Chapter 150: The escapades in the backyard of the brothel! (3.1K words)
The wages of avarice is death.

Fan Xian was not involved. All he wanted was to severely damage the financial power of the eldest princess and the prince behind her.

In the carriage, Wang Qinian looked thoughtfully at the dozing Lord Fan Xian, and could not help but marvel at him. Not to mention that Lord Fan Xian knew so much at such a young age, he was born into a wealthy family, and he has been doing well in Beijing for only two years. Now he is even here in Qi State as an envoy to "gild himself", and now he has even arranged for smuggling!
Fortunately, I saw that the adults were kind-hearted and gave a lot, so I stood on this side in time.

Aren’t the good days in the future coming?
Now let’s see what the woman at home has to say!

"How long are you going to watch?" Fan Xian opened his eyes, stretched lazily in the carriage, and secretly sighed that the wine he brought to Changning Marquis Mansion yesterday had a really strong aftertaste!

It must be around 50 degrees!

I'm still dizzy now! Fortunately, the place we're going to is a teahouse.

Only then did Wang Qinian look away and smile awkwardly.

"How long until we arrive?"

"Don't worry, sir. We still have half an incense stick of time to go."

Fan Xian was full of boredom, and said, "It's strange that you are so serious. To discuss these things, you don't find a hidden place, but go to a teahouse in the center of the city to discuss it! Not to mention going to the suburbs, even if it's in his own house, it's fine!"

"Your Excellency is right!" Wang Qinian was also surprised and could only agree with Fan Xian's words.

Yesterday's visit to Changning Hou had already been filed with the delegation. As for what the people in Kyoto thought, that was not something Fan Xian could decide. In his opinion, the people in the court at home just thought that there was some other deeper meaning behind his visit.

"What should I do next? Do you want to find some help?"

Fan Xian waved his hand. Wang Qinian didn't know the inside story yet, and he didn't intend to let him get too involved in this matter.

Of course, he also understood who the people Wang Qinian was referring to were.

"You just need to stand guard outside later." He twisted his stiff neck and said, "As for those secret agents, there's no need to bother them. Otherwise, they will be exposed because of these trivial matters."

Wang Qinian agreed, then got out of the carriage, changed the coachman, and drove the carriage himself.

The previous coachman let him go back to the delegation first.

In the center of the city, in a courtyard room.

The sun was shining in, illuminating the face of this commander whom I met for the second time. I don't know what he has been through during this period, his face looks even more vicissitudes.

Today he was dressed like a rich man, and looked like a wealthy man in the city. Although he didn't look very detailed, his expressions and movements were so lifelike that he could fool countless people in the city.

The Jinyiwei who was in charge of leading the way retreated. Fan Xian also waved his hand, and Gaoda clasped his fists and retreated to guard outside the private room.

"Master Shen, we meet again!"

Fan Xian's ears twitched slightly and he said, "This isn't the teahouse we agreed on. From the sound, it must be the backyard of a brothel!"

When the carriage was about to arrive at the teahouse, the Jinyiwei appeared on the shaft of the carriage and turned around to come here. Obviously, this was not a sudden decision, but a long-term plan.

"Master Fan, please don't be angry." Shen Zhong laughed without any apology. "This is also for your consideration. It can be regarded as my occupational disease. It's better to be careful!"

The smile on Fan Xian's face froze. The disguise and the change of location made him, as the Commissioner of the Supervisory Council, seem unprofessional!

"Seeing you again, Master Fan, today really makes me sigh that time never spares anyone."

Shen Zhong sighed and said, "You are so young, yet you have become the Director of the Southern Dynasty Supervisory Council. You are really young and capable! But there is one thing I don't know. Please enlighten me, Master Fan."

"Oh? Lord Shen, just speak frankly."

"Thank you very much, Lord Fan!" Shen Zhong considered his tone, even though this was a bit harsh for him, because he didn't need to be like this to too many people on weekdays. "I just don't understand. With Lord Fan's literary reputation, he could have taken over the financial power of the inner treasury smoothly one day. How could he enter the Southern Dynasty Supervisory Council and do the work of a sewer rat like us?"

In fact, what really confused him was what the old man in Chen Garden and the emperor in the palace were thinking.

Why would they agree to let this extremely young person hold two positions at the same time, two very important positions?
Fan Xian didn't understand what was going on, so he just responded casually, "I was forced to do so by the situation. I just wanted to make a living."

In fact, Shen Zhong had had his first encounter with Fan Xian when he returned to Kyoto. At that time, he learned about Fan Xian's background from the many people who accompanied him, and he did not think highly of this fellow from the Southern Dynasty.

However, shortly after arriving in Kyoto, he met with His Majesty and asked His Majesty to agree to release the people. I don’t know how he convinced him!

And today, he wanted to talk to me about smuggling.

He thought that since Chen Pingping, who even frightened him, had strongly recommended him, the person in front of him must have talents that he had not discovered.

He smiled and said, "Master Fan is so lucky! To be honest, although we are in the same business, I am full of envy for my colleagues in your country!"

