470 Seeing The Eldest Princess Again (1/2)

Chapter 470: Seeing The Eldest Princess Again

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Fan Xian was silent for a long time before finally banishing his idea of having Yan Bingyun plan this matter. He had to ensure Hong Zhu's safety, and he knew Yan Bingyun's loyalty to Qing court under his cold exterior. This kind of risk could not be taken lightly.

He looked at Yan Bingyun's not very healthy complexion and furrowed his brows. He turned and placed his finger on Yan Bingyun's wrist and paused.

Yan Bingyun was slightly startled, but his face remained icy and did not have any reaction.

”How is your body bad to such an extent?” Fan Xian furrowed his brows. ”I've heard that it's been multiple days since you've gone home?”

Yan Bingyun casually tidied the case files on the table and replied, ”There are over 30 officials shut up in prison, and every day there is someone at the Supreme Court crying their grievances. The miscellaneous matters also have to be dealt with properly. With both things, how could I have time to leave this yard?”

Fan Xian noticed the tidiness inside the secret room. Even the case files on the large wooden table had been sorted by type and placed neatly. He couldn't help smiling and said, ”This room is even more comfortable than when the Director was here. It looks like you are quite used to this position.”

Yan Bingyun felt a bit tired. He stretched out two fingers and rubbed forcefully at the skin between his eyes. It was not until the white skin had turned red that he felt his attention recovering a little.

”Go back.” Fan Xian looked at this scene and shook his head.

Yan Bingyun didn't pay any attention to him. He just took out another file and began to read it closely with his head slightly lowered. In a quiet voice, he said, ”You wanted to strike at the Second Prince and took down this many people, someone has to deal with it. You and the Director both like to be lazy, but the Overwatch Council cannot depend on a bunch of lazy people to support it.”

Fan Xian heard a glimmer of resentment and, on the contrary, smiled.

Yan Bingyun seemed to be very unused to having Fan Xian stare at him working. After a moment, he closed the file and raised his head. ”Although the Second prince's power in court has been completely uprooted by you, I still want to remind you of something.”

”What is it?”

”You've only taken away a branch from beside the Second Prince,” Yan Bingyun said calmly. ”Your axe has not yet been able to strike into the thickest tree below him.”

Fan Xian knew that Yan Bingyun was talking about the Ye family. The Ye family that herded horses far away in Dingzhou but was able to reach Jingdou in five days. The family that had a Great Grandmaster in it. After the Second Prince and Ye Ling'er married, it was without question that other than the Eldest Princess, the Second Prince had now gained the Ye family a large and sturdy tree to rely on.

The night attack in Jingdou was to remove the Second Prince's core officials in the court and the martial power around him, but it did not cause any loss for the Ye family. As long as the Ye family remained in Dingzhou, the Second Prince did not suffer any true loses.

Fan Xian sighed and felt somewhat helpless. He had originally counted on using the three city-guarding crossbows used during the attack in the valley to also bring down the Ye family. However, no one had expected that the Northern Qi Emperor's secret letter, his greetings from tens of thousands of li away, would force the Qing court to end their investigation. It made it impossible for Fan Xian to frame the Ye family even if he wanted to.

”We'll worry about the Ye family in the future.”

Yan Bingyun glanced at him and furrowed his brows. ”The Second Prince's foundations are with the Ye family. However, because of this, his current dependency on the Eldest Princess has also lowered…”

This brain that Fan Xian relied on the most let his words trail off. It pierced deeply into Fan Xian's heart. For no reason, his heart suddenly jumped as he thought of the top secret information he had learned today. He began to scent a different atmosphere. No matter whether the Eldest Princess supported the Crown Prince openly in the past or the Second Prince in secret, the purpose of that crazy woman's tricks was to ensure that when one of her two nephews took the throne in the future, they would still be under her control.

The Eldest Princess, Li Yunrui, was a powerful figure with a wide gaze. What she wanted was no small feat. The Second Prince had the Ye family as a support, so his dependency on her decreased. This meant that if the Second Prince took the throne, it would be much more difficult if she wanted to hide behind the scenes and move the controls.

Perhaps…

In a thought, Fan Xian's heart jumped a little. He immediately smiled coldly. ”The Crown Prince…doesn't have much more of a future. The Second Prince will eventually be brought down.”

