…
Early the next morning, the Privy Council Record Department welcomed an "uninvited guest".
Facing Xia Fan, who was nominally at the same level as him in the headquarters, Xue Zhigen bit the bullet and bowed his hand to him, "I wonder why Mr. Xia is here? If there is nothing important, I hope you won't disturb other colleagues..."
"No, I'm here just to find you." Xia Fan walked over and patted him on the shoulder, "Master Xue, I want to check the files from the past twenty years. As long as they are related to evil spirits cases, I want to see them look."
Xue Zhigeng's brows almost turned into valleys. It was so disrespectful of etiquette. Even though they had the same official position, they were at least twenty years apart in age. How could they ask him so directly
However, as if the other party didn't see his rejection at all, he took another step closer to him, and the hand was about to be placed on his shoulder.
What a shame!
Xue Zhigen had to take a step back, "Twenty years? This is not a small amount. It requires the consent of the Prime Minister."
"Then who is Fu Cheng?"
"This..." He coughed twice, "If the file is lost, you and I will be in trouble, so - wait, Mr. Xia, what are you going to do?"
Xia Fan stretched out his hand and lightning flashed on his fingertips, "I have read the regulations of this government before. The command department is engaged in matters related to the management of evil spirits. Whether it is elimination or tracing, I have the right to intervene. You are making excuses like this. , you won’t be hiding any secrets, right?”
"Of course, I am working in a dignified way, how could I collude with evil spirits?" Xue Zhigeng asked anxiously.
"Then why are you so obstructive? I'm not doubting you, sir. I just heard that there are evil spirits that can control the mind. Maybe I can use the shock technique to wake you up."
This guy is serious.
Xue Zhigen looked at the hand that was stretched out again and felt the sweat on his forehead break out.
He has been in the recording department for so many years, how could he have ever been treated like this!
But the other party was not wrong - the original intention of establishing the Recording Department was to serve the other three departments. It was only reasonable for Xia Fan to check the files. On the contrary, it was his evasion from the beginning that put him in a disadvantageous position.
If it were Lord Yuan, Xue Zhigeng would naturally not act like this, but facing Xia Fan, who was about twenty years younger than him, he subconsciously refused because of contempt and disdain.
Will you stick to it and never change your tune? He was a fifth-grade trial striker, and the opponent was also a fifth-grade fighter; and the last time he used his magic to fight an evil spirit was more than ten years ago, and the person in front of him had just protected the princess from the evil spirit. The young man was impulsive and his actions were insignificant. Coupled with the other party's temperament, Xue Zhigen weighed the situation and decisively chose to give in. "Hey, no need, don't I know how clear my mind is?"
He winked at his subordinates and said, "Take the master to the library and help him select the files."
He bit the last word very hard.
The subordinates understood and said, "Yes!"
Then Xue Zhigen looked at Xia Fan and said, "Master Xia, if you want to check, please do it yourself. I have something else to do, so I won't go with you."
…
Soon Wen Xingyuan and Quan Gu knew about this.
"Master Xue, why did you let him in?" said the academic staff member, "That guy Xia Fan must have no good intentions! At this time, we should try our best to protect him from all his actions in the Privy Council Mansion. It’s better to boycott.”
"What can I do? He is in charge of the headquarters." Xue Zhigeng wanted to get support from the other two colleagues, but Wen Xingyuan saw him and scolded him, "If I stop him for a little longer, then It’s time for the kid’s shock technique to hit me!”
"He dares!" Wen Xingyuan puffed his beard and glared, "If he commits murder against an official of the same rank, even his great achievements in saving the princess cannot protect him!"
Yes, it's true that it can't be saved, but it's Xue Zhigeng who takes advantage of the shock technique!
If he was chopped down on the spot, what would be the point of defeating Xia Fan
"Since the matter has reached this point, no amount of talking will help. Mr. Wen, you should take a breath." Quan Gu interjected, "Master Xue, are you sure that Xia Fan only checked the evil spirits case?"
"Don't worry about this, I still know the importance." Xue Zhigeng nodded, "I specifically told my subordinates before agreeing, and he reported that the other party only took away the case files, and nothing else was touched, not even the secret door of the library. Never even came close.”
"That's not a big problem." Quan Gu said slowly, "The case itself does not involve confidential matters and poses little threat to us. I'm just a little curious. What does he suddenly want to see?"
"Probably looking for something to do for the headquarters?" Xue Zhigeng speculated, "As far as I know, Xia Fan did not take the file out of the Privy Council Palace, but sent it to the lobby of the headquarters."
"Then what?"
"Then the boy called all the people he recruited in." Xue Zhigeng hummed, "Even that ragtag group of people can participate, so it must not be an important matter."
"It seems that our headquarters is really busy with work." Quan Gu smacked his lips.
"If Xia Fan wants to pull off some trick of retrialing an unjust case, it might be an opportunity for us." The head of the academic department narrowed his eyes, "There are so many injustices that can be redressed in this world. It might be a good idea to use this method to improve your reputation. But if he makes a mistake, I will definitely discredit him."
The Privy Council still attaches great importance to the slogan of "killing evil spirits and eliminating evil spirits".
"Keep staring at him, but remember, don't give in easily next time." Wen Xingyuan gave final instructions.
When the two left, Xue Zhi clenched his fists bitterly.
…
In the lobby of the headquarters, Xia Fan was leading Wei Wushuang, Luo Youer and others to quickly read through the files recording evil incidents, mainly focusing on the period from ten to twenty-five years ago.
Since there were so many volumes, he had no intention of reading them in detail. At the same time, he asked everyone to extract only three records: the date of the case, the location, and the type of evil spirit, and put them into a complete map of Jinxia City.
"Can we really find the whereabouts of the Donghai Gang by doing this?" Luo Youer asked curiously.
"Not necessarily, but it's better than searching the whole city." Xia Fan replied.
The princess's men have already interrogated the prisoners of the East China Sea Gang he brought back, but they have received very little effective information - it is not that they are brave and would rather die than surrender, but that they really do not know the specific hiding place of the gang.
According to the prisoners, gangs are divided into outer circle members and core members. Even if someone can enter the gang's important area, they have to be blindfolded and led in. Only by carving blood patterns on your body can you enter the core level of the Donghai Gang.
For a street gang to pay so much attention to secrecy and order, this is obviously beyond the scope of ordinary street gangsters.
Considering the background of the Donghai Gang, their actions such as fighting for territory and picking fights are probably just a cover.
Getting rid of them is by no means as simple as sweeping away the general Jianghu gangs.
The first problem before Xia Fan is to find the other party's hiding place in this ancient salt city!