The carriage stopped in front of the Imperial Censorate. Fan Xian got out and walked directly into the compound, smiling and nodding to the officials he encountered. This was his first visit since the "Rumor Chaos," so he noticed that the gazes of the officials were, quite normally, fervent.

In fact, many lower-ranking officials didn't know who Ye Qingmei was, but after staring at those lines of shimmering gold letters every day, with that name below that looked down upon all men, after a long time, they naturally felt a sense of familiarity and kinship, as if she were family.

And under Chen Pingping's intentional or unintentional indulgence and promotion, the heads of the eight bureaus and old-timers like Zong Zhui had begun to proclaim to their subordinates what kind of merchant family the Ye family had been, and what they had done for the Imperial Censorate. Finally, they elevated this theory to the point that—without the Ye family, there would be no Imperial Censorate.

After all, the Ye family had fallen due to the crime of treason, so initially, hearing their superiors lavishly praise the Ye family, the officials of the Imperial Censorate couldn't help but feel uneasy. However, they discovered that the court didn't seem to mind this, and Fan Xian's other identity was also very interesting—so everyone became interested in knowing some of the details of that year.

After several rounds of brainwashing, the people in the Censorate felt a great closeness to the Ye family of that year, with a sense of unity between the army and the people. Now that they knew that Supervisor Fan was the biological son of the name on the stone tablet, the way they looked at Supervisor Fan, in addition to the usual respect, had a few more traces of genuine awe and affection.

No wonder the old Director was so determined to let this seemingly weak young master take over the Imperial Censorate in the future.

Whether officials or commoners, the people of Qing were quite particular about what was natural and justified. Now that Fan Xian had gradually demonstrated his strength and sufficient wisdom in the Censorate's affairs, and also had the identity of a descendant of the Ye family, which couldn't be proclaimed but was known to everyone, it would greatly help him to fully grasp the Imperial Censorate, at least eliminating the doubts of the internal staff.

Fan Xian didn't have time today to seize this good opportunity to win over the thousands of officials in the Censorate. He hurried to the large open space enclosed by square buildings. Today, the winter snow had faded, and the spring breeze was still far away. The tall trees were desolate and bare, and the shallow ponds were frozen like mirrors. The fish inside were probably long dead.

Chen Pingping, wrapped in thick fur, sat in his wheelchair, listening to the weeping, winding, and tortuous song beside him. His eyes were slightly closed, and his right hand lightly tapped on the armrest of the wheelchair, tap, tap, tap.

This scene easily reminded Fan Xian of a certain world, where some elderly men also liked to sit on old wicker chairs, the afternoon sun streaming into the alley, and an old Shanghai record was playing on an antique phonograph, Yao Li or Bai Hong's soft and elastic singing intertwined with the specks of sunlight...

…

…

But the problem was that Chen Pingping wasn't Li Jinguang, and he wasn't listening to a phonograph. The old man's level was much higher than that of ordinary people.

Fan Xian didn't have time to appreciate the old cripple's petty bourgeoisie with feudal characteristics. He looked sympathetically at Miss Sang Wen, who was standing under the bare tree and singing a little tune. The girl's face was a little red from the cold, but her voice didn't tremble much. He didn't know if it was because she had gotten used to singing in the cold weather these days, or if her singing skills were indeed amazing.

"A waste of talent." Fan Xian waved his hand to stop Sang Wen and said with a smile, "I invited Miss Sang into the Censorate to borrow her abilities, not to have her sing songs for you."

Chen Pingping opened his eyes and said with a smile, "The division of labor is different, but they all serve the court. If Miss Sang can make me happy and live two more years, that's much better than being by your side."

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, knowing what Chen Pingping meant. It seemed that he also knew that his body wouldn't last much longer.

"I'm leaving soon." He gently patted Chen Pingping's wrinkled, dry back of his hand. "I want to take Sang Wen away. Baoyuelou still needs to expand to Jiangnan."

"Let her go in the spring." Chen Pingping sighed, "Traveling with the Third Prince, it's good to have someone to take care of him."

Fan Xian was very annoyed that he had almost forgotten about the Third Prince's matter.

Sang Wen bowed respectfully and left with Su Wenmao, leaving the two powerful ministers of the Imperial Censorate to talk in private.

From a distance, they couldn't hear what Chen Pingping and Fan Xian were saying. They only saw Fan Xian half-squatting on the ground, his face seemingly becoming more and more serious, while Chen Pingping smiled after a moment of silence and gently patted the top of Fan Xian's head, as if to comfort him.

