Chapter 2624 - 139-146

Chapter 139: Guangxin Palace

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Zhuang Mohan smiled, "Today, I fell by his hands. I gambled seventy years of my reputation and I fully accept my loss. It's just that I don't understand how this young Sir Fan is like an immortal sage when it comes to poetry. Had you informed me beforehand, naturally I would not make that gamble."

Eldest Princess sighed. "Other than the fact that he can compose poetry, I also didn't think he could be so maniacal."

Zhuang Mohan closed his eyes. After a long time, he said slowly, "I only regret one thing. I had believed myself to be wise for over half of my life. Now that I'm at the end of it, I was subjected to such disgrace. Had young Sir Fan not composed three hundred poems in one night, perhaps everyone in the world would have believed me and thought Fan Xian was a shameless plagiarizer."

The old man opened his eyes, his expression returned to its former calm. He smiled and said, "It's better this way."

"Better?" Eldest Princess lightly slid her bare feet along the cushion. She lightly bit her lip and said, "Master Zhuang, Mother has always admired your wisdom, which was why you were invited to live in the palace. I have upheld my end of the deal. What about what you promised me? Don't tell me you were hoping for Fan Xian to preserve his reputation after the negotiations have been signed and your brother would be welcomed back to Qi?"

Zhuang Mohan said, "A wrong is a wrong. I fell for your schemes because I cared for my relatives. That brother of mine has spent half of his life killing. If you wish to revoke, there is nothing I can do besides pray for him; pray that he won't suffer too much in the Overwatch Council prison."

"I believe that student emperor sold to you by Bing Yun. It's the only reason you could bring Xiao En back to Northern Qi. This is not a trade between you and I, but a trade between your emperor and I. I have fulfilled my end of the bargain. You did not. If you didn't pretend to throw up blood and concede, who knows how things would have developed? So… Master Zhuang, tell that student emperor that Northern Qi owes us a favor."

Zhuang Mohan said, "Young sir Fan has great talents. I believe even you would have guessed that he is likely to be a Tianmai being. I am curious. Since there's a Tianmai being in Qing, why try to get rid of him instead of protecting him? Furthermore, even if he was framed for plagiarizing, how would that hurt him?"

Eldest Princess said blandly, "I have never believed in such nonsense as Tianmai beings. Even if he is one, his abilities are limited to composing poetry. How is that any useful to the country? As for why I want to get rid of him, that would be none of your concern."

As it turned out, Zhuang Mohan risked his reputation, which had been built up over decades, to try to ruin Fan Xian in front of so many scholars under Eldest Princess's wishes. But he didn't know about the complex relations in Qing's political circles, nor was he clear about Fan Xian soon becoming Eldest Princess's son-in-law.

But Fan Xian knew why Eldest Princess was after him.

Half-kneeling on the roof, his fingers and gaze turned slightly cold as he looked at the charming princess, who was barely thirty. Back when Guo Baokun spoke, Fan Xian knew someone from the palace was conspiring with Zhuang Mohan to chase him out of the capital.

Now, plagiarizing seemed so minor. Had he not pretended to be mad and shocked the various officials with his poems, everyone probably would have believed Zhuang Mohan. While being a plagiarizer wouldn't get him any additional punishment, it would likely involve his marriage with Wan'er, and put him on the empress dowager's bad side. Eldest Princess must be more familiar with these matters than Fan Xian was.

What was even more chilling to Fan Xian was that the head spy from Northern Wei was Zhuang Mohan's elder brother! In order to persuade Zhuang Mohan to pressure Fan Xian, Eldest Princess wagered Northern Qi's spy leader, Yan Bingyun.

She was too reckless! Even if she was the emperor's sister, could His Majesty tolerate such treachery?

The summer breeze blew by, calming Fan Xian slightly. He knew that even if he heard all these secrets, he couldn't use them to threaten the princess. She was the emperor's sister, and the dearest daughter of the empress dowager. On those two points alone, she was able to operate with such lawlessness.

Seeing her beautiful black hair, Fan Xian couldn't help but feel disgusted.

This woman was not only crazy; she was twisted too.

Now, Fan Xian seemed to have unraveled the entire plot. Eldest Princess had made a deal with the emperor of Northern Qi. By selling out Overwatch Council's head spy Yan Bingyun, who had been a sleeper in Northern Qi for over four years, she hoped the other party would trade Xiao Si and Si Lili. The price Northern Qi had to pay would be to move Master Zhuang Mohan, who would use his reputation to crush Fan Xian's own in the capital. At the same time, this would serve as a lesson to the rebellious Overwatch Council.

He still didn't know what other details were involved in the deal. Eldest Princess should gain more than just this. There had to be a more terrifying reward.

Did the emperor know what his own sister was plotting?

He touched the key around his waist. With a flash in his eyes, he determined a counter-method. He adjusted his breathing in the night breeze and began to leave. It was too risky in the palace; he didn't know when his luck would run out.

As soon as he descended the pillar. Two people slowly walked over carrying lanterns. Fan Xian's heart went cold. He carefully hid himself in the pillar's shadow. As the shadow changed direction under the approaching light, Fan Xian meticulously shifted his footing in order to stay in the darkness.

He prayed that this palace girl would be like the one before and not discover him.

The two palace girls already passed the pillar, and Fan Xian was on the other side. Suddenly, they stopped. It appeared that one of them ranked higher than the other, as she was telling the other something. The lower-ranked girl replied sweetly and left, leaving only the older palace girl.

There was only the pillar between her and Fan Xian.

Suddenly, a cold gleam flashed in Fan Xian's eyes. He forcibly twisted his body to the side a few inches. It was this intuition in response to danger that saved him this time!

Where he originally stood, there was the tip of a sword protruding out of the wooden pillar!

Because the pillar was too big, the sword didn't protrude out too much. At a glance, its tip even looked a bit cute, as if warning Fan Xian it would bury itself in his vertebrae had he not moved.

Fan Xian coldly moved around the pillar like a pond loach. With extreme precision, he locked down on to the palace girl's left forearm. Unlike normal martial artists, he didn't care for her drawing her sword.

It was effective. With her surprise attack having failed, she was afraid this "assassin" would stop her from pulling out her sword, so she gathered all her zhenqi into her right arm, and her left arm's defenses weakened significantly.

With a noise like the ripping of paper, the palace girl pulled out her sword, ready to shout out!

Twisting his brows into a knot, Fan Xian poured his overpowering zhenqi into the palace girl's left arm! This palace girl would rank seventh in ability, but she had never encountered anyone with such strange zhenqi. She felt the pain of countless small knives slicing through her meridian and was forced to swallow her scream. Her throat could only utter out a weak cry.

Fan Xian recognized her at a glance. This palace girl was the one who greeted him into Guangxin Palace. She had long eyebrows; quite unforgettable.

The palace girl's brows quivered as she worked up her zhenqi for an all-out clash. But Fan Xian suddenly let go, causing her zhenqi to be released into the empty air. Due to being let go so suddenly, the girl lost her balance. The right side of her body was spent.

In that instant, she felt the right side of her neck turn numb. Then immediately, she felt her whole body stiffen slightly.

Fan Xian frowned, withdrawing his two fingers from the girl's neck. He knew the poison needle wasn't enough to silence her. He followed up with a palm strike just below the palace girl's ribcage.

There was a muffled noise as the palace girl's chest caved in. She fell over dead, bleeding from her eyes, mouth, ears, and nose.

Chapter 140: Who is the Assassin?

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

He didn't know whether the palace maid from before had gone to raise the alarm, or if the female fighting master who had died by his hand had been a distraction, but Fan Xian knew that this fight—although he had not allowed the female master to make a single sound—would have alerted the real masters of the palace, so he did not bother to deal with the body. With the tip of his foot on the paving stones, he made his whole body an arrow, and flew upward toward the palace wall as he had planned.

The wall was still very high, and Fan Xian was frustrated by his speed. Once he had climbed the wall with great difficulty, he heard a humming sound behind his head, as if the space behind him had begun to vibrate.

He turned his head, stunned, then saw a space in a distant corner of the palace walls where a commander was drawing a bowstring pointed at him.

An arrow flew through the night like a ravenous ghost, headed straight for his face!

In one breath, the arrow was on the horizon; one breath later, it was within range of his vision.

The arrow seemed fierce and confident. Fan Xian howled, the black cloth surrounding his face ripped to tatters by the sound. The unnamed and powerful zhenqi that he had quietly cultivated for 16 years wildly and ruthlessly rushed into his hands at this life-or-death moment.

Filling the air with his fists, he managed to strike the shaft of the arrow!

In an instant, the powerful zhenqi in his fists clashed violently with the formidable power of the arrow. The arrow shaft broke into dust, and the dangerous arrowhead glanced Fan Xian's hair as it whooshed past, puncturing the distant night sky!

A loud noise reverberated throughout the night sky of the palace, awaking the sleeping people inside. They were astonished, as if there had been a thunderclap within the palace walls.

