The city of Suzhou was once again shrouded in rain. Word had it that the downpour was even heavier upstream on the great river. The court officials' attention was riveted on the battered riverbanks of Shazhou and beyond. Even though Fan Xian was in Suzhou, his gaze couldn't help but drift towards that area. Yang Wanli had already assumed his post at the River Transport Supervisory Office. Silver had been transferred from the Internal Treasury, and funds had been allocated from the national treasury. The financial resources for river management had never been as ample as they were this year. However, the river repairs had started too late this year, and it was uncertain whether they could withstand the summer floods.

The heavy rain quickly extinguished the early summer heat in Jiangnan, leaving behind a desolate, late-spring atmosphere. For the people of Jiangnan, this rain only amplified the pent-up frustration and grief in their hearts. Few spared a thought for the disaster victims upstream who had lost their homes and were clad in rags.

Because Old Madam Ming's funeral was about to take place.

Fan Xian watched all of this with cold indifference, showing no reaction whatsoever. Following Deng Ziyue, subordinates from the Governor-General's Office, the Supervisory Council, and the Internal Treasury Transport Office all advised him to at least light an incense stick at the mourning hall. The Imperial Envoy displaying such a gesture would instill awe and obedience towards the court in the hearts of the Qing Kingdom's citizens, hopefully preventing further unrest.

But Fan Xian stubbornly refused the suggestion. In his eyes, what was the funeral of a doddering old woman? It was just one person's death. If the situation upstream on the great river wasn't handled well, who knew how many people would die?

All the officials sighed at the Imperial Envoy's attitude, wondering if the Imperial Envoy had failed to sense the undercurrents surging beneath the surface of the populace.

……

……

By the end of the month, a chorus of wails filled the Ming Estate. White cloth hung high, and the spacious mourning hall marked the seventh day since the coffin had been placed there.

The seven-day mourning period was coming to an end, and it was time to announce the funeral. According to the funeral customs of the Qing Kingdom, the news of the passing was to be widely spread to friends, relatives, and even enemies after seven days... Regardless of any animosity between parties during their lifetime, the custom of announcing the funeral couldn't be avoided. The purpose of this ritual was to signify the end of all grudges upon death. Often, former enemies would use the occasion of learning about the funeral to personally visit the mourning hall to offer condolences, thereby settling any past disputes. From then on, the living and the dead would be separated, with no further interference between them.

The dignitaries who had been staying in Suzhou City, waiting for the Ming Estate to announce the funeral, all received white invitations from the Ming Estate. They began to carefully arrange their attire and expressions as they made their way to the Ming Estate.

All eyes were on the Hua Estate, because according to protocol and Old Madam Ming's status, the white invitation should also be sent to the Hua Estate, into the hands of the Imperial Envoy. As for what the Imperial Envoy planned to do, it would depend on how he handled this invitation.

No one expected that when the Ming Estate sent the white invitation to the Hua Estate, the Hua Estate only politely invited in the Third Master Ming, served him a cup of tea, and then escorted him out. The white invitation was not accepted!

Third Master Ming immediately flew into a rage outside the Hua Estate, spewing vulgarities and curses. He even spat heavily on the stone steps in front of the Hua Estate.

Servants immediately came out and washed away the spittle with clean water.

Everything in the world comes down to reason, and in the hearts of ordinary people, the dead are supreme. The Imperial Envoy's disrespect towards the deceased caused a sense of shock and anger among the populace.

What surprised and angered everyone even more was that before the mourning hall for Old Madam Ming was even opened, the Supervisory Council acted again, arresting the Sixth Master Ming, who had led the resistance to the search in the Ming Estate. They used the pretext of investigating spies from Dongyi. This time, not only the Suzhou Prefecture, but even the Governor-General's Office couldn't say much. Moreover, after the Supervisory Council secretly apprehended Sixth Master Ming, they immediately sent him to the Shazhou Naval Garrison for custody, instead of handing him over to the local authorities.

