A pair of long chopsticks were inserted into the longan of Jietang steamed stuffed bun, and they were pulled apart to reveal the delicious and attractive oily soup inside. Fan Xian took a spoon and poured out the soup, poured it into the porcelain bowl in front of Dabao, and poured the meat The stuffing came out and placed on Dabao's Zhajiang Noodles.
"Little Xianxian, eat." Dabao lowered his head and launched an attack on the food, speaking vaguely but resolutely, he was really worried that Fan Xian would give him all the food and he would not be full.
Fan Xian looked at his brother-in-law and smiled. He tore off the soft and white skin of Jietang steamed stuffed bun with both hands, soaked it in seaweed soup, and ate a few mouthfuls casually. Ever since he took over a position in the Overwatch Council, he has liked to eat steamed buns in Xinfeng Restaurant, and every time he came to eat steamed buns, he would basically bring Dabao with him. What a hobby, so it's appropriate for the two brothers to cooperate with each other.
Glancing at the happy, sweating Dabao, Fan Xian felt sore for some reason, wondering if he would have such an opportunity to hang out with his uncle in the future. He likes to stay with Dabao, because only when facing Dabao can he truly relax. He can tell the other party all his secrets and his views on the world without worrying that the other party will betray him. .
After today, I'm afraid it will be difficult to eat buns with Dabao again, and it will be difficult to lie on the bow of the boat with Dabao again, facing the sky full of stars, talking about the starry sky of this world and the starry sky of that world in Qingguo. so similar...
Fan Xian still looked at Dabao with a gentle and encouraging smile on his face, but he sighed in his heart, feeling a little overwhelmed. Pulling the towel beside the table to wipe off the oil stains on his hands, he turned his head slightly, and looked at the two yamen on the opposite street through the railing on the second floor of Xinfeng Hall.
Qingguo Dali Temple and the first branch office of the Supervisory Yuan are both opposite the Xinfeng Hall.
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Today is the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, which is the first day of duty for the court officials after the New Year's Eve. In this day, apart from walking among the various ministries, exchanging blessings, and giving each other red envelopes, there are actually no important political needs. manage. Inside a yamen, tea parties are basically held, from the chief official to the lowest-level clerks, all holding teapots, eating melon seeds, gossiping, and leisurely. This is a common practice in official circles all over the world, even the one in the palace knows this, after all, it is the weather of the New Year.
I was very idle when I was on duty, and I didn’t have much to do. Naturally, I got off work earlier. It’s obviously not yet here. The sun in the sky, hiding behind the cold clouds, has not yet moved to the southerly mid-heaven. Across the street, many officials came out of the yamen of Dali Temple. These officials joined the officials of other ministries who had been guarding the door of the yamen, and scattered on the street like birds and beasts. I don’t know where they went to enjoy the delicacies of Kyoto. It was the first day on duty, and it was not a crime to eat and drink at noon, and it was even possible to go back home to rest in the afternoon after getting drunk.
Unlike Dali Temple, the door is obviously much shabby, and the door of the first sub-branch of the Overwatch Council, which is much more gloomy, is still closed. There are no officials working inside, and there are no idlers walking around laughing and joking. It makes people feel a little dejected. The oppressive atmosphere radiated from that courtyard. Fan Xian quietly looked at the familiar courtyard, the courtyard where he once covered the sky with his hands, and he knew why.
Today's Overwatch Council is facing the bleak wind and rain, and its status in the imperial court has dropped a thousand miles. Especially in the past month, many officials of the Overwatch Council were arrested by some trumped-up charges and imprisoned in the Ministry of Criminal Justice and Dali Temple. Cleansing, but the Overwatch Council seems to have lost its magic power, and can no longer condense real power to give the most powerful counterattack.
The censor system headed by He Zongwei faintly overwhelmed Hu Dashi, and began to lead the entire civil service system to attack the Overwatch Council. I don’t know how many officials from the Overwatch Council ushered in the big prison. Cruel punishment.
Today's Qing Kingdom is no longer the Qing Kingdom with the old cripple.
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There was a sound of steady footsteps and self-sustained laughter on the stairs, and about seven or eight officials came up from the downstairs. They were all high-ranking officials in their attire, but these officials did not go to the private room on the third floor. Instead, he went directly to the railing under the leadership of the owner, and prepared to set up a screen and sit by the railing.
The Xinfeng Hall was not well-known in the past. Although it was just across from the Dali Temple and the Overwatch Council, the officials always felt that the grade of this place was too low. Xian often comes here to lean on the railing to munch on meat buns, forcibly boosting the reputation of Xinfengguan. Since then, there has been more of this kind of elegant thing.
Most of the officials who came to the Xinfeng Pavilion today were officials from Dali Temple, and the host and guest today was Hou Jichang who had just been transferred back to Beijing from Jiaozhou. The officials of Dali Temple knew that this former one of the four sons of the Fan family had put down his dignity and joined the disciple of the University He, who was as famous as him back then. The change is really embarrassing.
