Niao Ni
Chapter 395: Who Isn't Startled?
Master Ming Si responded weakly.
Fan Xian turned his head and glanced at him, shaking his head helplessly: "You should have agreed when I asked Ming Qi to meet you. Why did you have to go through such a fright?"
Master Ming Si gritted his teeth and said hoarsely, "No one would have thought that this mother and son would be so ruthless."
Fan Xian shook his head helplessly: "Such a big family, to survive, naturally requires many sacrifices."
Master Ming Si fell silent, his hand touching his red, tight, and painful throat, knowing that he was just a sacrifice, and he didn't have much right to ask for anything.
When the carriage reached halfway to its destination, another carriage picked up Master Ming Si from Fan Xian's carriage. Only Fan Xian and a few members of the Qi Nian Team remained in the carriage. Seven Tiger Guards, according to Gao Da's arrangement, were scattered around the carriage, concealing their tracks.
"My lord, where to next?" an subordinate asked in a low voice.
Fan Xian thought for a moment and said, "Wait another half an hour, then send a note to the Governor's Mansion. I want to see Xue Qing again." His gaze fell on the subordinate's face, and he asked, "Was everything in order in the prison beforehand?"
The subordinate said in a deep voice, "Yes, and the Suzhou Prefecture has been keeping an eye on it. The Ming family won't be able to escape the charge of prison break this time, but..."
"Speak directly." Fan Xian frowned.
"Your subordinate doesn't understand. If the Ming family wanted to kill Ming Si and frame the courtyard, there was no need to be so exaggerated."
Fan Xian shook his head and said, "The methods don't matter. The key is the timing. Today, the Imperial Censorate searched Ming Garden, and Ming Si died in prison. No matter how he died, or how the Ming family arranges the aftermath... as long as he dies, and his body is discovered, all the gentry and people of Jiangnan will think I did it."
He smiled and said, "The Ming family... has been waiting for me to lose my temper and enter Ming Garden, so they can throw out this pawn. But now that Ming Si is not dead, I'm really curious how the Ming family will continue to play this sympathy card."
The carriage slowly stopped. The warm morning sun of Suzhou city shone gently on the long street, on the hearts of the people, and then touched the top of this black four-wheeled carriage, seeming to brush away the coldness in the hearts of those sitting inside.
Estimating that Ming Garden was already in chaos, Fan Xian lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage. The Tiger Guards gathered around him, and he walked towards the tall Governor's Mansion.
An official from the Imperial Censorate had already delivered the visiting card. How could the gatekeeper dare to stop him? A staff member hurried out and welcomed Fan Xian and his party inside.
It was still in that study, and there were still only Governor Xue Qing and Imperial Envoy Fan Xian. Fan Xian directly stated his purpose and informed the other party that the Imperial Censorate had entered Ming Garden.
Hearing this fact that had already happened, Xue Qing, the de facto first person in Jiangnan, frowned imperceptibly, then sighed and said slowly, "Many things cannot be achieved by rushing."
Sending someone to Jiangnan to deal with the Ming family was the established policy of Emperor Qing. Fan Xian was just a specific executor. As the emperor's confidant, Xue Qing naturally knew the origin of this matter, but he had great differences with Fan Xian in the specific measures.
The imperial court did not set a timetable for taking over the Ming family. For the emperor, he believed that he had plenty of time and enough patience to slowly eat the big families of Jiangnan. Therefore, Xue Qing did not want to act too hastily, and had always focused on appeasement, so as not to cause too much disturbance, disrupt Jiangnan, and shake the foundation of the imperial court's rule.
So, Xue Qing was naturally not in a good mood about Fan Xian's direct entry into the yamen today, stating that he had entered Ming Garden. He just couldn't understand what Fan Xian was rushing for. He was clearly a young and powerful figure in his twenties, what was he afraid of losing in a few years?
