm waiting for Xia Xifei to recover from his injuries."

———————————————————————

On the evening of March 26th, the area of Suzhou's West City where salt merchants and imperial merchants' residences gathered was brightly lit with red lanterns and the sound of firecrackers filled the air, a joyous atmosphere. It turned out that Xia Xifei, the Jiangnan water bandit leader who had been making a splash in the Inner Treasury matter these days, had officially purchased a courtyard in Suzhou City, and today was the first day he opened his doors to welcome guests.

In fact, the real Jiangnan tycoons all had their own large courtyards outside Suzhou City, in the Jiangnan water villages, and usually lived in their own estates, rarely staying in the city. However, each of them invariably reserved a luxurious residence in Suzhou's West City, because this was a symbol of status and a display of family strength.

The land in West City was extremely expensive, and no one was ever willing to sell property, so not everyone was qualified to live there. Xia Xifei's successful opening of his own residence meant that after the Inner Treasury incident, Jiangnan had already recognized his qualifications.

Of course, Xia Xifei, who moved into Suzhou City, naturally had to wash himself cleaner, leaving no trace of the underworld on his face. So he naturally couldn't move in as the leader of the Jiangnan Water Village. His current identity had changed, becoming the owner of Xia Ming Ji.

Xia Ming Ji was naturally a newly opened business. The hidden meaning in this name was clear to the merchants who came to congratulate him. That Ming family was so conspicuous and glaring. It was just unknown whether the Ming family would send someone to come today. It was said that after the Ming family's master, Master Ming Qingda, fainted that day, he didn't wake up until two days later, his body was extremely weak.

A carriage stopped in front of Xia's residence. The carriage was all black, without any markings, but the guards who were eyeing them fiercely and the strangers who suddenly appeared on the street all revealed the identity of this carriage.

The merchants who were gathered at the entrance of Xia's residence quickly walked over, bowing to the carriage and eagerly preparing to welcome the person in the carriage.

Inside the carriage, Fan Xian said softly to the Third Prince, "Your Highness, do you really want to join in this fun? It seems a bit inappropriate."

The Third Prince smiled sweetly and said, "I know what Teacher is worried about, but since Teacher doesn't avoid suspicion and comes to support Xia Xifei today, it doesn't matter if I, as a student, add myself."

Fan Xian smiled, knowing that this little guy had not forgotten the teachings of Concubine Yi at any time, insisting on being tied to him, not only psychologically, but also in terms of public opinion.

One large and one small, the two nobles in Suzhou City got out of the carriage in a restrained manner, eliciting a burst of noise and shouts of "Qian Sui (May you live a thousand years)" from outside the carriage.

...

...

Fan Xian stood in the room, touching the obviously newly made desk with his hand, smelling the faint fragrance of fresh wood in his nose. He thought that this world wasn't good at anything else, but the new renovated house didn't have the smell of methane. This benefit alone was enough. He was suddenly shocked to realize that he hadn't thought about the things of the original world for a long time. He didn't know what this represented.

Perhaps he was becoming more and more adapted to this world, but why was that unknown desire in his heart still scratching, making his heart itchy, but he didn't know what he was craving.

Not tobacco, not A-movies, he didn't know what it was.

He broke free from his trance and realized that Xia Xifei and the Third Prince were staring at him blankly. He couldn't help but laugh at himself and said, "Qingcheng, you're injured, sit down yourself, don't mind me, I often daydream."

Knowing that the Imperial Envoy and the Third Prince had arrived together, the Jiangnan merchants who came to congratulate him in the front yard secretly envied Xia Xifei's luck and were shocked by the Imperial Envoy and the Third Prince's undisguised actions. On the other hand, they didn't dare to make too much noise, so the sound of drinking and having fun in the front yard didn't disturb the conversation in the study in the backyard.

Xia Xifei was actually very shocked by Fan Xian's arrival, let alone the fact that the Third Prince was coming with him!

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "Now everyone in Jiangnan knows about your relationship with me. I think Kyoto should also know. Since that's the case, why bother to hide it?"

Xia Xifei glanced at the Third Prince. Thinking of the rumors in the market, he didn't avoid it much and said directly, "Commissioner, subordinate is afraid of bringing trouble to you."

"What trouble?" Fan Xian looked at him and said gently, "You're working for the court. You seem to be in the limelight recently, but you've actually suffered a lot of losses."

Xia Xifei thought of the brothers who died that night, his face darkened slightly.

"Is the injury better?" Fan Xian asked.

