A sinister bird call echoed through the night. The clouds parted, revealing the moon, and a dark shadow occasionally darted across the treetops.

"Up the mountain." Fan Xian and Gao Da returned to the carriage. Fan Xian said to Deng Ziyue, "Keep it quiet."

Deng Ziyue nodded, lightly flicked the reins, and the horse, with a mei zi bit in its mouth, pulled the carriage, bypassing the silent courtyard and heading towards the rear of the city. Behind this courtyard was a hill, hidden in the darkness and concealed by spring trees. Observing from there, no one should be able to spot their party.

Inside the carriage, Fan Xian silently removed the gloves from his hands. The gloves were as thin as a second skin. He meticulously wiped the blood off the soft sword with the gloves, ensuring that there was not a trace of blood left on the blade. Only then did he sheath the soft sword back into his waist. Immediately afterwards, he flicked his index finger, and some powder landed on the gloves. With a whoosh, they burst into flames.

Gao Da glanced at him and took out an iron bucket from under the seat, placing it in front of him. Fan Xian threw the burning gloves into the iron bucket, squinting at the dwindling flames. The fire in his eyes gradually faded as well.

Before long, the carriage had ascended the hill.

The courtyard below remained silent. Its inhabitants were either dead or unconscious, naturally unable to make a sound. No one knew that a murder had occurred inside, and certainly no one would come to check.

It was unclear what Fan Xian was waiting to see from the mountain behind.

Deng Ziyue gently patted the horse's neck and slipped into the carriage, sitting down in silence.

Fan Xian lifted a corner of the curtain, looking down. He watched for a long time, but nothing changed.

"It will probably take a while for them to discover what happened here." Deng Ziyue glanced at the sky, noting that it was the middle of the night. He advised Fan Xian, "They won't come so early."

Fan Xian smiled, knowing that he was indeed a bit impatient. He whispered a few words to Gao Da, then leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

Gao Da took out a blanket and covered him. Gradually, his somewhat cold body warmed up. Fan Xian felt drowsiness creeping in amidst the warmth, and he fell into a deep sleep.

……

……

After an unknown amount of time, Fan Xian opened his eyes and grunted.

Deng Ziyue lifted the curtain and glanced down, lowering his voice, "Someone's here."

Fan Xian threw off the blanket, moved his head to the window, and squinted down below. He saw that outside the residence where Yuan Meng had been living, someone had arrived. The person knocked on the door with a practiced hand, the rhythm clearly concealing some kind of code. It seemed to be the liaison from the Jiangnan forces responsible for contacting Yuan Meng.

The person was wearing a single layer of cotton clothing, with ordinary features. After knocking on the door for a while without a response, he seemed surprised and nervous, and quickly retreated into the darkness.

Fan Xian, monitoring from the mountain, wasn't worried, knowing that this person would return.

Sure enough, the person didn't go far. After a short while, a head popped out from the northwestern corner of the courtyard wall, peeking suspiciously. It was the same person, trying to see what was happening inside the courtyard.

The person mustered up courage and jumped into the courtyard. The three on the mountain could no longer see what the person saw in the courtyard, only hearing a suppressed, extremely low groan. It was likely that the person had finally discovered the large number of corpses and the pools of blood in the courtyard.

The courtyard gate was immediately pushed open, and the person rushed into the darkness, presumably to report to his masters.

……

……

Fan Xian stretched on the carriage and yawned. Only then did he notice that the sky was gradually turning white. He couldn't help but smile and say, "It's almost dawn. If they want to cover this up, they'll have to hurry."

Deng Ziyue nodded, "People have been dispatched to monitor all the yamen. Whoever receives the news tonight will have intelligence to compile by tomorrow."

Fan Xian said with a smile, "Who do you think will come to handle Yuan Dajia's affairs today... which people, exactly?"

Deng Ziyue said with a wry smile, "The Suzhou Prefecture... will definitely send someone. My lord, I can keep an eye on things here. You should go back to the residence and rest."