There was another trace of anger in his chest, understanding that Fan Xian's move was to force him to get on the boat and take up the knife. The Imperial Censorate had already entered Ming Garden. If the two sides clashed, as the governor of Jiangnan, he would have to ensure peace in one area, and the effort that should be put in would naturally have to be made.
Xue Qing had not relented in the past few days because he felt that he did not have much confidence in dealing with the Ming family, and he was also wary of the rumors in the capital. Now that he had been tricked by Fan Xian, his anger gradually rose, and he said in a deep voice, "Who will be responsible if something goes wrong?"
Fan Xian thought quietly for a while and said seriously, "There shouldn't be any trouble."
Xue Qing glanced at him coldly and said, "It's not that this official is being arrogant, but considering that he is one of your elders... you haven't done this carefully enough. The Ming family has been showing weakness for half a year, waiting for you to bully them. Now that you have bullied your way in, how could they miss this opportunity?"
Fan Xian shook his head: "What can they do after entering Ming Garden?"
Xue Qing lowered his eyes slightly and said, "The Ming family has a thousand private soldiers. Although the imperial court has always known about it, they have always turned a blind eye to it in view of their contributions to the imperial court."
It was not difficult for a large family of tens of thousands of people to raise a thousand private soldiers under various names, but Fan Xian couldn't help but sneer when he heard this: "Is it really a contribution to the imperial court, or a contribution to the Junshan Society?"
Hearing the three words "Junshan Society", Xue Qing fell silent. The fact that such a mysterious organization with unlimited power had appeared in Jiangnan under his rule had to be said to be his dereliction of duty. The Emperor had also severely reprimanded him in a secret letter.
Xue Qing understood that Fan Xian was using the name of the Junshan Society to put pressure on him, so he had no choice but to shake his head helplessly and said, "Where exactly is your plan?"
Fan Xian was silent for a while, and then said, "The Ming family was preparing to kill Ming Si and pin it on the Imperial Censorate. I stopped it."
"In Suzhou Prefecture?" Xue Qing was slightly surprised, and then understood why Fan Xian seemed so confident at this time.
"A thousand private soldiers, but as long as the Ming family doesn't dare to raise the flag and rebel, even if I only send forty people in, they won't dare to move." Fan Xian continued to smile and said, "Don't they like to play the tactic of 'retreating to advance'? I want to see how far they can retreat."
Xue Qing said with his eyes half-closed: "Really won't move? You don't have an imperial decree."
Fan Xian retorted sharply: "I don't have an imperial decree, but I have the Emperor's Sword of Justice."
Xue Qing said lightly: "As long as Ming Garden is willing to die a few more people and stir up emotions, it is not impossible to bury your forty Imperial Censorate secret agents in Ming Garden... Sword of Justice? Ming Garden can find enough excuses to argue that they didn't know about this, and only thought that Lord Fan, the junior censor, wanted to kill people and seize property, and they were forced to fight back... Don't forget, the Ming family has done a great job of laying the groundwork in the past few months. If this kind of thing happens at this time, everyone in the world will believe them."
These words hit Fan Xian's heart. If he really pushed the Ming family into a corner, they were not incapable of doing such crazy things. With the Ming family's roots in Jiangnan and the support in the capital, they could completely tear face with Fan Xian. Moreover, since the Imperial Censorate entered Ming Garden first, even if the two sides fought openly, public opinion would completely fall on the side of the Ming family.
But to Xue Qing's surprise, Fan Xian didn't seem to care about this at all. There was no trace of emotional fluctuation on his young and handsome face.
Xue Qing couldn't help but frown.
Fan Xian finally spoke, a hint of self-deprecation on his lips: "The Ming family is waiting for me to attack, and I am also waiting for the Ming family to attack. As long as we tear our faces apart... if they really dare to touch my subordinates, no matter what, I will plant a rebellion on them. Whether the people of the world believe it or not, I have to put this hat on the head of the old and immortal Ming Old Madam."
Saying such outrageous things in front of the governor of Jiangnan showed how daring Fan Xian was, but the next sentence made Xue Qing feel a chill.