The arrow had been too ferocious; there was no way it could have been launched by any ordinary person. After he had blocked it with his fists, Fan Xian's body had been emptied of zhenqi and sapped of his strength. He fell down the palace wall. His black clothing fluttered in the night breeze, and he looked thoroughly miserable.

Palace commander Yan Xiaoyi, in a distant corner of the palace walls, saw this murderer fall down along the wall and squinted. His face took on a valiant expression. "He isn't dead," he said coldly. "Capture him."

"Yes sir!" His subordinates followed his order and went.

Below the palace wall, Fan Xian, clad in black, fell powerlessly. He was about to smash face-first into the ground. He forced his body to twist, supporting himself on one knee, one foot and one hand, and hit the floor with a groan. The powerful impact made him spit up blood, moistening the remaining tatters of the black cloth. Soon after, with a low roar, he ran into the woods outside of the palace walls. Just one moment before the guards appeared, he disappeared into the dark city night.

The next day, in an unremarkable room beneath the palace grounds, Eunuch Hong seemed out of sorts. His eyes half-closed, he sat in his chair, with two officers also resting with their eyes closed, none of the men seemingly wishing to speak.

Some time later, vice commander Gong Dian, who had been resting at home the night before, spoke gently. "His majesty is shocked."

Yan Xiaoyi, the commander who had launched the arrow at Fan Xian the night before, slowly opened his eyes. "A lady-in-waiting of the Eldest Princess was killed last night," he said coldly. "She is very angry."

After the two men had spoken, Eunuch Hong finaly opened his eyes. "Last night I met with a plot to lure me away from the palace," he said, his voice sounding aged. "The Empress Dowager is very unhappy."

"Who was it?" asked Gong Dian. Of course, he knew in his heart that even if they had lured him away—whoever it was—they would not have escaped from the gaze of Eunuch Hong, a unique master who had a tiger's strength even in sickness.

"I do not know." Eunuch Hong smiled. "He appeared to only be of an intermediate ninth-level, but he was extremely familiar with the capital's buildings. On such a dark night, I was lured into the city and pursued him for a long time, but I finally lost track of him. He was... thoroughly remarkable."

To make Eunuch Hong say such a thing, that person must have been remarkable indeed.

Yan Xiaoyi was 35 years old, and at the peak of his strength. He was a commander of the palace guards, and was responsible for the security of the entire palace. He looked at Eunuch Hong coldly. "Where did you follow him to last, Eunuch?"

"An alleyway not far from the Dongyi diplomatic mission."

"Today's investigation has brought about a result," said Gong Dian. "Eunuch Hong's chopsticks tore through an assassin's clothing; after the Overwatch Council performed a comparison, they determined that it was Tianxiang satin."

Yan Xiaoyi closed his eyes to rest. Gong Dian continued to talk. "The Overwatch Council discovered a little while ago that the Dongyi emissaries ordered a set of clothing. Rather than using the name of the diplomatic mission, they found someone else to order it for them." "What are you saying, vice commander?" asked Eunuch Hong softly.

Gong Dian smiled. "If you were ordering clothes, why would you do it under someone else's name? It's obvious - because you were worried that someone might pick up your traces. Looking at the clues, the first time the assassin came, it must have been someone from the City of Dongyi. The only follower of Sigu Sword who could have ninth-level abilities is Yun Zhilan, who has been silent inside the capital over the past few days."

Yan Xiaoyi suddenly opened his eyes. "It isn't Yun Zhilan. If people from Dongyi had infilitrated the capital, why would he want to buy new clothes? Yun Zhilan is more the kind of person to beat someone senseless on the street and steal their clothing."

Eunuch Hong nodded. "Although that ninth-level hid his sword training, he was still using Sigu Sword's technique. So I am interested - if it was not Yun Zhilan, is it really possible that other people from Dongyi have come, and would dare to disobey Yun Zhilan's orders?"

"It's highly likely that they were shifting the blame onto somebody else." Gong Dian frowned as he listened to the two men speak. "It's too convenient. So it's possible that someone was trying to shift the blame onto Yun Zhilan."

"Who else in Dongyi could be following the teaching of Sigu Sword?"

"Including Yun Zhilan, there are three ninth-level fighters."

"So the other two are also under suspicion."

"Going back to the intruder who was shot down by the commander on the wall; I heard that the strength of the commander's arrow shocked the entire palace. It's a shame it did not kill him." By the tone of his voice, it seemed that Eunuch Hong had no particular fondness for the commander.

Yan Xiaoyi looked at the eunuch with contempt, but he knew of the deep and mysterious power that he held in the palace. He harrumphed. "The second assassin was also a ninth-level fighter. Although he was only at the lower ninth-level, if I could kill him with one arrow, then why would I not be a grandmaster?"

"Another ninth-level?" Gong Dian was astonished. He had been stuck around the upper eighth-level for most of his life, and had found it difficult to advance any further. Hearing that two ninth-level experts had infiltrated the palace the night before, he could not help but feel a number of complex emotions.

"There are only seven ninth-level fighters in all of the Kingdom of Qing, four of whom are within the capital. How can there be so many ninth-level experts in the whole world?" Eunuch Hong spoke coldly. Clearly he did not believe Commander Yan's judgement, and thought that he was evading responsibility.

This was what Gong Dian had feared the most. "His Majesty ordered me to conclude the case within ten days," he said quickly. "I'll be transferring someone from the Overwatch Council soon, and investigating the situation in all of the palaces. The first thing to clarify is why these people would take such a great risk to infilitrate the palace."

Yan Xiaoyi shook his head. "I don't know why the second person did it, but the first person definitely has links to Dongyi. So start at the Dongyi diplomatic mission and see why they really ordered those clothes. It'd be best if we can clarify the whereabouts of each item of clothing."

As they were arranging preparations for the investigation, a young eunuch hurriedly entered the room to announce a decree from the Emperor. The entire investigation was to be handed over to Ye Zhong, head of the city garrison; the palace guards were to carry on as before, and it was not to be made public. After the young eunuch left, the three men looked at each other.

Yan Xiaoyi slowly closed his eyes. He knew that the Emperor had begun to distrust one of the three of them. Eunuch Hong clasped his hands behind his back and walked out, his face peaceful.

Some days later, they had still failed to track down the assassin.

The Emperor's order had in fact helped Fan Xian, the real intruder, out of his predicament. There had been no great mistakes in the plan, but forcing Wu Zhu to wear the brown clothing, although he had thought it to be clever, had instead revealed something they wished to conceal.

Fan Xian had secretly investigated why Dongyi had bought Tianxiang satin; it was because the son of the ruler of Dongyi was fond of the classical style of clothing in the capital, and so they had ordered some. As for why it had been ordered under a different name, it was for a very simple reason - Dongyi was an intersection of all the merchants of the land. If news had broken that the ruler's son was fond of the fashions of those Qing barbarians to the south, he would perhaps have been thorouhgly condemned by some of the more audacious merchants.

Of course, Fan Xian had used several skills. Mainly, he did not believe that Wu Zhu could have completely imitated the swordplay of Sigu Sword; if he had known that Wu Zhu was capable of such strange steps, he would have used it to perfect his plan to frame someone else.

But the conclusion was fine. At least the palace still suspected the other two ninth-level experts in Dongyi; the Overwatch Council also began to investigate the whereabouts of the two intruders from that night.

No one could have linked it to Fan Xian, because on the night that the intruders came to the palace, all of the officials of the capital had seen him drink countless cups of wine as he composed his poems, making the master Zhuang Mohan of Northern Qi spit blood and curse that night. He had been so utterly drunk that he collapsed at the Emperor's feet.

This was a misconception in human thinking: not only did they presume that Fan Xian would have been unable to awake after drinking himself into a stupor; they believed that after having accomplished one shocking feat, there was no way he could have immediately performed another.

One cannot have a second climax after the first; there must always be a refractory period.

Chapter 141: Secrets of the Box (Part 1)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Safe and comfortable, Fan Xian lay down on his bed. His face was pale. He looked like a young man yet to recover from a hangover. Next to his bed was a copper basin, but it was clean because the vomit had already been washed out of it.

He had already dismissed Ruoruo from the room; a different servant-girl was looking after him. Fan Xian's pale face was not a pretense, and the vomit was not brought about by drugs - rather, the force of Yan Xiaoyi's arrow really had damaged his organs. His chest and stomach felt heavy, and it would probably be a number of days before he could fully recover.

Thinking of the arrow that had nearly taken his life, Fan Xian still could not help but feel fear. If he had not had a sudden eruption of zhenqi at that life-or-death moment that far outstripped his level, it was possible that he truly could have been killed by that arrow. The arrow still had so much power from so far away. It was truly hard to imagine. It seemed that that commander was a ninth-level fighter and that he could well have risen to the highest rank at any time.

In fact, at the moment that he had smashed the arrow with both hands, his hands had still moved with quite the same violent speed as the arrow, so he had only managed to smash its shaft. It was very dangerous, but it was also extremely fortunate that it had not left any marks on his hands. If they would be been seen by anyone, he did not know how he could have explained them away.