It was unclear if there was anyone leading the charge, but starting the next day, people began to gather in front of the Hua Estate, loudly cursing and shouting nonsensical slogans, such as "Severely punish the true culprits, release the innocent."

Even more troublesome was that the students and scholars of Jiangnan had also joined the ranks. Young students were often full of passion, and moreover, Little Fan Xian's recent actions had given these students a sense of shattered idol worship, making them even angrier. They shouted and clamored, denouncing him.

The Hua Estate remained as calm as usual. However, the Jiangnan Road Governor-General's Office, fearing a civil uprising, dispatched a troop of soldiers to guard the Hua Estate, driving the agitated and angry scholars to the end of the long street.

That afternoon, Governor Xue Qing, under heavy guard, made his way through the agitated crowd with great difficulty and entered the Hua Estate.

In the study, he and Fan Xian argued for a long time, but neither could convince the other. Finally, Xue Qing helplessly asked, "If you continue to provoke the people to surround the estate like this, where will the court's dignity be?"

Fan Xian coldly said, "Surrounding a prince and plotting treason. If you don't deploy troops, I will."

Xue Qing was taken aback. Only then did he remember that a Third Prince was residing in the Ming Estate. Allowing the citizens of Suzhou to surround the Hua Estate, if the news reached the capital, his position as Governor-General would be forfeit, and those leading scholars would likely lose their lives. As the Governor-General of Jiangnan, he absolutely couldn't allow such a terrible thing to happen within his jurisdiction. After a moment of consideration, he sincerely asked, "What should be done?"

With Governor Xue Qing's cunning and experience, dealing with some hot-headed scholars was a minor issue. The key was that he understood that this matter was clearly an atmosphere deliberately created by Fan Xian. Unless he understood Fan Xian's true intentions, he saw no need to meddle and entangle himself in this mess.

Fan Xian glanced at him and said, "They are all passionate young people. I don't want to make things difficult for them... But with this continuous rain, it's freezing at night. Even passion will cool down, and they will naturally disperse."

Xue Qing frowned slightly. "What if they don't disperse?"

Fan Xian sneered, "Righteous indignation can't fill stomachs. If they don't disperse by night, then it means that some of the people surrounding the estate aren't driven by righteous indignation, but have other motives."

The purpose that those hidden in the shadows wanted to achieve was simple. Even if they couldn't incite a civil uprising, they just needed to make the people's reaction greater, so that the news would reach the capital, and the Emperor would have to react.

Xue Qing pondered for a moment and immediately understood Fan Xian's meaning. He said, "Should the Governor-General's Office take action on this matter?"

Fan Xian shook his head. "This is a matter that will damage my reputation. I'll bear it myself... Your Excellency, just keep a close watch on the Hua Estate. After all, the Third Prince's safety is of utmost importance."

Xue Qing understood. A strange feeling and tremor couldn't help but arise in his heart. If he followed the usual practice in officialdom, suppressing a civil uprising would be something everyone would do together while concealing it from above. However, Fan Xian's stubborn and unyielding attitude had indeed lessened his pressure a lot.

After discussing everything, Xue Qing took his leave.

Fan Xian sat alone in the study, lost in thought. He couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. Haitang had been gone for many days and hadn't returned yet. Not being able to capture that Mr. Zhou meant losing a third of the profits from this affair with the Ming Estate. As for the angry citizens of Suzhou, Fan Xian didn't care at all... With Ming Qingda overseeing things, the situation would definitely not cross the line of escalating tensions. The problem was that it was clear that behind this mass movement, there were many figures hiding in the shadows.

Without someone instigating and inciting them, how would the cowardly and timid commoners of the Qing Dynasty have the courage to come to the Imperial Envoy's residence and shout?

Fan Xian had made thorough preparations for this matter. Now that he had Xue Qing's reply, his heart was even more at peace.