Fan Xian smiled and didn't say anything else. Yuan Meng's death would naturally alarm the Jiangnan officials who secretly protected her. Murder at night, reconnaissance at dawn... Any official who could learn about Yuan Meng's death in such a short time and rush to handle the aftermath... would of course be an official who played a less-than-honorable role in this matter.

To be precise, they should be able to find out a little about who in Jiangnan Road were Princess Li Yunrui's confidantes this morning.

Fan Xian couldn't help it. The Overwatch Council didn't have enough manpower in Jiangnan to plant a fatal nail in every prefecture. They had to use the method of monitoring separately, using the means of killing Yuan to startle the snake, to investigate.

——————————————————————

The Suzhou Prefecture Governor had been so busy these past few days listening to Song Shiren and Chen Bochang debate in the courtroom that he had neglected official duties and exhausted his mind. Every night, he fell into a deep sleep, rarely even visiting his most beloved Third Concubine. So when he was woken up from his bed early this morning, he was furious.

But when he heard the news, it was like a bucket of cold water poured from head to toe. All the anger disappeared in an instant, and his mind was filled with unparalleled shock and deep worry.

Yuan Meng is dead? This happened so suddenly, how could he explain this to the Second Prince, the Heir Apparent, and... Princess Li Yunrui?

While anxiously putting on his clothes, he ordered someone to summon the yamen's advisor. By the time the advisor arrived, the governor had already dressed. With a hint of resentment, he said, "Why were you so slow getting here? Yuan Meng is dead!"

Advisors were all the confidants of these officials, and they kept nothing from each other. This advisor, of course, knew about Yuan Meng's affairs, and said with a wry smile, "It's just a death. The Imperial Envoy has come to Suzhou, and Yuan Dajia refused to leave. In the end, wasn't she just walking to her death?"

The governor frowned and said, "She was hidden so secretly... Are you saying that the Overwatch Council did this?"

"Besides the Overwatch Council, what other force in Jiangnan could have silently killed Yuan Meng?" the advisor analyzed. "Your Excellency must not panic at this time. Anyway, Yuan Meng is dead, and the Overwatch Council cannot possibly catch us in a relationship with her... If you react in a panic at this time, it will only allow the Overwatch Council to discover your relationship with this matter."

The advisor's consideration was indeed cautious enough.

After thinking for a while, the governor frowned and said, "But... it feels a little strange. If the Imperial Envoy did this, why didn't he capture Yuan Meng, but instead killed her directly? If the Imperial Envoy wanted to use the Ministry of Justice's wanted warrant to move against me, he shouldn't have handled it like this."

The advisor couldn't figure this out either. He speculated, "Yuan Meng was a close associate of the Second Prince and the Heir Apparent. Although the Ministry of Justice issued a wanted warrant, no official in the world would dare to risk offending the nobles in the capital to arrest her. Your Excellency doesn't need to worry too much. Everyone is the same... As for why the Overwatch Council didn't capture her alive... I think perhaps Yuan Dajia knew that she couldn't survive the Overwatch Council's torture, so she committed suicide."

"I still have to go and see." The governor made up his mind, "At least I need to know some details."

The advisor firmly dissuaded him, "Your Excellency cannot go."

"Hmm?" The governor frowned, "Why? I naturally won't go with a full entourage. It's almost dawn. If I don't clean things up quickly and it spreads... the Ministry of Justice in the capital will definitely have something to say, and the Overwatch Council will also take the opportunity to attack. How can my small Suzhou Prefecture answer His Majesty's questions?"

"If the Overwatch Council wanted to take the opportunity to attack, they wouldn't have turned this into a dead end today." The advisor reminded him, "Who knows how many eyes are watching at this time? Your Excellency absolutely cannot go. As for the aftermath, I will disguise myself later and take some confidants there."