Seeing that Fan Xian had some doubts, he then slowly began to explain: "In Northern Qi, the Jinyiwei were feared by all officials and were very powerful. But they were feared by the ministers and disliked by His Majesty. Naturally, there was not much trust in them!"

"And what about your country?" "As far as I know, Chen Pingping is second only to the emperor. Although he is lame, he is very trusted by Emperor Qing. Not to mention that you, Lord Fan, are so young and yet you hold such an important position!"

Although these words spoke well of Emperor Qing and were suspected of criticizing the Emperor of Northern Qi, everyone present was smart and did not expect anyone to leak them. He had already taken the lead in handing over the "handle", which was considered to be full of sincerity.

Hearing the sound of the piano, you can understand the elegant meaning.

Fan Xian chuckled and asked, "Who is this?"

Having said that, he turned his gaze to the figure that had been sitting behind Shen Zhong for a long time.

Shen Zhong waved his hand, and the two Jinyiwei standing in the room walked out one after another. These were masters who were protecting Shen Zhong, and they were all top figures among the Jinyiwei.

Shen Zhong raised his hand and introduced solemnly: "This is the second son of the Cui family in Jiangnan, Qing State - Cui Ye!"

Fan Xian's eyebrows were raised, holding back his anger, and asked angrily in a deep voice: "I wonder what your Excellency means?"

He looked at Shen Zhong, as if trying to discern something from his expression.

What? I asked you to come here today to discuss business, and you arranged your competitor here? What kind of starvation marketing is this?

"That's not what Lord Shen meant."

Cui Ye smiled gently and said slowly, "I have heard about Master Fan's elegance for a long time, but I have lived in Shangjing, Northern Qi, and have never had the chance to see him in person. Today, seeing this rare opportunity, I begged Master Shen to bring me along to participate in this grand event!"

Fan Xian laughed out of anger.

It doesn’t matter at all whether this little jerk named Cui asked to come here on his own initiative.

Shen Zhong should understand that the eldest princess is behind the Cui family, and he and the eldest princess are not on good terms. He knew this and did it, and now he is using this person as a bargaining chip to negotiate with him. It is self-evident what he is thinking.

Ignoring the smiling Cui Ye, Fan Xian stared at Shen Zhong angrily, waiting for his final explanation.

Seeing that he was ignored by Fan Xian, Cui Ye's face was also stiff. After all, he was young and not very cunning, so everything showed on his face.

Seeing that the situation was as expected, Shen Zhong no longer concealed it: "Tell the truth, I have already heard the Marquis's suggestion from Lord Fan. We all want to 'get rich', what conditions can Lord Fan offer? I am stuck in the middle, it is not easy to have it both ways, so why not let both of you come here and talk it out!"

Fan Xian no longer had any interest in talking, but he was still grateful for what he had gained from this trip.

He sneered: "Master Cui is indeed very capable!"

"Not even one tenth as good as Master Fan."

Cui Ye said modestly, but the following words made him even more embarrassed.

"We are both from Qing country, but you are willing to be a knife for others. I really admire you!" Fan Xian kept talking. Without waiting for Cui Ye to refute, he continued, "Perhaps you have forgotten my identity. I am the Director of the Supervisory Council. I am not afraid of your so-called aristocratic families! I will report today's events to His Majesty truthfully!"

Cui Ye's expression changed drastically after hearing these words, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't expect that Fan Xian would then overturn the table.

"One more thing. After I return to Qing Kingdom and take over the Imperial Merchants, even though your Cui family is far away in Jiangnan, you don't have to think about the business between the two countries anymore! As for other businesses, hehe."

Cui Ye then completely remembered the identity of the person in front of him:

The Supervisory Yuan is responsible for supervising the country.

He was appointed as the person in charge of the inner treasury's financial power and did business all over the world!
As for what Fan Xian didn't finish saying, it was obvious that he was in big trouble! This trip was his own idea. Even if the princess was not on good terms with Fan Xian, as his backer, she would not protect him at this special time.

Besides, Fan Xian is about to become the eldest princess' son-in-law!
Who knows what this family is thinking? Don't let them shake hands and make peace, love each other as a family, and I will become an outsider!

At that time, I and the Cui family could be abandoned immediately - because they are no longer valuable!
When Fan Xian left the room without stopping, the heavy sound of the door slamming was heard, which woke Cui Ye up from his thoughts.

The atmosphere was solemn at this time, with only the heartbeat remaining.

Shen Zhong was not surprised at Fan Xian's swift and decisive action; this was exactly the outcome he wanted.

"Mr. Cui, this Lord Fan is a little young and a little impatient. Compared to you, he is far inferior!"

Cui Ye's face was extremely ugly at this time!
His expression changed from gloomy to bright. The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Suddenly, he slammed the wooden table in front of him, making a loud bang that echoed in the slightly dim room.

The people outside were startled and tried to squeeze in with their knives drawn. As soon as they opened the door, they saw their masters waving at them to retreat, so they put away their knives and retreated.

Cui Ye looked at Shen Zhong with a look of resentment. His face turned pale and he screamed, "Shen Zhong, why did you hurt me like this!"

He looked at him in silence without making any response.

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(End of this chapter)