177 The Real Overwatch Council (1/2)
Chapter 177: The Real Overwatch Council
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the meeting room of the Overwatch Council, an awkward silence fell. No one had expected that this was how Commissioner Fan Xian would first show his face in the Council. In defiance of the customarily somber atmosphere of the Council, a moment later, some of them couldn't stop themselves from laughing.
Fan Xian smiled, cupped his hands in salute, and walked in. Of the seven formidable people in the room, he only recognized Yan Ruohai. The others were all unfamiliar. Thankfully, Fei Jie had been beside him all day. Otherwise, he would still have felt afraid and alone facing these spymasters who were feared throughout the Kingdom of Qing, if not the whole land.
At the head of the table, an old man sat in a wheelchair. His eyes were clear and cold, but he gazed at him warmly. For some reason, Fan Xian found himself sighing deeply. He slowly stepped forward. He had already recognized the old man. 16 years ago, when he had come to this world, he had seen him. In those 16 years, the old cripple's face seemed not to have changed at all.
Chen Pingping watched the young man come closer and closer to him, and a strange look of satisfaction floated across his face. Fan Xian was now next to him. Chen Pingping opened his arms. ”My child, come here,” he said gently.
Fan Xian slowly bent down, and softly leant his head on the old man's shoulder, slipping his body into his narrow, soft embrace.
Chen Pingping was very thin. Their bodies touched only gently, but Fan Xian could feel a warmth.
The young man and the old man embraced each other as if the spymasters of the Kingdom of Qing were not even there. It was a moment of impudence. Some time later, the two parted, and Fan Xian bowed respectfully. ”It is an honor to meet you at last.”
Chen Pingping suddenly gave a pointed laugh. It sounded like a happy one.
Save for Fei Jie, the other seven spymasters, who didn't know the facts of the situation, kept a respectful silence. But deep down, they were shocked. None of them knew that the commissioner and the always-distant Director had this sort of relationship.
Today was the first day that Fan Xian had entered the Overwatch Council officially in his status as commissioner, so the members of the eight bureaus had been waiting for him. After a round of quick introductions, Fan Xian sat quietly on a chair to Chen Pingping's left, and Fei Jie sat to his right.
”This is Fan Xian,” said Chen Pingping calmly, looking at his subordinates. ”From now on he is a commissioner of the Overwatch Council. Colleagues, I ask that you lend him your support.”
In introducing the newest member of staff, Chen Pingping had never been so serious, and had never spoken so much, as he had today. The seven bureau chiefs all knew the weight of his words. They stood up, bowed toward Fan Xian, and said nothing more.
Ever since Fei Jie had begun tutoring him at the age of five, Fan Xian knew that he would have something to do with the secretive organization feared throughout the land and avoided by the common people. Especially after he learned of his mother's connection with the Council, he was even more aware of the fact that his relationship with the Council was to be a particularly special one.
When he was young, Fei Jie taught him about the structure and activities of the Council. After he had entered the capital, many things had happened in coordination with the Overwatch Council. Independent of the Council, he had organized Wang Qinian's team. Today, he listened to their official explanations, and gained a deeper understanding of the Overwatch Council.
The Overwatch Council was a spy agency directly subordinate to His Majesty the Emperor. Its authority existed outside the Six Ministries, and was not limited by the laws of the Kingdom of Qing, operating instead exclusively on the orders of the Emperor. It was split into eight bureaus. The First Bureau specialized in monitoring the bureaucracy in the capital, and had spies planted in each critical department. It was the most crucial bureau of the Council. The previous head was Zhu Ge, who had been secretly collaborating with the Eldest Princess, and had died some months ago. The Second Bureau was responsible for gathering and analyzing intelligence and strategy, and devising plans for the Emperor and the military.
The Third Bureau was the one that Fan Xian felt closest to, because before his retirement, his teacher Fei Jie had been head of the Third Bureau. The Third Bureau specialized in manufacturing drugs, poisons, and all kinds of secret weapons. The knockout drops, poisons, and aphrodisiacs that Fan Xian kept on his person had been a result of the work of the Third Bureau.
The Fourth Bureau was Yan Ruohai's office. It specialized in monitoring the bureaucracy outside the capital, and the related work of intelligence gathering, investigation, and arrests. Its authority extended outside the national borders, and included Northern Qi and the City of Dongyi. In terms of the scope of its authority, it was the most powerful bureau next to the First Bureau.
The Fifth Bureau of the Overwatch Council had always been stationed outside the capital. It had been established on the orders of the Emperor, and comprised of the Black Knights, responsible for ensuring Chen Pingping's safety. When necessary, it could also travel long distances to mount a surprise cavalry attack. The daring raid behind enemy lines in Northern Wei to capture the spymaster Xiao En had been the Fifth Bureau's finest achievement. It could be said that from a martial point of view, the Fifth Bureau was the strongest section of the Overwatch Council.