Chapter 441: The Old Grandfather Who Planted Pak Choi
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Impossible.”
Fan Xian lay on the bed, shaking his head as he spoke. He immediately began to cough. It seemed that even his internal injuries knew he couldn’t completely believe his judgment. Under such raging emotions, it was difficult to not have a reaction.
However, Fan Xian still did not think it was possible. Ever since he was young, he had followed Sir Fei and learned rudimentary biology and poisons. He had learned about the rules of the Overwatch Council as well as the structure of its departments. He learned how the Overwatch Council handled matters and tricks to killing people. Ever since a young age, his life had been tightly tied with the Overwatch Council, who the people and officials of the Qing Kingdom were the most afraid of.
In other people’s eyes, he was just a child. At most, he was a child with some genius traits. However, he knew that the Fan An Zhi in Danzhou’s spirit was already relatively mature, so he understood early that in his future he would certainly be tied closely to the Overwatch Council.
The appearance of the Commissioner token after he entered the capital made Fan Xian understand even more clearly the hard work of those elders in the Overwatch Council. The other party wanted to hand the Overwatch Council to him. Or, it could be said to be returned to him. Even more accurately, it was to return it to the woman from long ago.
Up to now, Fan Xian had immeasurable wealth, a reputation known to all under heaven, and a very high position. Perhaps all of this was because of his experience as a person of two lives, the poetry and lyrics of countless talents before him, and his determined spirit he had trained as child. He knew that all of these were just external objects and difficult to tie to himself. He could lose them at any moment.
He had managed to keep all of these until now as he was dependent on the power of the Overwatch Council.
No matter from which direction one approached it, the Overwatch Council was the foundation and root of Fan Xian’s existence in this world.
The ambush in the valley was not the same as the assassination at the Hanging Temple. The heavy injury he took after the Hanging Temple was a complete accident. The Shadow’s appearance was completely under the control of Chen Pingping. If his Tyrannical way had not been coincidentally bottlenecked, thus happening to break his Meridians, he likely wouldn’t have taken such a heavy injury.
However, the ambush in the snowy valley was just to kill him. Once it had started, it was impossible for it to be drawn back.
If it was truly as his father had said and what he guessed. This foundation suddenly relaxed, and Fan Xian would be able to withdraw dejectedly at any time.
As for this guess, no matter whether it was logically or emotionally, Fan Xian was not willing to accept it and would also not accept it.
“Impossible.”
Fan Xian repeated the word again in a heavy tone.
He was the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council. After two years of Chen Pingping’s purposeful release of his hold and his help, he had long placed his people into the eight bureaus. The Qinian Unit had become a special department. There was himself in the First Bureau, the Fourth Bureau of Yan Bingyun, the Third Bureau had Fei Jie, the Fifth Bureau had no intentions and now had Jing Ge, and the Sixth Bureau had the Shadow.
Thinking back and forth, Fan Xian now was no longer the isolated person he was in the beginning. All of the resources of the Overwatch Council had long been solidly grasped in his hands. He could not understand. Even if there was a traitor in the Council, it would still be impossible to keep him completely in the dark and cooperate with his enemies.
Unless it was him. The person he had thought of in the valley.
But, he had always been so kind to him. That pair of hands that were always on the lamb wool blanket were always so steady. That thin and sickly body appeared so dependable. No matter where he was, he always felt that he was his biggest support, allowing him to do anything without a glimmer of fear.
…
…
“There has never been anything impossible in this world,” Fan Jian said coldly. “Back then, your mother was comparable to you now. She also had the Overwatch Council in her left hand, the palace treasury in her right, and Lao Wu behind her. Furthermore, she also had us. With the Quanzhou Navy to the South, how was she compared to you now? But, in the end?”
Fan Xian fell silent. He faintly felt that the snowy valley incident might have some connection to the incident from many years ago.
“If empress’ father’s head was chopped off by my own hand…” Fan Jian lowered his head to look at his long and slender fingers. He smiled slightly. “But…who knows whether or not the heads that should have fallen have all fallen?”
This was the first time Fan Xian had learned of this matter and was very shocked. He looked at his father for a while and couldn’t speak. It was not until today that he heard that the empress’ father had been personally killed by his father.
