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In Kyoto, beside the Shen Zheng Road, stood a residence that Wang Qinian had purchased for one hundred and twenty taels of silver. After several layers of intermediaries, he believed no one could trace the true owner. Fan Xian frowned, looking at the two burly men tied up securely in the corner. Their mouths were stuffed with foul rags, faces flushed, tears streaming from their eyes. They couldn't speak, nor could they bite their tongues to commit suicide.

"Where did you catch them?" Fan Xian asked softly.

The Fourth Bureau operative behind Wang Qinian bowed, replying, "Seven miles outside the city. Lord Wang discovered their trail. When we cornered them, they tried to deny it, but our investigation convinced them to confess. After you left Kyoto yesterday, these two followed you. We don’t know how they notified their people about your whereabouts and what relationship they have with the Eastern Palace, who arranged this encounter."

Fan Xian frowned. He hadn't expected that a casual guess would actually uncover a conspiracy. It seemed not that he was too brilliant, but that his enemies were too numerous and too foolish. Kyoto was too dark; everyone had a forked black tail wagging behind them. He understood that his subordinates' "investigation" undoubtedly involved torture, but since the culprits had confessed, the methods used were of no consequence.

"Did you find out who they work for?" Fan Xian asked, lowering his voice to Wang Qinian.

Wang Qinian shook his head. "The less I know, the better. I was waiting for you to interrogate them personally, my lord."

Fan Xian nodded, pleased with his subordinate's prudence, but then he fell into thought. He scrutinized the two burly men in the corner. It was easy to discern something from their expressions. Individuals possessing such resolute looks, yet clearly untrained in enduring torture, were neither likely to be from the Overwatch Council nor from the Imperial Palace. He already knew they were not eunuchs.

Therefore, the most probable employer was the Second Prince's private force. Of course, the First Prince, stationed far away at the foot of Yin Mountain, could not be entirely ruled out. At that moment, Fan Xian recalled a saying from his father, Count Sinan, "When you don't know who your enemy is, don't randomly make enemies." Even if he knew who his enemy was, what could he do? Suppose he learned it was the Second Prince who was responsible, could he really storm the Prince's residence? Fan Xian smiled bitterly, realizing some things were better left unasked.

"No need to ask," Fan Xian said, rubbing his temples, as if troubled. "Kill them both."

"Yes, sir." The subordinates were all grim reapers from the Overwatch Council, so the bloody command elicited not a shred of surprise. Calmly, they stepped forward, drew the sabers from their waists, and plunged them into the two men's lower backs. Two dull thuds echoed, and the burly men thrashed their legs wildly, eyes rolling back in their heads, and died.

"Bury them properly," Fan Xian instructed, without feigning any grief.

"Yes, sir," the subordinate responded.

Leaving the courtyard, they wound through the small lanes of Kyoto for a long time before emerging onto the main road. Wang Qinian accompanied him on a stroll, maintaining the silence and courtesy expected of a subordinate. Fan Xian suddenly spoke, "When do the missions from Northern Qi and Dongyi City arrive? The Council should have intelligence on that."

Wang Qinian replied, "Since they crossed the border, the Fourth Bureau has been assisting local authorities in their reception. Judging by the dates, they should arrive early next month."

Fan Xian nodded. "Help me investigate who's in their retinue. Also..." He paused thoughtfully. "If it doesn't violate regulations, could you trouble the Council to have our spies in Northern Qi gather some information? It would be best to ascertain the bottom line of Northern Qi's negotiation this time."

Wang Qinian had overheard the Crown Prince's words earlier, so he knew that Lord Fan was to serve as the deputy envoy. He responded with a firm tone of agreement and then added, "Yan Bingyun, the son of Yan Ruohai, the chief of the Fourth Bureau, has been undercover in Northern Qi for four years and has achieved considerable success. I expect he should have some excellent intelligence."

Fan Xian reminded him, "You should say less about things like that in the future. If the Northern Qi people find out, I'm afraid Lord Yan's son will be in danger."

Wang Qinian smiled, explaining, "As Director of the Overwatch Council, you have the authority to know this information, my lord."

Fan Xian also smiled. "It's better to know less about things that carry responsibility."

Wang Qinian gazed at the gentle smile on the lord's delicate face, recalling the killings in the courtyard earlier. His mood was strangely affected. He softly asked, "Since not knowing is better than knowing, why investigate, and why did those two men need to die? Seemed unnecessary."