"Naturally, no one will believe that they will rebel." Fan Xian said with a smile: "But once they attack, the Black Knights who have been stationed in Jiangbei will come over. I will kill everyone in Ming Garden. As long as all the people in the six branches are dead, who will cry injustice for them? The people of Jiangnan, or the gentry of Jiangnan?"
He continued calmly: "Even if they cry injustice all the way to the capital, so what? Even if they file a lawsuit before the Emperor, so what? I killed all the people in the six branches, leaving only Xia Qifei, and at most Ming Si as an embellishment. The imperial court will still get the Ming family's property... As long as the goal is achieved, it doesn't matter if the means are dirty."
He turned his head and stared into Xue Qing's eyes: "I believe that if forty or so people from my Imperial Censorate die, and I transfer the Black Knights to Suzhou, you won't still stop me, right?"
Xue Qing's pupils contracted slightly. If things really developed like this, and the Imperial Censorate threw forty or so officials in, and he still had to forcefully stop the Black Knights from going south... he was afraid that the Imperial Censorate would really lose its temper, and if he angered that old man sitting in a wheelchair, even if he was the governor of Jiangnan, he was afraid that he would not have a good ending.
Looking at Fan Xian's gentle and pure eyes, Xue Qing felt a chill in his heart for no reason, and had a new understanding of this young official. It turned out that Fan, the commissioner of the Imperial Censorate, was indeed a ruthless character who killed without blinking an eye. The younger generation was indeed crazy enough in their actions.
"What about you?" If he slaughtered Ming Garden, Fan Xian would naturally not have a good ending, but Xue Qing still did not believe that the dignified Lord Fan would gamble on this with the Ming family.
"Me? At most, I will be stripped of all my titles, removed from office, and demoted to a commoner... or at worst, exiled three thousand miles?" Fan Xian seemed to be thinking about his ending, and laughed: "Governor Xue doesn't know, I am the kind of person who can give up even the world."
Xue Qing couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "Then the forty subordinates you sent into Ming Garden... are they all pawns?"
Fan Xian closed his eyes and shook his head: "Not so. I was just talking about the worst possible outcome. But I believe that with the Ming family's mother and son's cunning, they will definitely not choose that... So I am very curious, how exactly is the Ming family planning to deal with this?"
"It's like playing cards. I don't necessarily have to win this hand, but I am very curious about what card the other party is going to play." He opened his eyes and said with a smile: "At times, I have a gambler's curiosity."
"This official... is also starting to get curious." Xue Qing's eyelids twitched slightly and said, "I hope your judgment is not wrong. That accountant of the Junshan Society surnamed Zhou is still in Ming Garden."
"Rest assured." Fan Xian cheered the Governor up, "I have someone in Ming Garden."
Xue Qing frowned, not knowing who Fan Xian had planted in Ming Garden. With his status, it was naturally inconvenient for him to ask, so he shut up and said nothing more. The two leading figures of Jiangnan's officialdom sat silently in the study, waiting for news from Ming Garden.
The news came sooner than expected. The staff member of the Governor's Mansion leaned close to Xue Qing and whispered for a while.
Xue Qing fell silent, then looked at Fan Xian and sighed, saying, "The card the other party played seems to be beyond your expectations... I have to start mobilizing troops."
Fan Xian frowned slightly.
Xue Qing continued to smile bitterly and said, "Mobilizing troops... is for the safety of your subordinates, not to prevent you from slaughtering the garden."
Xue Qing knew that he didn't need to explain to him in detail. His face was still filled with shock, and he hurriedly left the study. Fan Xian stood up and heard the whole story from a member of the Qi Nian Team outside the door.
The Imperial Censorate's news should have been faster than the Governor's Mansion's, but because he was currently in the Governor's Mansion, the transmission of information was slower.