He understood what his father meant. The year that Jingdou ran red with blood was a great act of retaliation on the collapsed Ye family. At the time, the Ye family had strong foundations. After being overthrown in one night, although the Emperor had been on a Western Expedition, an unknown number of powerful and noble families in Jingdou had joined in this matter. There were some that had escaped capture, so it wouldn’t be surprising for some to be the main culprits.
Fan Xian broke the silence. Revealing a determined expression on his face, he warmly said, “Father, there is no need to say more. I trust the Director.”
Fan Jian sighed.
Fan Xian continued warmly, “What you said, he has actually also said it to me before…I have also long thought about the matter back then. I found that before I entered Jingdou, there was an unusual coldness between you and Director Chen. You two were completely not like how you are now. I understand that you both are cautious in your hearts, however, just as I trust you unconditionally, I also trust him unconditionally.”
He coughed gently and continued, “Suspicions against your comrades is a very terrifying thing. Perhaps someone has purposely hidden something all this time just to make you and Director Chen suspect each other.”
“I won’t be like this,” Fan Xian said in a heavier tone. “I trust my own feelings. Only feelings will not lie to you.”
His gazed out of the window.
After a long time, Fan Jian smiled and said comfortingly, “Looks like you still have some confidence in human nature…in this, you are very similar to your mother.”
Fan Xian also smiled and said, “Only toward a few special people.”
Following this, Fan Jian calmly asked, “How are you planning to deal with this matter?”
“I’ll first wait to see the results of the Emperor’s handling.” Fan Xian was silent for a moment and then continued, “I’m afraid that nothing will be found in the investigation. The other party has made such a large investment, naturally, they would have thought of a way to deal with the aftermath.”
He smiled mockingly. “Sometimes, I don’t know where the Emperor’s confidence comes from. Even the military is starting to be disturbed by someone. Is he still as completely unworried as before?”
“Something will always be found in the investigation.” Fan Jian gazed at his son and knew the youth had not let the blood get to his head. Smiling with approval, he said, “All of the city-guarding crossbows are numbered.”
“I’m afraid that even these city-guarding crossbows were moved from elsewhere. It’ll be bad if the wrong person is investigated.”
“You’re right.” A strange smile rose to the corner of Fan Jian’s lips. “Under the Emperor’s age, the case was investigated very quickly. By the afternoon, there was already news. There are five city-guarding crossbows in the valley. They’ve just been produced by the palace treasury. They should have been sent toward the direction of Dingzhou. For some reason, they were behind on the delivery time. Coincidentally, they appeared on your way back to the capital.”
“Dingzhou?” Fan Xian furrowed his brows. “The Ye family is going to be a scapegoat again? Can the Emperor bring himself to be so cruel?”
“Of course, the Emperor’s knows about the strangeness in this matter,” Fan Jian said. “However, what if the Ye family did this on purpose?”
“That’s why there needs to be other evidence,” Fan Xian said quietly. “That survivor I sent to the Bureau of Military Affairs, is he of any value?”
“He is.” Fan Jian smiled strangely again. “This trick of yours is the same as back when you defeated the Second Prince, delivering the witness to the other party’s yamen.”
Fan Jian’s expression was calm. “However, one trick shouldn’t be used twice. At least, the Bureau of Military Affairs did not fall for your trick this time.”
“Oh?” Fan Xian furrowed his brows. “How did they handle it?”
Fan Jian smiled slightly and said, “They treated that survivor like an old ancestor, deathly afraid that he would die from blood loss leaving them unable to answer the Emperor’s questions. Immediately after, they used this matter as an excuse to say that this must be investigated by the Overwatch Council. As the military side needs to avoid suspicion, thus they sent the person to the Overwatch Council.”
Fan Xian was slightly startled.
Fan Jian continued to smile. “The person was left by you to the Bureau of Military Affairs, so the Overwatch Council refused to accept him. Thus, they had him dragged back to the Bureau. Those crude military people in the Bureau have really learned to be shameless. They actually dragged him back to the Overwatch Council.”
The generally stern looking Minister of Revenue smiled and shook his head. “This afternoon, the two departments have been setting themselves against each other over this survivor. You give it to me, and I’ll give it to you, as if this person was a hot yam. No one is willing to accept it.”