He had taken a great risk in going to Guangxin palace. On one hand, he wanted to see if he could discover anything; on the other hand, he did not want the people in the palace to think that anything might have happened to the key in Hanguang hall because Eunuch Hong had been led outside by Wu Zhu - this was the most important part.

His fingers rested lightly on his waist, slowly stroking that hard object. His heart was at peace: his luck was good, but would his fortune follow him forever? He decided that after this, he would no longer hide things in the secret compartment under his bed, and he would no longer mess about in the palace.

Over the days in which he pretended to be recovering from his heavy drinking, news of Fan Xian's "immortal poetic performance" had spread throughout the capital. Countless scholars and officials came to pay him a visit, but Count Sinan coldly blocked their passage, saying that his son was thoroughly exhausted and needed to rest.

But the visitors of higher and higher ranks began coming. Even some national figures and high-ranking generals came by. Just as Count Sinan was beginning to develop a headache, Fan Xian announced a decision via an intermediary that made the gathering crowds feel great regret and confusion.

Fan Xian would write poetry no more!

Many people still presumed that this was Fan Xian talking nonsense, and did not take it seriously. Only those who had some understanding of Fan Xian's nature, such as Prince Jing and the officials Ren and Xin, realized that this might be true. But as everything was still up in the air, they did not discuss it much.

The summer heat had already gradually dissipated in the capital. A squall of autumn rain was slowly floating across the city.

In fact, it had only been three days since he had entered the palace, but Fan Xian felt that those three days had been the slowest three days in both of his entire lives. The box was under his bed. The key was in his hand. There was nothing more enticing than this, but Fan Xian had still beared it for three days, like a child stealing snacks from the kitchen that his mother had forbidden him to eat, carefully hiding them in his wardrobe, and knowing that the snacks were in there. Then sleeping perfectly contented, looking at the wardrobe every day before going to sleep, but not really wanting to eat, until finally the snacks had gone rotten.

The box could not rot, but Fan Xian had still decided decided that he would open it in the evening.

The autumn rains fell softly outside his window, falling on the rear courtyard of Fan Manor, falling on the plants that were soon to be covered in autumn frost. Inside, Fan Xian had not lit any lamps. He knew that his eyes could see clearly enough in the darkness. He put the box on a table, and steadily inserted the key into the brass keyhole.

There was a clicking sound. The clamp on the front of the box sprang open and revealed a small black board. On the board were some strange square boxes. Pressing them softly, they sank down. Each check had a unique symbol on it; no one in this world could have recognized what the symbols were. Fan Xian laughed, but his smile was pained.

With a mixture of clear understanding and guesswork, he was finally comforted by the confirmation some time later.

He closed his eyes and could not help from laughing. This world was truly mad. So with his trembling fingers, he lit a clay pipe that Teng Zijing had given him as a present to pacify his mind.

This was the first time he had smoked in this world, and it tasted very fine. The white smoke rose in spirals in the dark room. The autumn rains fell gently on the lonely courtyard.

Fan Xian felt that he would never be alone again.

The people of this world could not have known what these small black boxes were, nor what the strange symbols on them were. But Fan Xian knew.

Because when he opened the box, he had revealed... a keyboard. It was a keyboard that he had been familiar with in his past life. The strange symbols were in fact the 26 letters of the Roman alphabet, as well as numbers, and the F5 key with which Fan Xian had been ever so familiar.

Seeing this thing before him, Fan Xian pondered about it for a long time. He had finally obtained the strongest proof that his birth mother, the woman known as Ye Qingmei, had come from the same place that he had. At that time, he did not consider the conversation between Zhuang Mohan and the Eldest Princess in Guangxin Palace regarding the Tianmai.

The light of his pipe flickered in the dark room. Fan Xian's facial expression had calmed, and his hands ever-so-softly stroked at the keyboard as he began to guess at what the password might be.

"It's a name." Wu Zhu, who had been by his side for who knew how long, stood in the corner of the room. Though his eyes were covered by a length of black cloth, his face, facing the box, revealed an emotion that one might have called sadness. "I remember that it's a name. The Lady said that it only had five strokes."

Fan Xian nodded calmly and began to type. He had not had contact with one of these things in sixteen years, after all; when he started, it inevitably felt a little strange. But after a few tries, that familiar feeling returned to his body, to his hands. His fingers struck the keyboard as if they were dancing.

But after a number of attempts, he suddenly laughed bitterly and raised his head. "What name exists that would only require five strokes to be written?"

As he said this, he realized what the issue was. He took two drags of the pipe, looked at the box in front of him, shook his head, and sighed. "Mom, you really are causing trouble. But the question is, did you really teach Wu Zhu the five-stroke method?" [1]

"Five strokes" did not refer to the strokes of a brush, but to the five-stroke computer input method.

"kfh.lca.nhd." Fan Xian typed in the first name - Ye Qingmei. There was no response. With disbelief, he typed in his own name in five-stroke: "aib.usi".

There was still no response from the box. He laughed bitterly. His own name had only been given to him many years later, how could Ye Qingmei have known it? Suddenly, he had a thought. With something that didn't look quite like a smile on his face, he looked at Wu Zhu in the corner of the room.

Wu Zhu seemed to have sense that something was odd, and cocked his head. "What are you doing?"

Fan Xian did not respond, and instead typed Wu Zhu's name in five-stroke: "gg.ttgh".

The box whirred, and then turned on. Fan Xian looked at Wu Zhu again and laughed. "Uncle, I suspect that you and my mother had some inappropriate secrets."

Fan Xian had taken the box from Danzhou to the capital; of course, he knew its weight, so he was not worried that it was hiding a hydrogen bomb. But after he had seen the box's contents clearly, until he had finally left the room, and somewhat foolishly walked through the rainy night, he still could not stop himself from shaking his head and wondering whether his mother really had any creativity to her at all.

The box was divided into three layers. Because it was limited by its shape, the objects that one could put into every layer had to be long and narrow. The first layer was divided into three sections of metal tools. In one section, they were tubular. In another they seemed suited to one's grasp. Fan Xian frowned as he looked at these metal implements. Although he had also come from that world, he still could not figure out what they were until he placed a finger inside one of the tubular ones.

He lifted it up in front of his eyes to take a proper look, and found that it had something written on it: "M82A1".

"Holy crap." Fan Xian's fingers trembled slightly. Although he wasn't a huge military nut in his previous life, he knew what those letters represented.

It was a sniper rifle. The world's best sniper rifle. If coupled with armor-piercing bullets, it could pierce through a thick wall from a kilometer away.

Fan Xian picked up the rifle barrel with his right hand. He couldn't stop his hand from trembling. He understood deeply what it meant to have a sniper rifle in his hand in a world that still used swords and arrows.

It meant that from this point on, from a long way away, he could kill anyone he wanted, and not have to worry about being discovered.

It meant that - whether it was the frightening arrows of that commander, or Yun Zhilan of the Dongyi diplomatic mission who seemed to have it out for him - if he so wished, he could kill his opponents many times over. But he didn't know whether it would be useful against the grandmasters.

Somewhat nervously, he gently arranged the three sections of the sniper rifle on the table. Having put his pipe to one side, he supported himself on the table with his hands and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. It seemed that he had all the necessary requirements to become some sort of demon.

Of course, the prerequisite was that he needed to have bullets.

Fan Xian looked dumbstruck at the second layer. Aside from a letter, there was nothing else. Not even a handful of bullets, like he had been expecting.

With no bullets, the sniper rifle was about as strong as an iron poker.

[1] The "wubi", or "five-stroke", method is a method of inputting Chinese characters on a keyboard

Chapter 142: Secrets of the Box (2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Where are the bullets?" Fan Xian was like a young girl who had just awoken from a wonderful dream to find herself still sleeping on a heap of firewood in the kitchen. He asked Wu Zhu, slightly angry.

Wu Zhu answered honestly, although his answer was odd to hear in this world: "What's a 'bullet'?"

Fan Xian couldn't do anything about that, so he described to Wu Zhu the size and shape of a bullet, and how it was used. He then asked hopefully, "Uncle, you've seen my mother use them, right?"

Wu Zhu shook his head. "Like I said, I've forgotten certain things." Just as Fan Xian was about to despair, Wu Zhu suddenly said, "But I do recall the thing you described. Back then I thought they were useless, so when I took you away, I left them in the cellar of Taiping Courtyard."

Fan Xian had been trained to have an extremely steady disposition, but after hearing that, he almost wanted to embrace that lovable blind man and give him a kiss.

There was a letter in the second compartment of the box. The box had an extremely tight seal. Fan Xian tapped the letter gently. There wasn't a single speck of dust on it.

"For Wu Zhu."

Fan Xian didn't know how to feel about the fact this box wasn't for himself, but for the person beside him. He forced a smile and handed the letter to Wu Zhu, seemingly forgetting that he was blind.