Yan Bingyun glanced at him in suspiciously. Although the Overwatch Council never participated in the battle between the princes, this hidden rule had been broken since Fan Xian took over the Overwatch Council. However, how could Fan Xian be certain of where Emperor's favor was? The Crown Prince was a particular favorite of the empress dowager, so why wouldn't there be a chance?

Fan Xian would not explain anything to him. He furrowed his brows and said, ”Send a message to Su Wenmao and Xia Qifei and have the two get ready to…draw back the net.”

Yan Bingyun stared into Fan Xian's eyes and said, ”The matters in Jiangnan are within our control, but if we strike down in one go…there isn't much certainty. After all, the capital is watching…unless some big change suddenly appears in the situation in the capital…”

Fan Xian smiled. He knew that the words he had unthinkingly said made the meticulous Sir Yan guess at something. He explained in an even voice, ”It is only to get ready early. Even if nothing changes in Jingdou for a year, the Emperor will not be able to tolerate the Ming family matter for much longer.”

It was not until he heard that this was the Emperor's wish did Yan Bingyun feel slightly less suspicious and asked, ”How far back do we draw the net?”

Fan Xian was silent for a moment as his mind wandered slightly. The complicated arrangements and danger lurking beneath the nice weather in Jiangnan this year were like pictures that spun in front of his eyes like a carousel of paper horses: the heads of the leaders of the three workshops in the palace treasury, the corpses covering the little island, Ming Qingda fainting in the palace treasury, the lawsuit in the Suzhou government, the old Ming matriarch's unexpected suicide, the Sixth Ming Master going into prison and being killed, the sudden appearance of the Seventh Ming Master…

The Ming family was already a grasshopper held in his hands. To what extent it should be done still needed Fan Xian's nod.

The wealthiest family in the world is not going to be much cleaner than the Royal Palace, Fan Xian thought to himself. To Yan Bingyun, he quietly said, ”Draw it back completely. Arrange for the people in the money house to act. Furthermore, a few people can be killed in Ming Garden.”

Hearing the words ”money house,” Yan Bingyun knew that the piece they had hidden for a year was finally going to be moved. That money house that was set up in the name of the Shen family and Dongyi had actually been set up by Yan Bingyun. He knew how to use it to defeat the Ming family. However, he had never figured out where the silver in the money house came from. Looking at Fan Xian, he finally couldn't resist and lowered his voice to say, ”I won't pay attention to just where the money in Jiangnan came from, but I ask that you take note, please don't let it be…Northern Qi's.”

Although he heard Yan Bingyun guess it correctly in one go, how could Fan Xian admit it? He self-mockingly said, ”Don't forget who my mother is. Other than the palace treasury, she has to leave me some spare silver to spend.”

Yan Bingyun shook his head and believed Fan Xian's explanation. After all, everyone knew how wealthy the Ye family was back then.

…

…

Sitting on the carriage going home, Fan Xian had a sense of disappointment in his chest. It was not because he had made a pointless trip to the Overwatch Council and had not had Yan Bingyun participate in the Palace matter, it was because he had finally confirmed that for Yan Bingyun and other young, handsome, and accomplished men of his generation, Qing Kingdom, the Emperor's interests, and the glory of unifying the world were the truly paramount priorities.

Yan Bingyun had always put in his best effort for Fan Xian, but that was because everything Fan Xian did protected the interest of Qing Kingdom. However, if, in the future, Fan Xian truly changed into that role, how would he treat the Commissioner he had a deep relationship with?

Fan Xian knew that this was a necessary thing. After all, everyone lived into their own times. He had the experience of his previous life, so he was able to place less value on the differences between the countries under heaven. But, he could not ask the same of others. That request was not reasonable or fair.

Yan Bingyun's role at Fan Xian's side had always been a bit blurry. He was not part of the Qinian Unit but was Fan Xian's confidant. He had participated in most of the missions, particularly the plan in Jiangnan last year, which he had practically made single-handedly. Now that Fan Xian had clearly realized this, he made up his mind that concerning his deal with Northern Qi and the deepest secrets, he wouldn't let Sir Yan touch them, yet.

However, for the Overwatch Council mission this time, the most important and urgent problem hadn't been solved. How could they connect with Hong Zhu? Fan Xian sat in the carriage with his chin in his hands and his brows tightly furrowed.

Unexpectedly, when he returned to the manor, he heard an edict that surprised him greatly. He immediately acutely realized that tonight would be the best opportunity to confirm this matter with Hong Zhu.