Although he had been ambushed and was feeling very gloomy, hearing these words from his father, Fan Xian still couldn’t resist smiling. He seemed to be able to see in front of his eyes Tianhe Avenue this afternoon. At the center of the Qing court’s power, the two yamen dragging the man back and forth like a dead pig. That soldier had probably never in his life thought he would receive such treatment.
“How was it dealt with in the end?”
“In the end, the Palace spoke and the Overwatch Council took him into prison.”
Fan Xian sighed. “Who would have thought so many things would happen in Jingdou this afternoon while I slept.”
Fan Jian silently looked at his son. A moment later, he slowly said, “After the night that Jingdou ran red with blood, your ambush by the military was the biggest thing to happen…furthermore, you came back alive. Who knows how many people will no longer be able to sit easily in their manors, and who knows how many people won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
Fan Xian was silent.
“You’re truly going to act?”
“I won’t act personally,” Fan Xian said quietly. “I am going to make them hurt to their very core.”
Fan Jian nodded his head and said, “You can handle it yourself, just…don’t offend the entire military.”
“I know the limits.”
Fan Jian rose and left his bedroom. In the end, he said, “You have to live.”
…
…
This night, there were countless people who sat in silent rooms with uneasy minds.
The news of Fan Xian being attacked by an assassin had long spread throughout the entirety of Jingdou. The routine court conference had abruptly stopped because of this sudden event. According to the private discussions of the court officials, when the Emperor heard this news, he had appeared relatively calm. He had immediately ordered the Commander of the Imperial Army, the Great Prince, out of the Palace to patrol and then ordered Shu the Scholar and Wu the Scholar to represent the Emperor in asking after Fan Xian.
However, according to Eunuch Yao in the Palace, after the Emperor had returned to the royal study, he had shattered a porcelain teacup in his hand and was silent for a long time.
Everyone knew the Emperor was sunken into a rage, however, not everyone was afraid. Those who had organized the snowy valley incident and those who had secretly helped were each plotting in their manors with their own ulterior motives and unease.
Since these people dared to kill on the outskirts of Jingdou, they had preparations for receiving the Emperor’s anger and Overwatch Council’s revenge. However, they had not thought that after mobilizing such power and such meticulous planning that Fan Xian still did not die.
“Unbelievable! He still didn’t die!”
The Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace gritted his teeth as he spoke. With one hand, he grasped the embroidered cloth on the footstool beside him and scrunched the soft cloth into countless ugly flowers.
The empress’ brows were lightly outlined. She sat coldly and nobly across from him. In a cold voice, she said, “Be aware of your identity and your words. Fan Xian is a major official of this court. If he doesn’t die, as the heir, you should be happy. How could you be so disappointed?”
The Crown Prince laughed. “This is the Eastern Palace. Besides, everyone knows that between myself and Fan Xian, only one can survive. Everyone probably thinks that I arranged the snowy valley incident. Since it is so, why should I pretend to have compassion?”
The empress looked at him silently and then said, “Don’t worry, the Emperor will not suspect you because we don’t have this power to start with.”
The Crown Prince was silent until he came to his senses. Among the powers in the court, his was the weakest. One reason for this was because his fight against the Second Prince all these years. Additionally, he had lost the Eldest Princess, this powerful aide. Another reason was that of Fan Xian’s existence.
He smiled bitterly. “Who would have thought it would one day become a good thing? Mother is right, I don’t have the power to mobilize the army to kill.”
“However…” A glimmer of anger flashed through the Crown Prince’s eyes, “if Fan Xian had died, that would have been good.”
Fan Xian, what a man. During the family property case against the Ming family in Jiangnan, he insisted on arguing that the heir had no heaven given right to inherit. Do you think what you are thinking is not clear to me? Not clear to the empress dowager? The empress dowager had already begun to grow angry…the Crown Prince smiled coldly, grateful in his heart for that unknown power. The bold attempt to kill Fan Xian openly under such circumstances had helped many in Jingdou do what they did not dare.
…
…
Many people were guessing this night as to just which power was so presumptuous as to risk universal condemnation to kill a favored official in the outskirts near Jingdou.
Everyone’s gazes were directed toward the Eldest Princess because it seemed like only this noble had the craziness, daring, and power.
“It’s a great pity it didn’t succeed this time.” In a quiet manor in Jingdou, the Qing Kingdom’s most powerful, as well as most beautiful woman, was lying lazily on a low couch. At the foot of the couch was a fire with heat rising from it.