Wu Zhu refused and said coldly, "The Lady wrote it for me, so that you may listen. You can read it directly."

Fan Xian grinned and ripped open the envelop and started to read it aloud. After a few rows, he began to lose his seriousness. He had thought the box contained some godly legacy; how lacking in creativity. Just when he was starting to dislike his mother's methods, he came upon this letter, which made him realize that this woman named Ye Qingmei really was the type of person who looked down at the world.

Her writing wasn't the most graceful. It was far inferior to Ruoruo's, even somewhat crude. The tone was strange too, not to mention that the contents were disconnected and seemed to be written at different times.

"Cute little Zhuzhu [1]. Warmest greetings… Sister really likes you, and wanted to introduce you to a wife many times, but you're always cold as ice. I… Well, to put it nicely, I'm very angry. You went to that temple for a fight. I think you still won't win, and you are going to run back again like a beaten dog. So, here I am writing something to make fun of you."

Reading up to here, Fan Xian glanced at Wu Zhu. A grandmaster-level martial artist, there wasn't a dog's shadow on him. The letter continued:

"As for me? While you were gone, I slipped him an aphrodisiac and now I'm pregnant with his child. It's just that I don't know if I'll give birth to a dear daughter or a bastard son. This chest counts as my only legacy in this world. Old Mao once said that his life actually only influenced the outer border of Beijing. Remember. I said it too. I came to this world only to leave behind this chest."

Reading about the aphrodisiac and "bastard son" almost made Fan Xian fall out of his stool. It turned out that not only was his background extraordinary, but it was fateful as well. It was unfortunate that the letter didn't specify who his mother used the aphrodisiac on. This remained the greatest question on Fan Xian's mind.

The following were the words left behind by Fan Xian's mother, a woman named Ye Qingmei who shook the world:

"It's sad, isn't it? I'm sure that in this world – besides you – no one else can open this box. Why was I so kind to teach you the five-stroke method of typing? It's not like you'd be able to use it to do anything else. Cute little Zhuzhu, I really want to hug you to sleep. Come back quickly.

"I'm putting the box back where it was. You should know where. Ha, if you've opened the chest and read this letter, of course you know where it is. Looks like I've said something unnecessary again.

"I'm only curious: will I have a daughter or son? I hope a daughter. If it's a son, it will be his father's turn to have a headache. A man's ambition is too great. There's no telling what he might do.

"Fine, fine. My ambition is great too. I just want this world to become a more beautiful place. Can a girl's beautiful dream be called 'ambition'?

"Why do I feel like writing a will? To hell with this. This is way too ominous.

"Heh, who knows? Let's just pretend it's my will. Remember to not use that gun anymore. There's no point in cleaving an ant with a great sword. After reading this letter, destroy the chest. Don't let any irrelevant outsiders know about my glorious life. They don't deserve to know.

"I came, I saw, I played, I became rich, I killed royalty, I pulled the old emperor's beard, I lived gloriously under this world's sun. The only thing I've yet to do in this world is rule over it. How's that? My dear daughter, bastard son, I doubt you will be able to live as I did. It would be good if you can live a peaceful life.

"Hm… After I die, will I return to that world?

"Dad, Mom, I miss you very much.

"Little Zhuzhu, you don't understand what I'm saying. You don't know where I came from. I'm very lonely. Despite my interactions in this world, I'm still so lonely.

"I'm very lonely.

"I'm so very lonely.

Having finished reading the letter, Fan Xian was silent for a long time. Then he asked with a smile, "Mother did not belong to this world, do you still remember?"

Wu Zhu was slow to respond, "I think I remember a little."

"Mother said you went to fight someone at the temple. Was it that battle? Was it how you lost some of your memories?" Fan Xian slowly traced his hand on the edge of the box.

"Most likely."

"If you hadn't lost that part of your memory, you'd be the one opening this chest now. After you'd opened it, would you have told me everything?"

"No."

"Right." Fan Xian nodded. "I didn't think so either. Perhaps you would have found a small, unknown mountain village and raise me there." He smiled. "Maybe that life wouldn't be so bad."

He then sighed, shaking his head. "It's too bad that things cannot start over."

"Why aren't you curious about why I was able to open this chest?" Fan Xian teased Wu Zhu, wanting to see his surprised face when he realized that his Young Master also came from another world.

"Why should I be?" Wu Zhu was still as calm as ever. Suddenly, he realized Young Master was just as chatty as the Lady.

Fan Xian felt very stupid. He changed the topic. "Does her death involve the temple?"

"I do not know."

Fan Xian was silent for a while. He then checked the rest of the box. The last compartment was covered by a strip of paper. This last compartment wasn't too deep. He removed the strip and was shocked to see what was on it:

"Hey, if this is Wu Zhu, he'd have destroyed this chest as soon as he read the letter. You're still reading this. Fess up. Who are you? How did you open this chest?"

His mother was a sharp one. Fan Xian blanked for a moment and actually answered "I'm your son". Naturally, she wasn't going to hear him.

The strip was rather short, without much writing on it. There was one last warning:

"I suppose it's either my daughter or my son. Looking at what's below requires the cost of one life. Remember this!"

The exclamation mark was much exaggerated with a big circle for the bottom dot. As per his mother's final wishes, Fan Xian dared not ignore her warning. He obediently put the strip of paper back.

"I'm heading out for a walk." With that, Fan Xian left the room. Lowering his head, he departed into the rainy night. The chest would be safe with Wu Zhu, so he wasn't worried.

Only after Fan Xian's figure disappeared into the rainy scene did Wu Zhu walk out of his corner. He sat next to the table, a bit robotically. He touched the chest and the gun before resting his hand on the letter. His finger moved back and forth on the envelope, thinking about something.

With the sound of his finger brushing the paper, the light pitter patter of the rain could be heard outside.

The room was dark. Wu Zhu sat alone by the box. The blindfold on his face seemed to have softened somewhat as he made a gentle expression.

Fan Xian walked alone on the street, letting the rain wash over his face and drench his body. A smile appeared before quickly turning into a sorrowful expression, and finally into one of calmness. Right now, complex emotions were brewing inside him, conflicting with each other.

Ye Qingmei. This glorious name only entered his life today, entered his mind. He was currently realizing many things—where his mother came from, and the things that she did.

In Danzhou, his grandmother had told him that there used to be two likely successors to the Qing throne. But both individuals died under extremely absurd circumstances.

Having read the letter, Fan Xian understood that both successors died before mother's sniper rifle.

In other words, today's royal court was only able to come about and obtain so much power thanks to his mother. She built Qingyu Hall and the Overwatch Council to strengthen this nation and provided it with all of the basic necessities.

It could even be said that there would be no Qing without Ye Qingmei.

[1] Zhuzhu: Ye Qingmei's endearing nickname for Wu Zhu

Chapter 143: Clarity after Autumn Rain

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Fan Xian wandered the streets somewhat absent-mindedly. The rain drenched his shirt, chilling his body, yet his heart was burning hot. He was watching the streets of Qing; the carriages that traveled across them, some rich family's windows, the kaleidoscopes he often saw, the slippery soap… He was able to connect all of that in an instant.

It was as if his mother left her mark on all of it! On this street, in that room, under the heavens; that woman's presence seemed to be everywhere.

The last part of that letter read, "I am so very lonely."

Before today, Fan Xian felt that way too. But not anymore. He began laughing loudly. His laughter carried far away, waking up the people who had gone to sleep early on this rainy night.

Someone cursed at him.

He was still smiling.

In life, Ye Qingmei would never act like the little girl she was in that letter; of that Fan Xian was certain. His mother had a most adamant heart, which was the only reason she led such a glorious life in a totally strange world underneath a wholly unfamiliar sun.

This both familiar and unfamiliar Qing Kingdom, you owe Ye Qingmei so much.

The raindrops battered down on Fan Xian's face. Like some monster, he seemingly "merged" with the darkness of the night. Even if that box wouldn't provide his life with any significant aid, this sense of no longer feeling lonely allowed him to walk more and more freely in this world, in this rainy night.

Fan Xian trekked through the wind and rain alone. Suddenly, he chuckled. Since he wanted to live fully, why not live with style? Like he once told his younger sister: when looking back at everything, don't feel as though the world "discomfort" was written all over one's face.

Autumn wind and rain worry people. They worry them to death.

Infiltrating the palace at night couldn't be simply dismissed. As for the Commander of Defense Ye Zhong, who had never officially been on the stage, he received royal orders and began to investigate the matter. Despite being the Commander of Defense, in recent years he stayed in Dingzhou to the west. When he finally made it back to the capital, three days had already passed.

The ones in the palace were well aware why His Majesty would choose him. Firstly, the Ye household had always been favored by the emperor for their peerless loyalty. Only Director Chen received more trust from His Majesty. However, Chen Pingping's crippled body meant he could not take charge of the investigation. Secondly, the three individuals at the top were all suspects.