Xia Xifei respectfully replied, "Much better."

"Hmm." Fan Xian thought for a moment before slowly saying, "You don't need to worry too much. Regarding the Ming family, my attitude is very firm. Perhaps the progress will be slower, but... don't think that this official has been deceived by anyone's pretense."

Ming Qingda, the current master of the Ming family, kneeling in the Inner Treasury's mansion, and the fainting after the bidding, had already spread throughout Suzhou City these days. So Xia Xifei, as the knife in Fan Xian's hand, was most worried about whether the hand holding the knife would suddenly change his mind. Hearing Fan Xian making a promise at this time, Xia Xifei's remaining energy was invigorated - revenge, and regaining the Ming family, was his greatest wish in this life. Without Fan Xian's help, he would never be able to do it.

Fan Xian looked at his expression and said in a deep voice, "You work for the court, and the court must support you. To put it more directly, since you are this official's person, this official must openly announce this relationship to the world. There is no need to break it, and there is no need to hide it. In the future, when you handle affairs in Jiangnan and transport goods to the north, this influence will make it much easier."

Xia Xifei's face showed emotion, but he was a little panicked in his heart, not knowing why the Commissioner was so anxious to clarify this matter. In fact, Xia Xifei still thought that he was working for the court. He didn't understand that Fan Xian using him didn't mean that the court was using him.

Let Xia Xifei transport goods to the north, connect with Fan Sizhe in the Northern Territory through the Cui family's route, and reopen that smuggling route under the protection of Nan Fan Xian and the North Emperor. This was Fan Xian's purpose.

Now the south has the Overwatch Council secretly managing it, and Wei Hua, the commander of the Zhenfu Division in the north, is not only Fan Xian's old acquaintance, but also someone the Northern Qi Emperor trusts. This route itself is already seamless. The only thing that needs to be hammered twice more is... Xia Xifei himself at the beginning.

Fan Xian came today under the public opinion, nothing more than using the opinions of the world to firmly bind Xia Xifei to his side. After today, no one will believe that Xia Xifei is not Fan Xian's confidant. In the future, when smuggling begins, even if Xia Xifei wants to betray Fan Xian, I'm afraid no one will dare to believe him. Moreover, Fan Xian's enemies will target Xia Xifei. Jiangnan Ju was already a good start before. This can only force Xia Xifei to hug Fan Xian even tighter...

Using external troubles to consolidate the heart, tying people onto the ship, the Third Prince was desperately trying to get on the ship, but it was impossible for Xia Xifei to not get on the ship.

...

...

"The day after tomorrow." Before leaving Xia's residence, Fan Xian finally instructed Xia Xifei, "The necessary procedures should be complete, and then it will be your turn to take the stage."

Xia Xifei was slightly excited. Although he understood that the Commissioner only needed him to attract the Ming family's attention, he could still yell in Suzhou Prefecture after all, and it seemed that he was getting closer and closer to his life goal.

"But you also understand." Fan Xian sighed and patted his shoulder, "The Qing law doesn't have any precedents for this kind of thing. The other party is the eldest son of the family, according to the law, he has the advantage. Even if the yamen helps, it's unlikely to get the ideal result... There are many ways to get back what's lost. Don't be anxious, and don't be too disappointed."

Xia Xifei's heart trembled slightly, always feeling that what the young Commissioner in front of him was saying was not only about the Ming family, but there seemed to be a certain harmonious harmony between superiors and subordinates because of the word "family property". He clasped his fists and said with emotion, "It is truly unbearable for Xia to cause you so much trouble, sir."

"It's worth it." Fan Xian said with pity, "I said from the beginning that I am also a person who puts profit first. Don't worry about it too much."

The more he emphasized profit, the more Xia Xifei felt that the other party was sincere, and repeatedly saluted, sending him and the Third Prince out of the mansion. To be exact, Fan Xian and the Third Prince only stood briefly in Xia's house before leaving, for no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but the attitude and determination revealed in this will definitely be spread by the mouths of those merchants and officials, and reach the ears of the person in charge of the Ming family.

After the carriage left Xia's residence, it didn't rush back to Hua Yuan, but drove towards the north of the city. The north of Suzhou city is mostly filled with martial arts heroes, so the guards next to the car became nervous.

"What day is the day after tomorrow?" The Third Prince asked Fan Xian with his pure and harmless eyes.

Fan Xian replied, "Xia Xifei will enter the Suzhou Prefecture Yamen to sue the Ming family for secretly seizing family property."