But when Fan Xian heard what had happened in Ming Garden today, he couldn't help but show a look of shock on his face, just like Governor Xue Qing. He opened his mouth slightly and sighed, "Absolute, even more absolute than what I did."
He was about to curse to vent the sense of absurdity in his heart, but he finally held back, shook his head with a wry smile, his face gradually calmed down, and then issued instructions.
"Tell Deng Ziyue to bring everyone back."
"Don't fight back, don't curse back."
The official from the Qi Nian Team obeyed and left. Fan Xian also walked out of the gate of the Governor's Mansion. He saw a scene of chaos inside the yamen. Most of the officials who didn't know the inside story looked at each other, wondering why the Governor wanted to inspect the city at this time, and why he wanted to summon all the military officials in the city to the mansion for a meeting at this time.
Fan Xian was naturally qualified to participate in the meeting, but he knew that it was not appropriate for him to stay in the Governor's Mansion today. The storm that was about to come would naturally trouble Lord Xue Qing to appease, and he should do something else.
After getting into the carriage, Fan Xian rubbed his temples and suddenly said a nonsensical sentence to Tiger Guard Gao Da: "Actually, many times, how things go all depends on the order in which people die."
Gao Da was stunned and didn't understand what the commissioner was talking about.
Fan Xian scratched his head and said, "I clearly wanted him to die, but if he dies before I let him die, we... will have some problems instead."
"Who died?" Gao Da asked, frowning.
"The old matriarch in the eyes of our Jiangnan people, the Ming family's Old Madam who has saved countless poor people." Fan Xian said with a smile, "Because she couldn't bear the Imperial Censorate's intrusion and humiliation, and couldn't bear Lord Fan's bullying for many days, she indignantly committed suicide this morning."
The Ming Old Madam committed suicide?
Gao Da was shocked. Although he was from the capital, he knew the prestige and status of this Ming family's ancestor in the entire Jiangnan.
"Died to prove her innocence." Fan Xian cursed with a smile: "Ming Qingda is really ruthless, even more ruthless than his mother."
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In fact, the Ming Old Madam didn't want to die.
This was of course a truism. No one in this world wants to die. Even though the Ming Old Madam was already old and her life force had been flowing out for many years, and she had enjoyed enough blessings in Jiangnan, she still didn't want to die.
The Ming family has an excellent reputation in Jiangnan. They have opened shops to distribute porridge, sponsored students, and done countless other good deeds. In people's minds, this Ming Old Madam is like a kind old god in the clouds, wrapped in a sweet and radiant garment, so that in some remote areas of Jiangnan, some people have even begun to build living shrines for this Ming family's Old Madam.
The Ming Old Madam obviously didn't connect the living shrine with her lifespan, and didn't think that now that the shrine had been built, she could... or rather, she should still live for a few days? Her full attention recently was on coping with the Imperial Censorate's pervasive coercion, and she had already drafted a corresponding plan.
On this beautiful morning, upon hearing that Imperial Censorate secret agents had entered the garden to search, the old woman was furious and cursed: "Since Ming Garden was built, when has the government ever searched it? Even if the Governor enters the mansion, he must be respectful. These Imperial Censorate bastards!"
The small courtyard where she lived was far in the depths of Ming Garden, and she couldn't hear the noise of the Imperial Censorate's search in front at all, but this sense of humiliation still made her very angry. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Are you just going to let our family be bullied like this?"
Standing next to her was Ming Qingda, the nominal current owner of the Ming family and the eldest son of the main branch. His face was slightly gray, and he knew what his mother meant. He said softly, "The person is already gone, but... after all, the fourth brother is also a sibling."
The Ming Old Madam glanced at her son coldly and disgustedly, thinking that if he wasn't ruthless, how could he achieve great things? How could he allow his family to survive under the Imperial Censorate's strong offensive and endure until the day when the situation in the capital reversed?
"Be more ruthless."
The Ming Old Madam instructed.
Ming Qingda looked at his mother's wrinkled face, put on a filial smile, and responded.