Ye Zhong also realized how complex this mess was. The head of the royal guards, Tan Xiaoyi, was uncovered by Eldest Princess years ago. He supposedly was the strongest martial artist in the palace. Vice commander Gong Dian was his disciple. And that reserved Eunuch Hong… Forget it. Not even Ye Zhong wished to deal with it.

Ye Zhong wasn't suspicious of those three at all. He was only intrigued—what was the goal of the second person who infiltrated the palace? Why would they kill one of Eldest Princess's palace girls?

The investigation was being carried out in the dark. Due to the Overwatch Council's spy being discovered in Northern Qi, His Majesty was enraged, and so having the Council's help now wouldn't actually be all that helpful. It was difficult to make any meaningful progress.

Some days later, after Ye Zhong had already carefully investigated several palaces, he came to Hanguang Hall. He caught the scent of a strange incense in the air which reminded him of that old venomous bag who was in His Majesty's tent during the northern campaign. Ye Zhong also remembered that the night the palace was infiltrated, Zhuang Mohan was also in Guangxin Palace. The information made him think too much. He felt the whole situation was stranger than strange.

He decided to immediately seek an audience with His Majesty to confess his incompetency and beg for forgiveness. With a face of shame, he prostrated himself on the ground.

"Are you unable to do it, or are you afraid to do it?" His Majesty's face kept a meaningful smile. The officials close to His Majesty occasionally wondered if it was some sort of trick. But Ye Zhong knew how much wisdom this emperor held and answered truthfully, "I am unable to investigate. I am also afraid to investigate. I really don't think I can handle matters involving the royalty."

"You are a member of the Ye household. Are you not afraid of me sentencing you for disloyalty, for unwillingness to serve public affairs?"

Ye Zhong dared not rise. "I do not dare to guess Your Majesty's intentions. I am stupid, and do not know where to begin my investigations."

"There is no longer the need to investigate. I'll deal with this accordingly." His Majesty's grin held a hint of dark coldness, but Ye Zhong, who was prostrating on the ground, could not see it.

...

On the other hand, Fan Xian, the real culprit, spent his days hiding in the manor. After his poetic show the other day, things like drinking tea at Taichang Temple or observing Honglu Temple became a luxury.

The negotiations were finished. Northern Qi's envoy already left the capital. Dongyi's envoy would be staying around for a bit longer.

After everything had truly died down, Dongyi left behind a large amount of silver before reluctantly leaving the capital. They didn't know that it was purely due to His Majesty's generosity that they hadn't all been imprisoned after the night infiltration of the palace.

Fan Xian had truly become someone who shook the capital through and through. No longer did people only watch out for the powers standing behind him, but rather he himself became the center of attention. After all, he was the only one who made the great Zhuang Mohan throw up blood, and he had done this at such a young age.

As if planned, both the eldest and second princes multiplied their efforts in trying to win Fan Xian over to their side. Li Hongcheng often came over for tea. Xin Shaoqing also came to visit.

But Fan Xian still had a lot of things to do, so he suspended contact with both of them for the moment. So far, he'd only accomplished two things: he found the key and he framed that Yun Zhilan from Dongyi. The pressure from the imperial court and that ninth-ranked master made him leave the capital without his will to live or a guarantee of his own safety.

Fan Xian had been waiting for a chance after discovering Eldest Princess's conspiracy with Northern Qi.

Two days after the Dongyi diplomatic mission left the capital, that chance arrived.

Fan Xian had no solid proof of Eldest Princess's treachery, and therefore he could not tell anyone about it, nor could he use it to take action against the princess. He always had a complex opinion of the emperor. Besides, if he told His Majesty, it wouldn't be entirely impossible that His Majesty would kill him to preserve the dignity of the royal family.

Had it been a regular citizen of Qing, they would keep a secret like this deep in their heart, carrying it to the grave.

But Fan Xian was no regular citizen. With two lives' worth of memories and knowledge, he knew the importance and the lethality of propaganda. He also knew that in order to deal with a crazy princess, he should use even crazier methods.

After the evening feast, the paper industry and related businesses of the palace treasury had all been monopolized. While nothing had affected Danbo Bookstore so far, it was only because Eldest Princess couldn't mobilize the Eighth Bureau. Fan Xian knew this was the calm before the storm.

Therefore, before the storm landed, he had to strike first.

That night, Wu Zhu stood in the corner and listened to Fan Xian. Ever since opening that chest, Wu Zhu had been visiting the Fan manor more often, as if he was concerned for Fan Xian's safety. Fan Xian spoke as he thought: "If it's to leave behind no trace, then use the gun for everything."

Wu Zhu tilted his body, showing that he understood.

Fan Xian continued, "For the past few days, the ones trying to press down on Danbo Bookstore were those from Xishan Papermill and Wansong Hall from the palace treasury. With that established, we are going to take the paper, and use Wansong Hall's ink. Only… Can anybody recognize your handwriting?"

Wu Zhu said coldly, "Don't worry about it."

Fan Xian knew his almost uselessly absurd plan was bound to work. He grinned. "Make pamphlets. There's no need to make them too big." He gestured the size with his hands. "It's more important to make sure there's a lot of them. Spread them everywhere, especially in the imperial college and other academies. The students are all hot-blooded young men; they're very easily manipulated. As for the scholars of Wenyuan Institute, they like to flaunt their characters. I think they'll get angry after seeing the pamphlets."

Wu Zhu asked coldly, "And the contents of these pamphlets?"

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and sighed to himself, "I'm like an undercover Communist Party member."

He started to describe the contents in great detail, paying much attention on how to make the pamphlets persuasive. They had to contain both truths and lies, such as how Eldest Princess spoke to Zhuang Mohan, how much Yan Bingyun suffered undercover in Northern Qi, only to be abandoned by the palace, how Eldest Princess was harming the nation for her own benefits, exactly what benefits she gained, how many fake eunuchs were in the palace, how many old lovers were outside the palace…

Wu Zhu analyzed everything calmly. "No one would believe the princess is sacrificing so much just for some monetary gain."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows again, "Not many people in this world are as smart as you. As long as the commoners believe it, all is well. As for the emperor, this counts as a reminder."

Wu Zhu said coldly, "The emperor doesn't need your reminder."

Chapter 144: Leaflets Like Snow

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Fan Xian smiled. If the eldest princess, who was living in the palace, was in contact with Northern Qi, and the countless informants under the Emperor's hand were unaware, it was absolutely inexcusable. "I don't understand why he still allows the eldest princess to live in the palace rather than sending her to another fiefdom."

"The eldest princess is the Empress Dowager's most beloved daughter. She is his sister, and he does not need to fear anything."

"How do you suppose the Emperor will react to this?" Fan Xian had great trust in Wu Zhu's powers of analysis.

"The Overwatch Council would be immediately dispatched, eliminating the influence that you have singlehandedly built up, greatly rewarding the eldest princess in order to prove the unity of the royal family. After matters have quieted, they would find an opportune moment to allow the eldest princess to return to the fiefdom of Xinyang." Wu Zhu spoke coldly. "When rewarding the eldest princess, they should be able to conveniently reward the Princess Chen, simultaneously raising your status."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly, knowing the facts of his response, but listening to them as if they were a corny joke.

"Why does the Emperor not use this simple method to force the eldest princess out of the palace? As you say, he already knew that the eldest princess was colluding with Northern Qi."

"First, this method is very unusual. Second, he doesn't need to force his sister to leave the palace. He prefers to let those in hiding reveal themselves, and then destroy the network. He is very accustomed to such an approach."

Fan Xian could tell that Wu Zhu sincerely believed in the power of the Emperor. His frown grew deeper. Although the Emperor's family were heartless scoundrels, when comparing the two, it was clear that the Emperor, who he had met twice, was kinder than the eldest princess, so Fan Xian had unthinkingly begun to worry about the treason that could occur after some years' time.

"So what we are doing is tantamount to pacifying the situation in the palace? The eldest princess will likely still have companions in the palace."

"I will check," said Wu Zhu coldly.

Fan Xian thought for a moment, deciding on a plan of action. He laughed bitterly. "I have to think of a way to get the eldest princess far away from the royal court for a time. Otherwise His Majesty will have no way to smash the network of his enemies. I'll become a ghost among the enemy's ranks. His Majesty is courageous to wait, and is strong in waiting for the enemy to make the first move; we can't."

If a power willing to collaborate with a foreign country plunged into madness to deal with Fan Xian, Fan Xian could only flee behind Wu Zhu. Although Fan Xian had wished to travel the world, this wasn't how he had wanted to do it.

"I will go."

"Go." Fan Xian waved his right arm, feeling as if he had the imposing manner of a youthful student leader.

He had watched a number of movies about the war against Japan in his previous life. He felt that in the darkness at that moment, the Kingdom of Qing felt much like the city of Beijing, then called Beiping, when it was occupied by the Japanese army. He and Wu Zhu were those students who had dared to resist the invaders, carefully distributing leaflets at night, calling on the people of the Kingdom of Qing to rise up against their shameless oppressors.