…

…

"Let's go." Fan Xian said to Su Wenmao, and then looked at Sang Wen beside him. Sang Wen was rescued from Baoyuelou by him and directly transferred into the Imperial Censorate. She could be considered someone he trusted, but recently, Sang Wen had basically had no chance to stay by his side. Instead, she was responsible for singing little tunes for Chen Pingping every day.

"Miss Sang, have you been doing well lately?" Fan Xian asked.

Sang Wen smiled gently. Her slightly plump face looked very festive, and her slightly large mouth wasn't too glaring. She said softly, "I don't have anything else to do every day. I just sing some little tunes for the old Director. It's very easy."

"Very good." Fan Xian said with a smile, "According to the Director's intention, you will go to Jiangnan in a few months. During this time..."

He paused suddenly and said softly, "Stay by the Director's side and make him happy."

————————————————————

The carriage stopped in front of the Imperial Censorate, preparing to go to Twenty-Eight Mile Slope. The Emperor's deadline for Fan Xian to leave the capital was too close, and the time was too short, making Fan Xian feel a little caught off guard. There were many things that had to be arranged before leaving the capital, so they had to be done within these few days, so he seemed particularly busy today.

Gao Da and the other three Tiger Guards were still not on the carriage. Fan Xian was always insufficiently trusting of these personal bodyguards.

Fan Xian waited for a moment, and Su Wenmao got into the carriage, rubbed his reddened hands, and reported in a low voice, "The Third Bureau has retrieved the archives from the palace gates. Eunuch Yao went to the outskirts of the capital. This matter was not kept secret, so the palace did not order the Censorate to destroy the files."

"What did Old Yao go to the outskirts of the capital for?" Fan Xian asked curiously.

Su Wenmao put his palm across his throat and made a throat-cutting gesture: "The adopted parents of the little eunuch among the assassins in the suspended temple last time... are in a village in the outskirts of the capital. Eunuch Yao went to deal with this matter, taking guards with him."

Fan Xian frowned tightly, and after a long while, he sighed and said, "Assassinating the Emperor, that little eunuch didn't consider the consequences. He didn't think... whether he succeeded or not, his relatives in that village would probably all die."

The carriage slowly moved.

Su Wenmao saw that the Director's face was a little unhappy and couldn't figure out why. Assassination was a major crime of treason. This time, the palace had controlled the scope of implication and hadn't implicated the little eunuch's nine clans, which was already considered benevolence.

"The Director is benevolent, but this kind of thing can't be let go." Su Wenmao explained, "It's just the death of dozens of people."

Fan Xian wasn't one to feign kindness, and the discomfort in his heart had another source. He said, "I just hate that the little eunuch only sought revenge but didn't cherish the kindness of his adoptive parents."

Su Wenmao was surprised, and after a moment, he said, "To say something treasonous, the hatred for killing one's father is irreconcilable. That little eunuch naturally deserves to be sliced into a thousand pieces and have his bones ground to ashes, but no one finds it strange that he chose this way."

Fan Xian was silent, sneering in his heart. Qing, from the Emperor down, emphasized governing the country with filial piety, and the Qing laws regarding relatives concealing each other even allowed for acquittal. A look of disgust appeared between his brows, but he couldn't say these words to anyone around him. He thought about how that little eunuch, in order to avenge the murder of his biological father, abandoned the hard work and kindness of his adoptive parents, putting his adoptive parents in a deadly situation, and felt that it was justified—what a dogshit-like logic.

————————————————————————

Twenty-Eight Mile Slope arrived. The carriage went along the long street, and the shop doors on the street, painted with bright varnish, seemed to welcome Fan Xian's arrival. When the carriage reached Qing Yu Tang, before Su Wenmao had time to deliver the visiting card, he heard several creaking sounds. The middle door of this very large courtyard, which hadn't been opened for a long time, opened without hesitation to welcome someone's arrival.

The seventeen managers of Qing Yu Tang were not in their own rooms today, nor were they calculating accounts in various princely and official residences. Instead, they stood neatly at the door to welcome him. Seeing Supervisor Fan get out of the carriage, these seventeen people knelt down in unison and performed a grand salute.

Fan Xian quickly helped the managers up and glanced at the familiar face ranked seventh, nodding with a smile.

Manager Ye, who was nearly fifty years old, had gentle eyes and knew that outside wasn't a place to talk. He also didn't know how this young master dared to come in broad daylight—but he still maintained his composure and led the way, inviting Fan Xian to sit in the hall. Others were sent to greet the other people. However, Gao Da and the other three shook their heads, remaining loyal to His Majesty's strict orders, staying close to Fan Xian.