Li Yunrui’s eyes were slightly narrowed, and the pupils were filled with laziness. She gazed at the Second Prince sitting below her and smiled slightly. “However, this matter has nothing to do with me. I am not stupid to this extent. There are plenty of simple ways to defeat Fan Xian.”
The Second Prince started. When he heard the news of the snowy valley attack, he had thought it was the Eldest Princess who had done it. Thinking it over and over, only she had such courage to dare not consider the Emperor’s mood. He even faintly suspected that perhaps this incident had received the implicit consent of the empress dowager.
Unexpectedly, he heard the Eldest Princess very directly deny it.
“Of course, I am also very grateful to that person.” Li Yunrui smiled slightly. The 30-something-year-old woman did not have the slightest appearance of a flower wilting. On the contrary, her charm was incomparably demonstrated. Every time she narrowed her eyes, every turn of her wrists, a natural sense of style shone through. She sighed. “If I could kill that son-in-law of mine, that would be good. The snowy valley attack was simple, rough, and direct. It had a military style…I like it.”
Her words suddenly paused. The Second Prince didn’t know what he should say. The room was filled with speechless sighing.
After a long time, the Eldest Princess slowly shook her head and said, “Even this could not kill him…is it because his luck is good or something else?”
The Second Prince and the Eldest Princess looked at each other and saw the unease and self-ridicule in each other’s eyes. Fan Xian was truly a strange creature, a strange creature with incredible luck. Or, perhaps, although everyone thought highly of him, they still underestimated his power. The details of the snowy valley attack had long reached the desks of these nobles. For Fan Xian to not only come back alive under these circumstances but to also have completely killed the other party and even brought back a survivor incomparably shocked all of the powers.
There was even a faint glimmer of fear.
The Eldest Princess did not feel fear. She only lightly thought that if, only if, there hadn’t been the Niulan Street incident back then, how miraculous this world would be.
…
…
“Continue to have good relationships with the Eastern Palace.” The Eldest Princess lectured the Second Prince like he was her child. “We need his name to persuade the empress dowager.”
The Second Prince nodded. He finally couldn’t resist the strong confusion in his heart and asked, “Just who made the move? It can’t be that Director Chen has suddenly gone crazy, right?”
“The numbers of the five city-guarding crossbows have already been checked.” The Crown Prince glanced at the Second Prince with ridicule. “They belong to your concubine’s family.”
The Second Prince resolutely shook his head. “The Ye family’s power is far away in Dingzhou. Even if the 200 soldiers carried out the surprise attack overnight, they still couldn’t completely avoid alerting the Jingdou garrison and Overwatch Council. As for those five city-guarding crossbows, that’s even more absurd.”
“In court, it never matters whether or not it is absurd,” the Eldest Princess said with ridicule. “The Emperor and Overwatch Council want to vent their anger. Under the circumstances, if they don’t find an outlet, the Ye family will certainly become the target.”
After the Second Prince thought for a while, he calmly said, “Aunt, please take action.”
Although the Ye family was far away in Dingzhou and had suffered repeated suppression because of the Hanging Temple incident, they were still, after all, a powerful figure in the military. Now, they had also become one family with the Second Prince. In the current dangerous situation, the Second Prince didn’t wish for the Ye family to be attacked because of Fan Xian being attacked. Even if it was for the sake of later matters, the Ye family had to be saved.
“I am not an immortal,” the Eldest Princess said calmly. “How can the words of some woman in the Palace calm the anger of the Son of Heaven?”
She calmly looked at the Second Prince and said, “Putting aside the Ye family, you should also be prepared. I understand this Emperor brother of mine. This time he is certain to be very angry. If, in the end, he can’t find the origin of the matter, perhaps his grace will rain down over a large area and make everyone unhappy.”
The Second Prince lowered his head. He knew that many people were going to run into misfortune. However, he was not very worried. The matter had nothing to do with him. He still persisted in asking, “Who exactly is it? This matter is very urgent, so don’t hide it from me.”
The Eldest Princess’ gaze remained calm but a pretty and mocking smile pulled up the corners of her mouth.
“Everyone knows that Fan Xian and myself are not of the same path because I want to protect you, while Fan Xian had shown his cards in Jiangnan and wants to put the Third Prince on the throne.” The Eldest Princess smiled slightly. “But you and I both know that we are not responsible for the snowy valley incident, so this matter is very clear.”