He smiled as he lay back down on the bed. The box was stashed beneath the bed, and he was not worried in the slightest. After Wu Zhu had lost his memories, he had been the only one in the world who could open the box.

After he had fallen asleep, he had a wonderful dream where snow fell on the capital in early autumn. The eldest princess shyly stepped into a carriage, resentfully turning her head to look at the imperial palace, then leaving her world behind.

In September in the capital, a great snow truly did fall. Heaven and earth were elegantly covered like a field of flowers across every part of the city, particularly near the Imperial College and the Pavilion of the Imperial Library, which were covered. As dawn gently broke, scholars and commoners alike picked up the strange papers, and were greatly shocked when reading them.

This was the first time that a war of pamphlets had arisen in the land of the Kingdom of Qing.

However, Fan Xian had overestimated the passion of the people of Qing, and understimated the control of the Overatch Council and the six ministries. Within four hours, the leaflets that had covered the entire capital found their way to the square office on Tianhe Avenue.

No one dared hold onto a leaflet for themselves. Although the commoners rarely had any contact with the Overwatch Council, they were all terrified of its vicious reputation, and no one wanted to gamble their lives or those of their families.

The Imperial College reacted with lightning speed, asking for a decree to be made the same day, and beginning the autumn term exams ahead of schedule.

All kinds of measures were taken in the space of half a day, one after another, until the situation was finally under control. But rumor does not need wings to fly, nor air to breathe. Throughout the streets and alleyways of the capital, when people saw each other, the glances they gave no longer suggested the usual greeting of "Have you eaten," and instead asked, "Have you seen it?"

The eldest princess's reputation within the capital had never been great. After all, she was in her thirties and never married, which was quite unusual.

So although the common people did not necessarily completely believe the accusations in the leaflet that she had collaborated with a foreign power, they still believed that they were not entirely without cause. The logic of the old women in the streets was even simpler: an unmarried woman of her age was not to be trusted.

The first time that the palace confronted this situation, they were inevitably nervous. Although the Overwatch Council took capable measures, the palace was still anxious and uneasy. Palace maids and eunuchs trodded lightly. They heard that the Emperor had flown into a rage in his study and that the Empress Dowager had gone into Guangxin Palace, where the eldest princess had cried for a long time after being slapped in the face.

In the rooms of the Overwatch Council, there was a deep and awkward silence. The heads of the eight bureaus all looked at their leader, Chen Pingping, as he sat in his wheelchair, pulling at his beard, looking at the leaflet, and chuckling strangely.

Master Chen could laugh, but his subordinates did not dare to. Everyone knew what was written upon the leaflet.

"Tell me, what truth is there to what is on this paper?" Chen Pingping finally suppressed the happiness in his heart and looked at his subordinates.

The head of the eighth bureau naturally bore the brunt of it. All the literary products in the capital were a responsibility of his and of the relevant officials in the Ministry of Education. The events that had transpired in the capital that day had frightened him, and so he was unable to respond to the Director's question. "The paper came from the Xishan paper store, which is the responsibility of the royal purse," he reported hurriedly. "The ink is from Wansong Hall; that family has no powerful backers."

Chen Pingping looked at him and frowned. "I asked whether there was any truth to it," he reprimanded, "not who wrote it."

The head of the eighth bureau wiped the sweat from his brow. "Slander of the princess, lies about national affairs, and inciting quarrels," he replied carefully. "Of course there is no truth to it."

Chen Pingping smiled, but his smile was cold. The window was still covered by a length of black cloth, so the area where his wheelchair was appeared somewhat chilly. "Is it all false?"

The leaflet spoke of secret agreements between the eldest princess and Northern Qi, and how she had given the Qing spymaster Yan Bingyun to Northern Qi on a silver platter. Yan Ruohai, head of the fourth bureau, frowned. "The matter with Yan Bingyun was definitely a result of a leak from someone inside the court, and that someone was of high-rank. But if it were the eldest princess, I can't understand what benefit she would get out of it."

"This leaflet says that over the past few nights, Zhuang Mohan has secretly met with the eldest princess in Guangxin Palace," said Chen Pingping, feigning disinterest.

Yan Ruohai shook his head. "Master Zhuang was invited to stay at the palace by the Empress Dowager; we cannot take this as proof."

Chen Pingping looked at him with admiration. "Bingyun has been taken prisoner in the north, but you still continue to analyze matters dispassionately. Commendable." He suddenly lowered his voice. "But... we should not neglect our suspicions. Do not forget that we are loyal to His Majesty and to the royal family, but we did not vow loyalty to any single other person within the royal household."

He looked calmly at the person sitting at the back. That person was the head of the first bureau of the Overwatch Council, Zhu Ge. He was especially responsible for monitoring officials within the palace, and was the bureau head with the greatest power within the Overwatch Council.

Zhu Ge nodded and frowned. "People who are aware of the matter involving Yan Bingyun include both myself and Section Chief Yan. There are five people total. If the eldest princess is connected to this matter, then how did she get hold of the information?"

Chen Pingping was still looking at him calmly. The other seven officials in the room began to feel a strange atmosphere building up around them.

After a long moment of silence, Zhu Ge was still calm. He occasionally frowned, seemingly pondering whether the leaflet was true, and if so, where the eldest princess had gotten hold of the information. But the eight section chiefs sitting next to him could clearly see the sweat pouring down his temples.

Chen Pingping continued to gaze calmly at him.

Zhu Ge frowned, then suddenly spoke. "Sir, why do you suspect me?"

Waiting for him to open his mouth, Chen Pingping slowly closed his eyes and spoke quietly. "Because you're stupid."

"Why not Yan Ruohai? There's no shortage of people selling out their children in exchange for glory." From the moment that Zhu Ge had learned of Yan Bingyun's capture, he knew something was going to happen to him. He laughed bitterly and looked at Yan Ruohai.

"You are a section chief, and Fei Jie is old. If I were to step down, then you would be the one in charge of this organization." Chen Pingping closed his eyes and spoke calmly. "Unfortunately, you knew that I had other arrangements, so you were unhappy. The other side would allow you to one day take control of the Overwatch Council... His Majesty has been interested in this matter for some time, but I never thought that the snowflakes of paper that fell this morning would bring everything out into the open much earlier than planned."Chen Pingping spoke gently. "So we must deal with it earlier than planned."

"Thank you for your assistance, sir." Zhu Ge knew that if His Majesty dealt with the matter personally, he would be greeted with a tragic result. He cleared his throat and took a deep and difficult breath.

Chapter 145: Doing the Math

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Chen Pingping looked at him without even a trace of pity. "You have followed me for 20 years. Before you die, I shall give you the chance to say your last words."

The head of the First Bureau's face went pale before returning to a tranquil smile. He looked at the master who had promoted him from a common functionary to the third-highest man in the Council, and spoke with sincerity. "Don't believe women. They're all mad. They're not suited to politics."

Having said this, he patted the top of his head. With a clunk, his body immediately crumpled, and he slumped over on the wooden desk, no longer breathing.

His words were sincere. Even if the eldest princess and Zhuang Mohan's nightly conversations had not been deliberately listened in on by Fan Xian, one could tell from Chen Pingping's expression that the eldest princess had been the under the Council's observation. From the moment that the eldest princess had made the insane decision to sell out Yan Bingyun, Zhu Ge's days as head of the First Bureau were numbered.

His corpse was dragged away. Of course, there would be a follow-up operation in accordance with relevant regulations. Chen Pingping looked at the paper before him and shook his head. "Continuing the analysis, who would be mad enough to bring everything out into the open like this?"

He was capable of being impervious to desires and passions, but when the seven other bureau heads saw the man they had worked with for decades come to such a tragic end, they could not help but feel somewhat emotional. A moment later, they recovered and responded. "The diplomatic mission from Dongyi finally left the day before yesterday," said one of them. "I see today's incident as being connected to the City of Dongyi in some way."

"Very good. The investigation at the palace found that the assassins who entered the palace on the night His Majesty entertained emissaries from both countries at a banquet were definitely connected to Dongyi in some way."

"And on that night, an assassin was discovered in Guangxin Palace. They killed one of the eldest princess's maids. I reckon that at that time, they also overheard the conversation between the eldest princess and Zhuang Mohan."

"The reason Dongyi is spreading rumors, is because, first of all, they hope to provoke chaos within the royal court. After all, there hasn't been an effective agreement between the two countries as there was with Northern Qi, so Dongyi fears that the palace will dispatch troops."

"And once this matter is uncovered, His Majesty will be shocked, and might tear up the agreement with Northern Qi, reigniting war between the two nations. Dongyi has always fallen between the cracks, and presumably would be happy to see such a situation."

"Whether you look at it in terms of motive or as a final result, Dongyi is the most likely perpetrator, and the one who would stand to gain most from this matter."