The officials secretly despised Hou Jichang for betraying Fan Xian, but no one was willing to show it on the surface. Today is Hou Jichang's first entry into Dali Temple, so they naturally invited him to the Xinfeng Hall to treat guests. Even the deputy secretary of Dali Temple came to accompany him in person.
When they came to the railing, the officials were about to sit down, but before the screen arrived, they naturally saw the table on the other side of the railing. There were only three people at the table, and a guard-like person had obviously finished eating and was vigilantly watching the table. Looking around, the fat man facing the officials was chewing something fiercely with his head down. The figure facing the officials was wearing civilian clothes and looking up at the other side of the street. Just a back view made everyone's hearts thump.
Hou Jichang's body stiffened at this moment, and his hands exposed outside the official uniform trembled uncontrollably, as if the cold wind outside the building eroded every inch of his skin at this moment.
The rest of the Dali Temple officials were only startled by that Xiao Suo's back, but did not recognize that person's identity, so they couldn't help but feel extremely shocked when they saw Hou Jichang's pale face. They followed Hou Jichang's gaze again, and finally understood what Hou Jichang was terrified of.
After a while of embarrassing dullness, the Deputy Minister of Dali Temple frowned, patted Hou Jichang's shoulder lightly, and said softly, "Sit down."
Hou Jichang sat down restlessly, and after a long time sighed with shame.
If it was any time before, the officials at this table would have to go to the other table to respectfully pay respects to Fan Xian, but now Fan Xian not only has no official position, even the status of the first-class duke has been deprived by His Majesty. Captive to the end, he became an out-and-out white body, nothing more than a commoner.
The Dali Temple officials at this table are all He Zongwei's direct descendants. They know that Mr. Fan is on the other side of the railing, and he is on this side of the railing. Naturally, he can't leave. How can there be any reason for officials to let the people? How can there be any reason why He Pai, who is in the limelight now, wants to let a dog in the water go
Seeing Fan Xian's dilapidated appearance now, although these officials would not be foolish to satirize anything, they would feel secretly happy in their hearts. These days Dali Temple is reviewing the old case of the Overwatch Council, and it is in a good time. Thinking that this place is also a bustling place in Kyoto, His Majesty is holding on to Mr. Fan's seven inches. If you are free, you will not eat too much and have nothing to do.
I don't know why today, the screen has not been served, but the food and wine are served first. Although the officials of Dali Temple are a little unhappy, they are not good at making noise in such a scene. It is not a big deal to lose the face of the officials. What happened to the silent three people at the side table was not what these officials wanted to see.
"Today is to welcome Mr. Hou into the temple. From now on, Mr. Hou will be one of our colleagues..." The Deputy Minister of Dali Temple smiled and raised the wine glass in his hand.
Hou Jichang forced a smile, and picked up the wine glass, but he was really flustered, because he knew that Fan Xian, a sect master younger than himself, suddenly appeared opposite Dali Temple today. In the Xinfeng restaurant, do you really just like the buns in this restaurant
Thinking of this, his hands trembled again. Out of the corner of his eye, he subconsciously glanced at the three silent people on the other side of the railing. He knew who the fat man was facing him. He was Princess Chen's biological elder brother. Stupid Dabao, he prayed secretly, since Master Xiao Fan brought this person here, he hoped he didn't come to make trouble.
The deputy secretary of Dali Temple noticed his strangeness, and frowned with some displeasure. Ever since the former deputy secretary was implicated in the old Qin's capital's rebellion, he had done well in this position. Judging by his expression, he really didn't think he had anything to be afraid of. Yes, everyone knew that Master Xiao Fan was powerful, but could he come here and yell at him unreasonably
The Vice Minister was obviously dissatisfied with Hou Jichang's performance. He glanced at the fat man sitting opposite Fan Xian on the other side of the railing, and guessed the identity of the other person. Full of irony. Fan Xian likes to play with his stupid uncle. This is something that everyone in the capital knows, but it is also something that the officials look down on. Although the Deputy Secretary did not, he did not dare to speak out to ridicule him. But the expression on his face said it all.
"The second thing is to welcome Master Guo to finally come back from Jiangnan and re-enter the Metropolitan Procuratorate as Zuodu Censor."
As soon as this remark came out, the meeting suddenly became lively. The Zuodu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate is a very important position. The adult surnamed Guo smiled self-confidently, and raised his glass of water and wine to pay respects, but when his eyes fell on the other side of the railing, he was like Hou Jichang. Usually, the complexion becomes rather unnatural.
Guo Yushi's surname was Guo Mingzheng, and he was the person who wanted to punish Fan Xian in the capital. Now that many years have passed, the people of Kyoto may have forgotten about it, but Guo Zheng believed that Fan Xian would never forget it. I will never forget, because Guo Zheng also stood on the opposite side of Fan Xian in the matter of Jiangnan Neiku.