“Why do they not defeat the Third Prince and only want to kill Fan Xian?”
“This means that this attack had nothing to do with that chair.”
“It is only connected to Fan Xian himself.”
“The only matter connected to Fan Xian, other than that chair, that is enough to make a major military figure take action is that woman from back then.”
“Why would that major military figure want to kill Fan Xian because of her?”
“It must be because he knew that if Fan Xian one day took the throne, or if he helped the Third Prince to the throne…once he knew of some matter, he would be sure to doom their entire clan for her. Thus, the major military figure must have been connected to her death.”
There was no need for a painstaking investigation. The Eldest Princess only had to slowly speak each sentence, as if she were talking of domestic trivia and thus edged very close to the original truth of the matter.
“But…the night that Jingdou ran red with blood?” The Second Prince furrowed his brows. “Those involved in the Ye family matter, haven’t they all died?”
The Eldest Princess smiled sweetly and a moment later said, “The empress dowager and the empress, have they died?”
A fanaticism suddenly appeared between her brows. “If I haven’t gone crazy, since that major military figure has been able to live honorably until now, then the death of that woman was probably not this simple…oh, I’m more and more admiring of him, even more admiring than when I was little.”
The corners of the Second Prince’s mouth went dry. He knew who his aunt was admiring of, furthermore, he felt incomparable shock deep in his heart toward his aunt’s analysis. If the truth of the matter was actually like this, then it could only be said that his aunt’s heart was scarily agile and clever.
However, he was unable to confirm this. A moment later, he furrowed his brows and said, “However…according to the news, on Fan Xian’s way back to Jingdou, that son of the Governor once fired an arrow at him.”
The Eldest Princess smiled lightly. “As you know, although that major military figure hides in his manor all day, his hands are extended outside. Yan Xiaoyi’s son has always been hidden under his hand. It seems like this time…this major figure is also afraid the Emperor will actually find him out and want to forcefully drag us under.”
The Second Prince sighed and said, “So it seems that everyone wants Fan Xian dead. I really don’t know how father will deal with this.”
“I need to thank your father,” the Eldest Princess smiled and said. “He turned Fan Xian into a solitary official, and, at the same time, unknowingly pushed everyone to our side, such as the Ye family and that major military figure from today. God, one by one my things were taken by him to give to that son-in-law of mine, then one by one he returns even better things to me. This world, how is it so cute?”
The palace treasury, the Cui Family, the Ming family, even her own daughter…the Eldest Princess slowly clenched her fist tight. Although her face maintained a slight and warm smile, her tone revealed a glimmer of ridicule.
“I have always respected him, but I also know that he has a fatal weakness.”
The Second Prince did not dare comment.
“He is too suspicious.” The Eldest Princess smiled slightly. “Those who are paranoid are certain to lose.”
Without question, when it came to judgements in political situations and traps in fame and profit, the Eldest Princess had an intelligence that others would find difficult to strive for. As for the matter of the snowy valley attack, she had only guessed the superficial part. As for the deepest reason, probably no one knew except for one person.
Even the major military figure who had organized the attack didn’t know.
There was a large and silent manor in Jingdou. It took up a full half of the street and was impossibly spacious and luxurious, and all within the regulation of rites. It was built according to the position of a royal count. Inside and outside the courtyard, there were a variety of trees and wildlife. In this dark night, it was like the scraggly hair of giants, piercing toward the alone and lonely sky.
An elderly man wearing a cotton robe was watering his vegetable garden in front of his side garden. The old man wore a pair of cotton shoes, the heels of which had already been rubbed thin. Wearing cotton robes and cotton shoes, simple and plain, this was a habit formed by countless years of living and traveling in the military.
He liked to grow vegetables. Particularly after he was old and rarely went to the department to be work, he liked, even more, to spend time in the little vegetable garden at home. His sons and grandsons all knew he had this hobby and had gotten a great number of rare and strange vegetable seeds for him.
However, he didn’t plant them. He only planted pak choi and turnip, the two vegetables most commonly eaten in the military. He was not the same as that muddled King Jing. He didn’t use the vegetable garden to bury his sorrows, he was just used to it—used to planting vegetables, and used to being simple and straightforward.