"The only problem is, the paper was only taken from the Xishan paper store last night. If Dongyi can write this many copies in one night--and we are monitoring most of their people hidden within the capital--we need to know about those who are not under our control. There shouldn't be too many of them." Yan Ruohai continued his analysis. "To do all of this in one night would require at least 40 trained men."

Hearing his subordinates' meticulous analysis, Chen Pingping smiled. He said nothing. The room went quiet.

After a while, a voice suddenly spoke. "So what about the prisoner swap agreement?"

"Continue with it," said Chen Pingping calmly.

"Master, you lost both your legs to capture Xiao En. Returning him purely as a result of the eldest princess's betrayal is a decision that we, as your subordinates, are uncomfortable following.

"Uncomfortable? How would you suggest we recover Yan Bingyun?" Chen Pingping laughed grimly. "Someone must be exchanged. We can deliver Xiao En into the hands of Northern Qi alive, but we can only allow him to see the sky above Shangjing, the capital of Northern Qi."

The bureau chiefs knew that the Director had already made his decision. They nodded humbly. They didn't want to give Xiao En to Northern Qi, no matter what. The old man was the former spymaster of Northern Wei. Who knew how many Qing spies he had killed. And even today, his scheming mind could pose a great threat to the Kingdom of Qing. If the person captured by Northern Qi had not been the son of Yan Ruohai of the Fourth Bureau, these unfeeling spymasters of Qing would undoubtedly have followed their Director's order and urged the Emperor to sacrifice the unfortunate captive's life for the sake of the nation.

Yan Ruohai also knew this, and so he was deeply grateful to the Director. Suddenly, he spoke. "What of the eldest princess?"

"We are loyal to His Majesty, and His Majesty has not said anything; we won't act on what we don't know. Chen Pingping had made his final judgment.

"Shall we capture the emissaries from Northern Qi and bring them back?"

"What would bringing them back do? Concede that the royal court has lost face? I'll leave this matter in the hands of the Eighth Bureau. Say some remaining elements of the former nation of Yue to the south who are still unwilling to concede defeat are spreading rumors within the capital and have already been captured entirely. We will take a couple of prisoners to the market and execute them. Before we do, make sure the common people of the city are there to witness the spectacle." Chen Pingping spoke coldly.

The gathered chiefs departed, following their orders to counteract the rumors and arrest people. Only Yan Ruohai was left behind. He looked at the Director and spoke calmly. "There is no poison in the world that would allow Xiao En to survive the journey only to die before the lords of Northern Qi."

"What is your point?" asked Chen Pingping.

Yan Ruohai frowned. "I know my son. He would not agree with His Majesty's methods. I think he would happily trade his life for Xiao En."

Chen Pingping looked at him coldly. "You should avoid arousing suspicion in this matter. Do not get involved, and do not discuss it. As for how it is done, that is my business. You are correct, there is no poison that could miraculously bring about such a situation. Even if Master Fei were here in the capital, he could not achieve it. But Xiao En must die, and Yan Bingyun must return."

He smiled. "Do not forget, it was I who sent your son to the north four and a half years ago."

Yan Ruohai was about to say something, but Chen Pingping stopped him with a wave of his hand. "I was going to wait for Bingyun's return before I promoted you to Zhu Ge's place. Zhu Ge could have lived a few days longer, but with these leaflets flying all over the capital, and the city in uproar, I want to make it clear to you."

Chen Pingping sighed. "Something that was hidden in the shadows has suddenly become known by everyone in the capital. Such a preposterous yet effective method will probably also force His Majesty to make things clear to the officials who are aware of this matter."

Chen Pingping cleared his throat. "You should know, there is now a commissioner within the council, and as I told you once before, I am preparing to send him to Northern Qi."

Yan Ruohai frowned. "It is very dangerous." He understood that the Director wanted to give this commissioner the task of killing Xiao En.

"One cannot make a sword without striking the iron." Chen Pingping's eyes seemed somewhat tired. "If he is successful, I hope that one day, you can help him run the Council properly."

Yan Ruohai finally understood. He was secretly rather surprised, but he did not dare say anything. Crouched in front of Chen Pingping's wheelchair, he nodded sincerely.

"So who did it?" Chen Pingping pushed his wheelchair to the window, his sallow fingers lifting up a corner of the black cloth, furtively peeking his head out to look, like a child. The days of uninterrupted autumn rain had already finished the day before yesterday, and it was a bright, sunny day outside. There was a golden glint on the imperial palace in the distance.

He leant on one side of his wheelchair, using the light that peeked through the black cloth to look at the paper in his hand. He could not help but shake his head. "Regardless of whether or not she collaborated with Northern Qi, was there really any need to say that she kept three thousand gigolos inside the palace for promiscuity?" This issue regarding the reputation of the royal family was rather inconvenient to bring up in their previous discussions. Chen Pingping looked at the lettering on the leaflet, as straight and neat as matchsticks, and laughed. "It really is causing trouble. Shameful... but, the penmanship really does look like it was written by that idiot from the city of Dongyi."

"Dongyi, Dongyi... is it really you?" As he muttered to himself, a smile floated across his face. "Sigu Sword was an idiot, but he wasn't mad. In dealing with that madwoman the eldest princess, this method could actually be quite effective. If you smash porcelain to pieces, no one can tell the pieces apart. But if you break His Majesty's rules, His Majesty may not be happy.

Whether it was the calculating Chen Pingping, or the secretive and crazed eldest princess, neither could have imagined that such a great matter was caused by the work of just two people, a master and his servant.

Fan Xian watched the aftermath of the affair calmly, even was even detached. His dictation of erotic literature was seemingly something that this nation could not bear. No matter how the Emperor genuinely felt deep down, he did not care what damage he might have done to the eldest princess's true power. But what he had wanted to happen had finally come to pass.

The eldest princess had left the palace in absolute silence, returning to her fiefdom of Xinyang. As for the conflicts and struggles that this affair had brought about within the palace, Fan Xian was unconcerned.

Just as Wu Zhu had calculated, His Majesty had bestowed titles without restraint. At the same time, Fan Xian had benefited. Although on the surface it had nothing to do with him, it seemed that His Majesty was praising him for his services to the ruling dynasty.

By imperial decree, Fan Xian immediately changed from an eighth level academic to a fifth-level administrator of the Imperial College.

In the reception pavilion, Fan Xian held the imperial decree in his hands, racking his brains. "What does an academic of the Imperial College do?" he asked his father.

"Teaches the students of the Imperial College." Count Sinan also felt that this decree was excessively unfathomable. He shook his head. "You don't have an official certificate of examination; how can you be an academic of the Imperial College?"

"Does that mean I don't have to take the imperial examinations next year?"

"That's right." Count Sinan seemed unhappy. He spoke unenthusiastically. "Not taking the imperial examinations is not the right way. Right now, it may seem extremely convenient, but in the future, it will be a hindrance to your official career." But he thought it over. Did the demand not mean peace for the whole of Fan Manor that this handsome young man could comfortably live out his days?

That was his thinking. Otherwise he would not have named the child "Xian", meaning "leisure", or his courtesy name "Anzhi", which meant "peaceful".

Once he heard that he would not have to sit the imperial exams, Fan Xian was overjoyed, and with a huge grin on his face he returned to the study. Fan Sizhe was already waiting there, grinding an inkstick while he looked at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Making an inscription."

"For what?"

"The Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology."

Chapter 146: Poetry Anthologies and Speeches

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"What's a Banxianzhai?"

"That's what this study is. Father said that he'll leave this study to you; you can discuss if after you're married. I already got Qiye the shopkeeper to go to Laohengju and order a stone tablet for the inscription. The name is going to be Banxianzhai."

Fan Xian felt something wasn't right. "So what's the Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology?" he felt compelled to ask.

"Huh? It's the poems you recited in the palace hall the other day. It's already been compiled into a collection by the Imperial College. His Majesty is making preparations for it to be printed under the name of the Imperial Library. I was the one who asked father to get it done."

After the Xishan Paper Store had been robbed, the imperial merchants had been removed from their posts and investigated. They were still yet to return to their former power, and furthermore, the inner treasury had been warned by the palace not to target the Danbo Bookstore again. Danbo Bookstore was slowly regaining its momentum. Naturally, wanting to prepare for its great expansion, Qiye the shopkeeper and Sizhe had fixed their sights on this poetry anthology mandated by the Emperor. Part of the money was taken by the palace, and the palace gave permission for private individuals to sell it after it was printed; this was the source of the money.

Who were the poems written by? Fan Xian. Who was Fan Xian? The behind-the-scenes proprietor of the Danbo Bookstore. This moneymaking business, whether it was Qiye the shopkeeper of Qingyu Hall, or Fan Sizhe standing behind the shopkeeper with an evil laugh, could not be allowed to benefit the royal court. Fan Sizhe had been thoroughly annoyed by his brother's unwillingness to come up with the next ten chapters of Story of the Stone. Now that he had come up with this poetry anthology, he was willing to let that slide.