The governor thought that this was indeed much safer, so he agreed. The official and the advisor thought that their reaction was cautious enough, but they didn't expect that when the advisor, disguised as a morning jogger, slipped out from the back of the governor's yamen, a secret agent hidden in the alley outside the yamen had already seen this scene clearly.

When the Suzhou Prefecture Advisor arrived outside the Yuan Meng's residence in a small green-curtained sedan, he found that there were already some strange people on these streets. His heart tightened. He lifted the sedan curtain and saw that he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He frowned at the man in cloth beside the sedan and said, "What the hell happened? How did she just die like that?"

The man in cloth was the Suzhou Thousand Commander, one of the officials who was startled awake by the news of Yuan Meng's death. He was supposed to be stationed outside the city, but his residence was in the city, so he was the first to arrive here. Listening to the advisor's question, the Thousand Commander said unhappily, "You ask me, who am I supposed to ask?"

The advisor was stunned. He got out of the sedan, and when the two saw each other's clothes, they couldn't help but sigh and smile bitterly. A dignified official and advisor were forced to wear the clothes of ordinary people today.

"Are the streets clean?" The advisor slightly turned his face, covering his face, and asked carefully.

The Thousand Commander said, "Don't worry, my men have already cleaned it up. No one should be watching from the side."

The advisor nodded and walked into the courtyard side by side with the Thousand Commander.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, looking at the corpses and the appalling scene, the advisor couldn't help but feel nauseous and wanted to vomit. He covered his mouth and nose and said, "Where is Yuan Meng's body?"

"In the room?"

The advisor suppressed his nausea and fear and walked into the room. He saw Yuan Meng's death, with her eyes wide open in death. After confirming that she was completely dead, the advisor felt a little relieved and sighed, "I really don't know how to explain this to the capital."

"Clean it up first." The Thousand Commander said with hatred, "It's almost dawn. If people see this, I'm afraid it will spread throughout Suzhou City immediately. What should we do then?"

"Didn't anyone from the Ming family come?"

"Those treacherous merchants... are afraid that the Imperial Envoy is watching in secret, and they refuse to come forward."

……

……

The two walked out of the courtyard and met a few people who had arrived later. Several people gathered together and said with heavy faces. They felt that this matter should be done by the Overwatch Council, but it shouldn't be done by the Overwatch Council. They discussed it back and forth and became entangled, not knowing how to deal with it.

"The wounds on the corpses have all been mangled. Although it can be seen that they should be from a sword, it is difficult to discover the style of the sword. It is only known that there was only one person who made the move, and he is of course a master." A person who looked like an expert in criminal investigation said in a deep voice, "If the Overwatch Council killed people, why would they have to cover it up?"

In the end, the advisor representing the Suzhou Governor made the decision, saying coldly, "It's better not to solve this case. We people must retreat, and let the people under us clean up here. If the Overwatch Council doesn't care, bury this matter. If the Overwatch Council really puts a nail in to follow... anyway, don't drag us down. When asked, just say that we received a report, so we came to see the case."

The Thousand Commander spat and cursed, "I am a military officer, how can I come to see the case?"

The advisor glared at him and said, "Who told you to rush over here so eagerly?"

There was nothing to argue about. Several people began to act separately. Some were responsible for cleaning up, some were responsible for burying people, and some were responsible for returning to the prefecture to write documents. As for whether or not to report this matter in the end, it still depended on what the news was like from the Imperial Envoy's side.

While these people were busy, they didn't notice that a completely black carriage was slowly driving away from the distant hills like a ghost.

————————————————————————

Fan Xian killed the people, but he wanted these officials of Jiangnan Road to bury them, but he certainly didn't have any intention of taking advantage. As for the sword wounds on the corpses in the courtyard, he had treated them a second time, because he didn't want the wounds of Si Gu Jian to spread out. Since it was impossible to frame Dongyi City, there was no need to take this risk. Therefore, he didn't even let Gao Da see his move.