Fan Xian calmly replied, "Although not knowing is better than knowing, we must still investigate, and those two men had to die. Because I must let others know that I know things they don't want me to know. Two lives are a warning, warning them not to try to manipulate me again. It seems the Niulan Street incident didn't restrain those high and mighty figures. The death of my brother-in-law at the foot of Cang Mountain was Four Swords' doing, they must think I'm easy to bully?"

While the series of "knowing" was somewhat of a tongue-twister, Wang Qinian was slightly confused, but he gradually grasped the meaning and nodded. Fan Xian suddenly curled the corners of his lips and smiled. "Don't worry that I haven't seen blood and dead people. You don't know how I grew up."

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After the following days, all under heaven was at peace, and the deaths of those two nameless men seemed to be of no concern to anyone. But Fan Xian was sure the matter had started to take effect. He went to the Imperial Board of Sacrifices to punch the clock now and then, collected money at the Danbo Bookstore, helped out in the tofu shop, drew closer to his future father-in-law at the Prime Minister's mansion, engaged in secret rendezvous at the Imperial family's residence, and stayed at Fan Residence to tell stories to his younger sister and copy books to read. This was Fan Xian's life these days.

That night, having washed up and prepared for bed, his gaze fell on the black leather trunk casually tossed aside. He didn't know what was inside the trunk, so it was natural to be curious. But after sharing the same room for so long, and without any sign of the key, he had become somewhat indifferent. Of course, if he knew that Chen Pingping was also interested in the trunk, he would have reevaluated its worth and wouldn't have left it lying in the room like a piece of junk. Instead, he would have dug a big hole under the bed, covering it with three layers of steel plates to hide it.

Where was the key? As if Heaven suddenly heard the deep question in his heart, a cold voice sounded in Fan Xian's ears:

"The key is in the Imperial Palace."

Immediately afterward, a black rod, without wind or sound, came from nowhere and struck Fan Xian hard on the back. With a muffled thud, Fan Xian, unable to dodge, was knocked to the ground. His back was filled with pain, and he coughed twice, blowing away the few strands of dust in front of his face.

"You've regressed." Although Wu Zhu's voice was emotionless, it clearly expressed a negative assessment of Fan Xian's performance.

"Uncle?" Fan Xian had been accustomed to this kind of life since childhood. He struggled to his feet, circulating his true energy to alleviate the pain in his back, and said softly, looking at the pitch-black corner, "Uncle, I was so worried about you all these days I didn't see you."

Wu Zhu was somewhat unaccustomed to the enthusiasm in his words, coldly stepping back half a step, coldly exposing Fan Xian's lie: "I know, you weren't worried about me."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. He really hadn't been that worried. Wu Zhu was a perverted grandmaster-level assassin. He believed nothing would happen to him, wherever he went. But Fan Xian really missed him and was curious, wondering what he had been doing these days. Perhaps Uncle Wu Zhu had always been by his side, and he just didn't know it?

Wu Zhu continued, "The key is in the Imperial Palace."

It was the second repetition that made Fan Xian come to his senses, frowning slightly, then suddenly realizing, "So all these days, you've been looking for the key."

"This is Miss's keepsake. I shouldn't have listened to Chen Pingping and left the key in Kyoto." Wu Zhu's tone was still detached, almost inhuman. "I've been searching in the Imperial Palace for some days and have tentatively identified three possible locations."

"That's too risky!" Fan Xian exclaimed in a low voice, a hint of annoyance rising from the depths of his heart. Although Uncle Wu Zhu possessed grandmaster-level strength, the Imperial Palace was hardly a safe place. Not only were the guards all experts, but Fei Jie had also mentioned that the most mysterious of the four grandmasters was hidden within the Imperial Palace. Wu Zhu had risked staying in the palace for so many days. If he was discovered, the mysterious grandmaster would undoubtedly intervene, and with the addition of five hundred Imperial Guards armed with sabers, even if Wu Zhu's divine skill reached the heavens, he would likely not be able to escape alive.

As if oblivious to Fan Xian's resentment, Wu Zhu continued calmly, "Do you want the key?"