Fan Xian wrote his signature below the words "Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology" on the paper, laughing bitterly to himself. That evening, in order to provide cover for his whereabouts later that night, he had feigned drunkenness in the hall. As a result, he had fallen into a wild state, not holding his tongue for a moment. Within these poems were countless unexplained references to the classics; if he wanted to explain these references, he would have to write countless history books and stories.

Could you write the Four Classic Novels? A New Account of the Tales of the World? The Analects of Confucius? The Book of Songs? Don't think that that's too quaint. Could you compose A Mirror for the Wise Ruler out of thin air? Or Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian? Nobody would have the faintest idea of how to write them all.

Thinking of such a volume of work made Fan Xian quiver with fear. If it really were to extend that far, perhaps Danbo Bookstore would really become a disseminator of all of the culture of his previous world, as had been his dream in Danzhou long ago. "The Imperial Library's proofreading won't do," he said. "You must get it back. I need to re-edit it all. I was so drunk that day. Who knows what nonsense I might have been talking."

He laid down his plan. If he could deceive them, then he would, but it really wouldn't do. He could reluctantly make a loss, using drunkenness as an excuse to totally delete it all. Anyway, people often suffered from amnesia after a night of heavy drinking.

"This is out of print." Fan Sizhe shook his head. "As I see it, wait five years. You say you won't write any more poems. If you come out of retirement in the poetry world, I reckon it'll make quite a bit of money."

Fan Xian laughed and shook his head. His gaze suddenly fell on a sheet of pink paper from the bookstore. "What is that?" He asked curiously.

"A list of gifts," replied Fan Sizhe.

Fan Xian was slightly surprised, and finally thought of his own upcoming wedding. But so much had happened recently, not to mention the fact that his frame of mind had changed slightly from what it was that first time at the Temple of Qing. He could no longer get along with her mother. The current Emperor still could still keep a handle on things. Once the Emperor no longer wanted to control keep things under control, the eldest princess would definitely kill him.

Or he would definitely kill her.

He had been looking forward to his marriage for a long time, but Fan Xian could not feel a little restless and aggrieved.

Over the next few days, the Danbo Bookstore brought out the Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology. This time, Danbo Bookstore had the printing rights, and Fan Xian had personally made bold and sweeping changes to the text. He felt somewhat more at ease. To his surprise, the bookstore held a ceremony, using Fan Xian's name to invite people such as Crown Prince Jing and Xin Qiwu of Honglu Temple.

Fan Xian was rather shocked, and was only willing to allow his talented sister Fan Ruoruo to show her face in public and act as his spokesperson. As the bustling sale began, he used the excuse that he wanted to maintain an air of poetic mystery, and hid in the pavilion at the palace to flirt with Lin Wan'er.

An eighth-level functionary had composed one-hundred poems on the spot, shocking the master Zhuang Mohan so badly that he had spat blood and fled: this story had already spread throughout the Kingdom of Qing. Although some of the poems had already spread among the masses, this self-edited version of the poetry anthology was naturally an uncommon thing. Sure enough, as the poetry anthology spread outside of the capital, Fan Xian's reputation grew and grew.

By the pavilion, autumn winds blew in the night. Fan Xian looked kindly at his fiancée and smiled. "The method you mentioned wouldn't be of any use."

Lin Wan'er looked miserable, and pouted her lips adorably. "I haven't been outside for days."

In truth, the young woman also knew of the business that had gone on in the capital over the past few days. Although she had grown up inside the palace, the concubines all had her in the palm of their hands. A part of it was due to her own sickness and gentleness, and she could not harm them. Another was because His Majesty seemed to love her so dearly.

Naturally, she had not read the "essay" on the eldest princess, but she had gradually heard some of the rumors. After, but before the eldest princess had left the capital for Xinyang, she had come to the pavilion, and mother and daughter had sat facing each other, somewhat like strangers; it was then that the eldest princess got in her carriage and left the capital.

Although Lin Wan'er didn't know how Fan Xian was connected her mother's departure, being the sensitive person she was, she still felt that Fan Xian's mood was not as relaxed and carefree as it had been in the past, so she suggested that they find a day to go out again and appreciate the autumn scenery. The red leaves of Xishan, the mountains to the west of the capital, were well known.

But hearing the word 'Xishan' reminded Fan Xian of the paper workshop than had monopolized all the paper in the capital. He thought of the eldest princess seemingly observing him from the behind the paper workshop with seeming malice and timidity

Fan Xian knew that the eldest princess's departure from the capital was a result of the Emperor's power. His own "speech paper" had only given the Emperor a reason to convince himself and the Empress Dowager, nothing more.

To explain things, all levels of Qing society had named the leaflets that covered the capital like snow that day "speech-papers" at that time, because they thought it was a method that the common people used to get their grievances addressed after they exhausted all other options.

Over those days, there was a sudden vogue for such "speech-papers", which had worried the Overwatch Council. Once someone had been arrested, they discovered that it had originally been a forced laborer at a copper mine, who had come to Taiyuan Road to present a grievance to the Emperor, but had been unable to enter the palace, and so had learnt to do it this way.

The Overwatch Council followed the thread, and finally discovered that the ones supplying these struggling types with paper had been the Xishan Paper Workshop!

But the people helping the laborers to write their complaints could not be found out. They could only track down the flexible and sleek handwriting to a fortune teller who had been outside the Temple of Qing. But when the Overwatch Council came to search the Temple of Qing, they discovered that there were no fortune tellers there - save for the temple attendants who had never left the temple once in all their lives.

The business with the copper mine was naturally given to a bureau to sort out, and they quickly discovered a group of officials from Taiyuan Road and arrested them as they made their way back to the capital. A month later, they were beheaded. The royal court could not bear this movement of speech-paper-writing, and reinforced the supervision of paper. But Director Chen of the Overwatch Council had not punished the copper mine laborers, and in the eyes of the bureaucracy, he seemed to have gone soft.

He came to his senses, looking at the worried Wan'er, came up to her, smiling, and softly caressed her smooth chin. "What are you thinking about?" he asked gently. "The eldest princess has returned to Xinyang. When we have the chance after we're married, naturally, we should visit her."

This, naturally, was a lie; Fan Xian hoped that he never had to go to Xinyang in his life, and hoped that the eldest princess would die there. Of course, he also knew that he had not truly dealt a shocking blow to the power of the eldest princess and her mysterious partner. The Emperor enjoyed playing cat and mouse - with his enemies; the eldest princess would return one day.

Lin Wan'er smiled reluctantly. "We'll see. Yesterday I entered the palace. You know that with the recent events in the capital, the concubines are still well, but the Empress Dowager does not seem comfortable. His Majesty has also not been as friendly to me as he was before."

Fan Xian sighed. The Emperor was worried about who the prince that her mother had been colluding with was. How could he have been as he was in the past?

The two exchanged some more idle chat before they suddenly heard what sounded like a lady-in-waiting making her way up the stairs. In a conditioned reflex, Fan Xian leapt up and climbed out onto the edge of the window, preparing to jump off. Lin Wan'er giggled. "That's still a habit of yours?"

Fan Xian smiled, somewhat embarrassed. Looking at Wan'er's pale face, he could feel his heart soften. He went up to her and hugged her tight. "Don't tire yourself out before the wedding," he said quietly. "And when it comes to your illness, don't be afraid. Leave it all to me. I'll be here for you."

The green branches outside the window had kept their lively colors in the stubborn autumn winds, trying to prove that despite their bleak surroundings, that they were still beautiful.

At a bend in the staircase, the servant girl Siqi watched the mistress and her young man, and couldn't help but stick her tongue out. She knew that the young man of the Fan family was a gifted scholar, but he was still shameless.

The wedding was at hand, and all of Fan Manor was in motion. The eldest princess was not in the capital, so the work of making arrangements was down to Concubine Shu in secret. Apart from feeling a sense of glory, all of Fan Manor felt cautious. There was a fear that some detail had been missed somewhere, that rules had not been meticulously abided by.

But rules are difficult things. Lin Wan'er's status as a princess was only in effect inside the palace. Outside the world of the palace, her status was that of Prime Minister Lin's illegitimate child, only forced to be acknowledged by him at the start of the year. So it could not be ascertained whether this marriage ultimately still used the ceremonial protocols reserved for princesses, or normal marriage standards for the children of cabinet minister.

Lady Liu entered the palace again, finally receiving clear instructions from the Empress Dowager. Although the Empress Dowager did not like the Lin family's participation in her precious little granddaughter's marriage, she had to agree to it. At the same time, she also announced that the wedding would not be performed in accordance with protocols for the marriage of a princess.

Although those old ladies with inside knowledge within the upper echelons of the Fan clan were slightly disappointed, when they thought of the marriage to the family of the Prime Minister, they felt it was a thing of great renown, so they eagerly prepared for it.

But no one imagined that the sight of Fan Xian's marriage to Lin Wan'er would be thought far more deserving of remembrance than the marriage of a princess and the Emperor's son-in-law for many years to come.