As Fan Xian had expected, as dusk approached, the crowd outside had gradually dispersed, leaving only the students wearing square caps and displaying righteous indignation, along with some unidentified citizens, mingled together. With the Governor-General's military force watching over them, these people could only chant classics at the end of the long street, angrily pointing at the Imperial Envoy for disregarding human lives and harming the people of Jiangnan.

It was unclear who started it, but the crowd gradually became agitated and pressed towards the Hua Estate. The soldiers of the Governor-General's Office were hesitant to use force and slowly retreated.

Getting closer and closer to the Hua Estate, the crowd stopped, and a clamor arose. All sorts of unpleasant words were shouted out. However, the students weren't complete fools. They knew that while they could curse, they only cursed the Supervisory Council, without involving Fan Xian's ancestors.

Everyone in the world knew that Fan Xian's ancestors were the Emperor's ancestors. Cursing the Supervisory Council, which was hated by all the scholars in the world, was still acceptable. Cursing the Emperor's ancestors? They just wanted to vent their anger for the wrongly deceased Old Madam Ming, but they didn't want to fill the hole with their own lives.

The Hua Estate remained quiet, and the lights inside could be vaguely seen flickering. The sound of silk and bamboo music wafted through the rain.

The soldiers of the Governor-General's Office stood in formation, holding torches that illuminated the area outside the Hua Estate.

The rain fell like threads, already soaking the students who remained outside the Hua Estate. They looked at each other, wiped the rain from their faces, and couldn't believe their ears. Suzhou City was already like this, and they were already like this, yet the Imperial Envoy still had the leisure and interest to... that!

They were soaked in the rain, but the Imperial Envoy was listening to opera. The students inexplicably became angry, and the shouts of anger, which had briefly subsided due to fatigue, rose again.

Amidst this chorus of anger, a person wearing gray clothing mingled in the crowd, his eyes darting around. He took something out of his bosom and threw it into the Hua Estate!

The object fell into the estate, only making a muffled sound. There was no explosion or anything like that.

Instead, a thunderous curse came from within the Hua Estate: "Who the hell is throwing bags of dog blood!"

……

……

Throwing dog blood was a highly insulting act, somewhat childish, but throwing it into the Hua Estate where the Imperial Envoy resided was a serious matter.

The students were also stunned. The shouts of anger subsided slightly. They wondered which classmate had such courage.

As they pondered, three black shadows flashed over the walls of the Hua Estate. They were three swordsmen from the Supervisory Council's Sixth Bureau, coldly watching the troublemakers outside the estate.

Everyone fell silent for no reason. Suddenly, someone shouted, "The Supervisory Council is going to kill people! We...!"

A shadow plunged into the crowd, and the voice fueling the flames was abruptly cut off, as if someone had seized a duck by its fateful throat.

The crowd was startled and parted. They saw a burly man in cloth, holding the throat of a gray-clad person, walking out coldly.

The burly man in cloth was Gao Da, the leader of the Tiger Guards, who had been ordered by Fan Xian to watch those fueling the flames from the outside. With his abilities, it was naturally easy for him to capture someone. He threw the gray-clad person to the ground and stepped on the person's chest. A cracking sound was heard as the person's chest bones broke.

The students, seeing this tragic scene, had a surge of passion and surrounded Gao Da, shouting, "Murder! The Supervisory Council is murdering people!"

This scene startled the generals of the Governor-General's Office, who urged their horses forward, ready to deploy troops to suppress the situation.

Gao Da coldly lifted the gray-clad person, shaking him like a sack. Clang, clang, clang, many things fell from the person's body.

"First, he's not dead."

The gray-clad person's groan was the answer to Gao Da's words. The students' emotions calmed down slightly.

Gao Da coldly said, "Second, you came to seek justice. This person is here to induce the Imperial Envoy to kill you. There is a difference, so we treat you differently... These are the words of His Excellency."

The students then woke up. They looked at the ground and couldn't help but be shocked. Besides the dog blood bag, the gray-clad person had also dropped embers and lamp oil. Only then did everyone realize that if they had allowed this person to do evil in the crowd and he had really set the Hua Estate on fire, with the prince and the Imperial Envoy residing in the Hua Estate, they would definitely be killed on the spot by the court in the name of rioters.