Fan Xian calmed down, understanding the purpose of Uncle Wu Zhu's visit tonight. Wu Zhu had always been a person hidden in the shadows. If there wasn't something that needed to be communicated, Fan Xian even suspected that he might never see him again, only being protected in secret. Tonight, Wu Zhu was here to talk about the key, so it wasn't to ask for his opinion, but because this matter required his participation.

But… if it was difficult for Wu Zhu to retrieve something in this world, what could he possibly do to help? Fan Xian pondered while softly asking, "What do you need me to do?"

"Those three places in the Imperial Palace are very difficult to enter," Wu Zhu said expressionlessly.

Fan Xian was curious about the three places and asked.

"Xingqing Palace, Hanguang Hall, Guangxin Palace."

Fan Xian was stunned and smiled wryly. These were indeed the most heavily guarded places in the Imperial Palace, the residences of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Eldest Princess. They were not just the most difficult places to enter in the Imperial Palace, they were practically the most difficult places to enter in the entire world.

"I need you to find a way to lure that eunuch named Hong Siang out of the Imperial Palace for an hour."

Fan Xian frowned slightly. "Eunuch Hong? The chief eunuch of the palace, a veteran of three reigns, said to have been in the palace since the founding of the nation. He wields great power. But if you're going to steal the key from the palace, why do you need me to lure him out? What's the connection?" Suddenly, he understood something, raising his head in shock and looking at the black cloth covering Wu Zhu's face, trembling as he said, "Could Eunuch Hong be the legendary, most mysterious grandmaster?"

……

……

Fei Jie had said that there were four great grandmasters in the world. One was Four Swords of Dongyi City, one was Master Kuhe of Northern Qi, one was Ye Liuyun, the free-flowing San Shou of Qing Kingdom, and the last was also a person from Qing Kingdom, but no one knew who he was. Even with the Overwatch Council's power, they could only vaguely discern that this grandmaster was hiding within the Imperial Palace of the Qing Kingdom.

Wu Zhu shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't fought him, but I know that the person in the Imperial Palace who is most likely to discover me is the eunuch named Hong Siang."

Fan Xian nodded. In his heart, judging by Wu Zhu's caution, this old Eunuch Hong must be an unfathomable figure in the Imperial Palace. Even Wu Zhu was wary of him. It seemed that Eunuch Hong's identity as a grandmaster was about to be revealed.

With Wu Zhu's cold temperament, he would even kill Ye Liuyun, although he couldn't kill him completely. He naturally wouldn't be wary of any grandmaster in the world. Last time, it was to conceal his relationship with Fan Xian, so he had attacked violently. This time, it was to steal the key, so his style was different.

Fan Xian thought about his recent plans, connecting them with the arrival of envoys from Northern Qi and Dongyi City. He couldn't think of a good way to establish a relationship with the chief eunuch in the deep palace. He couldn't ask his father to intervene, or he would have to explain many things he didn't want to explain. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He said, "Wan'er should know about the Imperial Palace. She lived there until the beginning of this year before moving out. I'll try to follow her lead tomorrow."

Wu Zhu gave him an impassive "look," coldly saying, "I only need you to lure Hong Siang out of the Imperial Palace for an hour. As for what method you use, that's your own business."

Fan Xian shrugged. "Uncle always gives me the most difficult tasks."

It was a playful remark, and having not chatted with Wu Zhu for some time, he seemed to have forgotten that Wu Zhu didn't have much of a sense of humor. He heard Wu Zhu say very seriously, "Then I'll go kill Hong Siang. Whether I succeed or not, it'll probably occupy him for three hours. You go into the Imperial Palace and find the key."

Fan Xian realized he had lifted a still-hot meteorite and dropped it heavily on his own foot. He quickly said with utmost gentleness and respect, "It's just stealing something. Let's not risk challenging Hong Siang too much. I'll try to make contact with him."

After Wu Zhu left, Fan Xian remembered that he seemed unable to find him. If he arranged everything, how would he notify this blind uncle in the future? Lying back in bed, he looked at the black leather trunk with different eyes. If the key was inevitably placed in the most heavily guarded place in the Imperial Palace, judging by its importance, the trunk must contain something very important or very terrifying.

Such as border defense maps, a roster of high-level spies established by his mother, or even... the Ye family's treasure map?

Fan Xian could no longer sleep peacefully. He stood up and kicked the trunk under the bed, as if this would make it much safer.

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