Fan Xian signaled to Manager Ye that it was okay, and then entered the central hall and sat down. He then ordered Gao Da and the other three to guard outside the door.

At this time, there were no outsiders in the hall. The seventeen managers were somewhat timid, somewhat afraid, and somewhat excited. Now the outside world was spreading the rumor that the young official in front of them was a descendant of the Ye family... the biological son of the Miss! Heavens, if this was true, then Supervisor Fan must have important things to say when he came today. However, Fan Xian was sitting upright in the superior position. If he wasn't willing to admit his identity, the managers in this Qing Yu Tang didn't have the courage to hug his thighs and cry sincerely.

Fortunately, Fan Xian didn't allow this silence to last too long. After a slight pause, he said, "Anzhi is here today because of that matter from a year and a half ago."

Manager Ye was surprised that Master Fan opened his mouth to talk about this and looked at the other party in a daze.

Fan Xian smiled and explained, "Back then, I had the intention of letting my younger brother Sizhe study under the Grand Manager, but the Grand Manager was busy with important matters and forgot to notify me, so my second brother brought bacon to the door. Now my good-for-nothing brother doesn't know where he is, so this matter doesn't need to be mentioned again. But Grand Manager, don't say that you've forgotten about the other thing you mentioned back then."

How could Manager Ye forget?

That day, Fan Xian secretly pointed out that he would be in charge of the Internal Treasury in the future and came to seek the help of Qing Yu Tang, promising these people the possibility of leaving the capital. Fan Xian's proposal made the executives in the entire Qing Yu Tang quite excited. If they could leave the capital and be able to be close to the industry left by the Miss back then, these managers would of course be happy, but they had always been in awe of imperial power, and they didn't dare to judge whether Fan Xian had the ability to persuade the palace. The most important thing was that they didn't know what Fan Xian's purpose was and what he was thinking, so they didn't take the initiative to give Fan Xian an answer after the fact.

But who knew that the changes in the situation would be so wonderful? First of all, Fan Xian suddenly rose to prominence within a year and a half, becoming the most popular young official in Qing, and his taking charge of the Internal Treasury also became a certainty... Now there were rumors that he was the son of the Miss.

If this matter was true, then Fan Xian's reason for taking over Qing Yu Tang was very obvious.

Manager Ye coughed twice and said with a solemn expression, "Master, we are naturally very willing... but I don't know if the palace will allow it." Now he no longer doubted Fan Xian's thoughts, but he still doubted Fan Xian's ability.

Fan Xian laughed and nodded.

…

…

The hall burst into an uproar. The faces of the mature and prudent seventeen managers were filled with shock and endless joy. Since the Ye family fell, they had been under house arrest in the capital and had been unable to leave. Suddenly hearing such good news, how could they control themselves?

Fan Xian took a sip of tea, looking at the innocent smiles on the faces of these managers in their forties and fifties, and a very sincere smile appeared on his face. These people, because of his mother, were trapped in the capital and unable to escape when they were in their prime. Now that he could do something for them, it was really very gratifying.

"Naturally, not everyone can go." Fan Xian instructed, "Family members must also stay in the capital." The managers who were happily weeping were stunned, and then they heard him continue, "Go to Jiangnan in turns, just as a vacation, what do you all think?"

Only then did everyone know that Master Fan was joking. In addition to being shocked, they laughed heartily.

Fan Xian gave a few more instructions, encouraging everyone to remember the Holy Grace and contribute to the court, etc., these nonsense were naturally said for the Tiger Guards outside the door. Only then did he say softly, "Manager Qi Ye will have to trouble me to go with me this time. As for the rest of you, please discuss it yourselves... However, you must leave an older one in the capital."

Qi Ye, who was standing next to him, frowned and asked.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "Baoyuelou will soon have no one left, so you all have to help me manage it. We can only ask an elder and virtuous person to preside over such a pleasure area."

It was another cold joke, but the managers could only force themselves to laugh and respond. After a long time, the laughter finally subsided, but some faint, different emotions arose in the hall for no reason.

In fact, the managers didn't seriously listen to what Fan Xian was saying, but they were seriously looking at his appearance, trying to find some familiar places on it. Although Fan Xian didn't say it clearly when he came today, the things he did had already explained too much. Including Manager Ye, they had long believed that the other party was really a descendant of the Ye family.

In a moment of silence, Manager Ye took the lead, and the remaining thirteen managers stood behind him in two rows, facing Fan Xian, who was sitting in the middle, lifted the front of their robes, and knelt down in unison.

"We respectfully obey Young Master's orders."

(A hangover from drinking too much alcohol, headache... It should be better tomorrow, I'm really sorry.)