"His Excellency's second words." Gao Da said coldly.

The students, intimidated by his aura, obediently listened.

"If there is injustice in your hearts, you must express it. This is the nature of young people. I do not blame you."

Gao Da continued to state Fan Xian's words: "But being incited and provoked by others without knowing the truth, how foolish? If you want to express your dissatisfaction, you must find the correct path. To be noisy and clamorous like market shrew is truly shameful."

The students, hearing these words, were greatly dissatisfied. A student who seemed to be a leader stepped forward and said: "The Supervisory Council is unfair in handling affairs, forcing people to death. This student also reported the case to the Suzhou Prefecture, but the officials protect each other, and the Suzhou Prefecture is afraid of the power of the Supervisory Council and dare not accept the lawsuit. May I ask the Imperial Envoy, what other ways can students express their dissatisfaction?"

Gao Da coldly looked at the person and said, "His Excellency said: Since you have the courage to gather and make trouble outside the estate, do you have the courage to enter the estate and discuss matters?"

The students immediately became noisy, some saying they couldn't enter, some saying they must enter. In the end, all eyes converged on the student who had spoken earlier. This student was a student of Bailu Academy in Jiangnan Road, surnamed Fang, named Tingshi. He came from a poor family, but he was very knowledgeable and had always been admired and convinced by his peers, and was secretly regarded as the leader of the students.

Fang Tingshi pondered for a moment, gritted his teeth, took out the blood petition of ten thousand people that he had collected these days from his bosom, and held it above his head, saying, "This student is willing to enter the estate and debate with His Excellency."

Gao Da looked at him expressionlessly, picked up the gray-clad person and walked into the estate. Fang Tingshi felt a little uneasy, mustered his courage and walked in, while dissuading his classmates from requesting to enter together.

……

……

Fan Xian sat half-closed in a grand chair, enjoying Si Si's gentle massage behind him, tapping his fingers on the table to the singing of the Qing opera singer in the pavilion in the garden.

Below him, Fang Tingshi, who was extremely bold and dared to enter the estate alone to ask the Imperial Envoy for justice, was flipping through something, his face turning green and white, his lips trembling slightly, seemingly shocked by the things recorded on it.

Fan Xian slowly opened his eyes and said, "This is a court secret, but there are many things that are inconvenient to take to Suzhou Prefecture as evidence, many have already died without proof, and many involve dignitaries in the court. This official cannot openly expose the lies of the Ming Estate... However, since you have the courage to rally a group of students to seek justice, you are probably not a fool. After reading so many things, you should have an independent judgment on what is going on with the Ming Estate."

What Fang Tingshi was holding in his hand was the Supervisory Council's secret investigation into the Ming Estate for the past six months, including the pirates on Donghai Island, the bizarre death of Ming Lanshi's concubine, the story of Xia Xifei and the Ming family, the Ming family's smuggling to Dongyi City, and the remnants of Sigu Jian's assassins entering Jiangnan to assassinate Fan Xian... Each item was recorded clearly. Although, as Fan Xian said, these records could not be presented in court as evidence due to the lack of corroborating evidence, Fang Tingshi knew in his heart that what was written on it must be true.

His hands holding the dossier were trembling. He said, "But... it shouldn't be like this. Old Madam Ming was kind to Jiangnan and subsidized many poor students. This student came from a poor family since childhood. If it weren't for the Ming Estate giving rice every month to support my studies, how could I have entered Bailu Academy?"

His eyes were slightly red as he glared at Fan Xian and said, "Imperial Envoy, this student dares to enter the estate today, and I didn't plan to leave alive. This student doesn't believe the things recorded on this at all. The Supervisory Council is best at framing people with crimes..."

Fan Xian looked at him coldly and didn't respond.

Fang Tingshi couldn't continue speaking.