The key was not to let the Emperor in the palace know that he knew Si Gu Jian's swordplay.

Otherwise, the Emperor would definitely think of the assassin in the Xuankong Temple, Si Gu Jian's brother, the Overwatch Council... that would bring terrible results.

The carriage was moving slowly, and Fan Xian said with a sneer in the carriage, "The death of a Yuan Meng has made the officials of Jiangnan Road so alarmed... Could it be that these officials are all dogs raised by Princess Li Yunrui?"

Deng Ziyue glanced at Gao Da, guessing that Commissioner Fan wanted to use Gao Da's ears to complain to the Emperor in the palace, and replied with a smile, "Princess Li Yunrui has been in Jiangnan for a long time, and she will always have some confidantes."

"Did you see all the people who came today clearly?"

"Some of the faces are a little unfamiliar, but since these people all came out of the yamen, the spies below should have seen them clearly, and there will be accurate news later." Deng Ziyue sighed, "It's just that the Ming family is also straightforward, knowing that they can't touch this matter, so they refuse to send anyone."

Fan Xian was also a little sorry. He originally thought that even if he couldn't dig a big piece of meat from the Ming family because of Yuan Meng's matter, at least he would make the other party more uncomfortable.

The carriage quietly drove to Hua Garden. Fan Xian felt a little sleepy and waved his hand to let the two of them rest as well, and he returned to the backyard.

Si Si had been waiting for him at the table. Seeing him enter the house, she quickly poured hot water for him to soak his feet.

She knew that the young master didn't want too many people to know about what happened tonight, so it was inconvenient to order the servants and maids to prepare hot food. She personally brought the bird's nest that had been warmed with water and served him to eat it.

Fan Xian was somewhat satisfied and drank the paste in the bowl in one gulp. He soaked his feet and fell on the bed and fell asleep.

He slept until the afternoon. He didn't know what kind of changes Yuan Meng's death would bring to Suzhou City during this day, and he didn't care too much.

Knowing that he was awake, after Si Si's report, Deng Ziyue walked in with a somewhat haggard expression and handed him the dossier in his hand.

Fan Xian took it and glanced at it. It was all about the yamen in Suzhou City that had abnormal movements this morning. His eyes couldn't help but narrow, and he sighed, "Damn it, these officials are all enemies. Are they going to let people live? Yuan Meng is dead, but they are so calm."

Deng Ziyue said with a wry smile, "Officials are caught in the middle, and their lives are not easy."

Fan Xian shook his head and sneered, "Now that the list is here, their lives will be even more difficult in the future. Send the list back to the capital and let the Second Department start checking the old files. The people we want to move, we have to dig out their past, even if... he embezzled a dozen taels of silver more than a decade ago, we have to dig it out."

Deng Ziyue knew that Fan Xian was determined to move these officials along the way while he was moving against the Ming family, and he didn't dare to breathe loudly and responded in a low voice.

When Fan Xian saw the end, his anger gradually rose, and he threw the dossier on the table angrily, and cursed in a low voice, "Sure enough... sure enough, Xue Qing also knew about this. This adult is really happy to swing on the wall!"

Killing Yuan Meng today, any information that the Jiangnan officialdom would reveal because of this would not surprise Fan Xian. Princess Li Yunrui and the Ming family had been operating in Jiangnan for a long time, and this officialdom was of course full of their people.

With the power and position in Fan Xian's hands, he was not too worried about facing this kind of resistance. What he wanted to see clearly was what Jiangnan Governor Xue Qing was going to do in this matter!

Xue Qing was a high-ranking official. Even if Fan Xian had the status of an Imperial Envoy, he couldn't do anything to him. Moreover, the Governor concurrently managed civil and military affairs, and the power he could control under his command was too strong. If even he stood on the opposite side of Fan Xian, the resistance for Fan Xian to take down the Ming family would become extremely strong.