"Since I took over the Supervisory Council, when have I ever fabricated evidence to frame and entrap people?" Fan Xian sarcastically said, "As for you, as a student, you should have the ability to judge independently, not by what people say, not by what you see, but only by looking at the situation over the years and using your own brains."

"Of course, you originally didn't have brains." Fan Xian berated, "If you had brains, you wouldn't have been persuaded to surround the Hua Estate. Where is this? This is the Imperial Envoy's residence, this is the prince's palace. Even if I cut off three hundred of your heads, there wouldn't be any problem. In the end, you would die, and my reputation would be ruined, benefiting those unscrupulous merchants who pervert the law for personal gain."

He was angry and pointed his finger at Fang Tingshi's nose and scolded, "They're all a bunch of fools. I don't know where all these years of study have gone."

His anger was feigned, because Fan Xian knew that these students were most receptive to this kind of treatment.

Sure enough, Fang Tingshi said listlessly, "His Excellency is right..." He changed his mind and thought that His Excellency did not suppress the students, but invited himself into the residence. His heart was truly sincere and bright. He smiled bitterly and said, "His Excellency has an open mind."

Fan Xian closed his eyes and shook his head: "My mind is not that open, but I still have to take students into consideration. These people will be officials in the future, I do not consider for myself, but also consider for His Highness. "

Si Si said again, "Is this the end of the matter."

A warm smile appeared on the corner of Fan Xian's lips: "If Fang Tingshi can persuade the students to go back, it means he has the ability, and of course he must be cultivated well in the future. As for those ghosts mixed in the crowd... I'm waiting for them."

Ming Qingda had already sent a message that the internal situation of the Ming Estate had been suppressed, but the problem was that the rumors in Suzhou City could not be suppressed for the time being, especially these troublemakers, who must be instigated by someone with ulterior motives.

"Don't use knives." Fan Xian turned around and instructed Gao Da, "The wooden sticks I had you prepare a few days ago are more effective. When it comes to suppressing this kind of thing, you have to hit hard, but you can't draw blood."

Adding the words "bloodshed" to any incident always made it a bit troublesome.

After Fang Tingshi left the garden, he spent a long time with the students, but unfortunately, he failed to persuade everyone. Instead, some students suspected that he was afraid of the court's power, and some people in the crowd were instigating with sarcastic words. Fang Tingshi was furious and then ashamed. For a time, he didn't know what to do, so he had to lead his close friends away from the Ming Estate first.

Only half of the crowd expressing anger remained outside the Ming Estate, and the generals of the Governor-General's Office were more vigilant because of the previous incident with the dog blood bag.

After an unknown amount of time, a large group of people suddenly rushed out of the Hua Estate, wielding wooden sticks, and began to beat the students who were still there. For a time, screams were heard, and the sound of sticks hitting flesh was loud.

Although the members of the Supervisory Council did not use heavy hands and the students were not seriously injured, the students, who were immersed in scriptures every day, had never experienced this kind of stick education. Crying and shouting, they were driven away by the sticks, and the area in front of the Hua Estate immediately returned to calm.

Only the rain slowly fell.

The general of the Governor-General's Office was dumbfounded as he watched this scene, thinking that the Imperial Envoy was truly ruthless.

No one noticed that among the students who were scattered and fled in all directions, there were also some suspicious figures, and behind these figures, some secret agents of the Supervisory Council disguised as scholars or citizens were staring carefully as they ran away in a panic.

Fan Xian, stepping on a ladder and holding the hand of the Third Prince, climbed onto the wall of the Hua Estate, watched this scene, and couldn't help laughing, "According to the standard mode, today we should have some gang members disguised as loyal and patriotic people to beat these students."

The Third Prince asked curiously, "Teacher, then why didn't you do that today?"

Fan Xian scolded with a smile: "Use people from the Jiangnan Water Camp? Now everyone knows that Xia Xifei is our man, why add so much extra trouble?"

……

……

(I'm still sick...)