Deng Ziyue saw his slightly angry expression and comforted him in a low voice, "The Governor's Office has received the news, but the Governor's Office has not made a sound, nor has it had any reaction... My lord, after all, the other party is a Governor, if the officials below have a relationship with the capital, Yuan Meng would want to hide in Jiangnan, and this matter would definitely not be hidden from him. It's just that he doesn't want to offend you, and he certainly doesn't want to offend the princes in the capital. This matter doesn't mean anything, Governor Xue should still be neutral."

Fan Xian pondered slightly, and also realized that his reaction seemed to be a bit excessive. Perhaps the tension hidden under these days of leisure made him a little too sensitive. He couldn't help but laugh at himself and said, "I appreciate your kind words, but... you still go and arrange it. The day after tomorrow, I... will visit Xue Qing again."

Deng Ziyue was stunned for a moment, seeming to have something to say.

Fan Xian glanced at him and said with a smile, "If you have any ideas, just say it. What are you doing in front of me like a sissy?"

Deng Ziyue smiled and said, "I think it's better for you not to rush to visit Lord Xue recently."

"Oh? Why?" Fan Xian asked curiously.

Deng Ziyue analyzed, "Governor Xue is still neutral after all. If you visit the mansion, with your temperament, I'm afraid you will immediately force Governor Xue to take a stand... What if Governor Xue doesn't meet your expectations? In my opinion, it is best to let Governor Xue maintain his spectator attitude, and we should continue to do what we should do, and continue to force the Ming family—as long as Governor Xue does not make a decision, no one can compete with you, and we can have more time to do things."

He continued, "You want Governor to make a decision, but in fact, the slower Governor makes a decision, the more beneficial it is to us."

Fan Xian frowned and said, "Now we are only making small moves against the Ming family, and Xue Qing can still watch the show. If I really make a move after the new year, Xue Qing can't continue to watch the show. When he comes to take sides again... I feel a little uneasy."

Deng Ziyue thought for a while and said with a smile, "I think, at least wait until you go to Wuzhou."

Fan Xian immediately understood what he meant. Jiangnan Road Governor Xue Qing... was Premier Lin Ruofu's favorite student back then, and Lin Ruofu—was Da Bao and Wan'er's father, his father-in-law!—Even if Xue Qing doesn't have to give his father-in-law face now, his father-in-law must know Xue Qing's bottom line.

"That makes sense." Fan Xian suddenly felt a lot more relaxed and said with a big laugh, "Adding weight to the team, my old father-in-law may be getting rusty, but his weight is not light."

Deng Ziyue chuckled twice.

Fan Xian looked at Deng Ziyue's tired expression and asked curiously, "Didn't you sleep this morning?"

Deng Ziyue respectfully replied, "It took some time to confirm this information."

Fan Xian wanted to persuade him to relax a little, but when he thought about his previous performance, he didn't seem to have any position to persuade the other party. He couldn't help but smile, and suddenly thought of another thing, and asked seriously, "Ziyue, before you joined the Qi Nian Group... you were in the Second Department, right?"

Deng Ziyue glanced at him in surprise, nodded, and didn't know why Director Fan would suddenly ask this question.

"Wang Qinian will return to the country at the end of summer." Fan Xian looked at him and said with a smile, "The Council is preparing to let him take over the First Department. In this way, we need someone who can hold the line in the Northern Qi capital of Shangjing. You have been with me for almost two years, and you have also seen some scenes... Do you have the courage to travel to the north?"

……

……

(Temporarily, I won’t ask for monthly tickets in the title, it always feels a bit unaesthetic. Allow me to say a few words inside. Actually, I’ve already put a lot of effort into asking for monthly tickets, but... I don’t know how to ask. I really want monthly tickets, that's the truth. I really don't know how to solicit votes, that's also the truth... I have diarrhea today, it's very miserable. Can this be considered a reason to solicit votes? If you say you want to add more updates, I really don't have the ability. Comforting myself and everyone, my updates, the advantage lies in stability, the advantage lies in persistence...)