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Before the third round of drinking, the three silent people on the other side of the railing had already finished eating first. Fan Xian took Dabao's hand and walked towards the stairs, followed by Teng Zijing silently. The three of them wanted to go downstairs, and they had to pass the table where the officials gathered. Unexpectedly, the officials at the table became quiet at the same time, with a trace of nervousness, waiting for the young master to leave quickly.
Fan Xian didn't leave, and his people naturally came to the table, smiling at the officials. Seeing that the momentum was wrong, the deputy minister of Dali Temple stood up with an embarrassed smile, bowed his hands and said, "It turns out to be Mr. Fan, sir..."
As soon as the word "Xiaguan" came out, he realized that something was wrong. The other party is now white, and as the deputy secretary of Dali Temple, how could he say "Xiaguan". The Deputy Minister stopped his mouth, turned his heart, forced a smile and said, "Would you like to sit together?"
Fan Xian smiled and shook his head. At this time Hou Jichang had already stood up in panic, lowered his head and saluted Fan Xian, cold sweat drenched his back. Fan Xian didn't even look at him, as if he didn't exist at all. It was this kind of ignorance that made everyone around the table feel a bit chilly.
Fan Xian didn't look at Hou Jichang, he looked at Guo Zheng, the newly-appointed censor of the left capital beside him, and said softly: "Three years ago, I was very curious. I exiled you to the south of the Yangtze River, which made you restless day and night. Then the rebellion in Kyoto happened. , you are obviously from Xinyang, why Your Majesty has no order to deal with you."
"It was only later that I figured it out. So you saw that the momentum was wrong, you abandoned my poor mother-in-law, and hugged He Zongwei's thigh by taking advantage of the old relationship in the Metropolitan Procuratorate." Fan Xian laughed and shook his head. He sighed and said, "That guy He Zongwei is a family slave of three surnames, so naturally you have learned a lot from him."
What kind of important figure is He Zongwei in the court today, Fan Xian said such a heartbreaking sentence, all the officials at the table couldn't sit still, stood up abruptly, ready to reprimand something.
"I was wrong. He Zongwei is not a family slave with three surnames. The masters he served were all surnamed Li." Fan Xian shook his head and said, "It should be said that he is a loyal dog of the Li family."
The Deputy Minister of Dali Temple finally couldn't bear it anymore, and said something with a cold face. However, Fan Xian seemed to have never heard of it. He just looked at the trembling Guo Zheng coldly, and asked word by word: "You can be transferred back to the capital to take up the post of Zuodu censor. Great Gong, I was thinking, is the death of my subordinates in Jiangnan related to you?"
Guo Zheng put his heart to one side, and said in a cold voice: "This official is on a mission according to the order, does Master Xiaofan have any opinions?"
"Very good, I finally have some backbone. This is what a doctor censor should look like." Fan Xian said slowly, "I know you are going to Beijing today, so I made a special trip here to wait for you today."
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The atmosphere in the Xinfeng Pavilion suddenly became like the calm before the storm, so quiet that it made one's heart palpitate. Waiting for Guo Zheng specifically, what does this mean? Although until now no one believed that Fan Xian dared to risk the power of the world and do something that would insult the imperial court in this capital, but looking at Fan Xian's increasingly indifferent face, everyone felt There was a trace of cold and fear.
There were not many guards following these officials into the Xinfeng Pavilion. After all, no one would have thought that such a big event would happen just across the street from Dali Temple. Feeling that the atmosphere upstairs was different, several guards rushed up and watched nervously. watching this scene.
Fan Xian smiled.
The deputy secretary of Dali Temple smiled awkwardly.
Guo Zheng smiled very ugly.
Then a plate of dishes directly covered Guo Zheng's face, and the dish juice and broken porcelain flew together, and at the same time, they burst open on the face of the imperial historian, turned into countless rays, and sprayed out!
At the same time, blood was sprayed from Guo Zheng's face!
Fan Xian withdrew his hand, pressed it on the back of Guo Zheng's head, and pressed it directly into the hard pear flower table! A head made of flesh and blood was squeezed into such a hard tabletop!
With a click, a few fine lines appeared on the hard pear flower table top, Guo Zheng's cervical vertebra was completely broken, and blood seeped out from the gap between his face bone and the hard pear flower wood table, like black water.
He didn't even have time to snort, Master Guo Zheng, who had just made great contributions to the imperial court in the south of the Yangtze River and returned to Kyoto to take over as the Zuodu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, was slapped into the table by Fan Xian and turned into a dead man. Everyone looked at the deeply sunken head on the table and the blood mixed with the vegetable juice on the table, and couldn't speak, because no one could believe what they saw. They all thought it was just an illusion.
Kill people in the street! It was the official ordered by the court to kill! Killed a Zuodu censor in front of many officials!
This was something that had never happened in the capital of the Qing Dynasty, and it was something that no one could imagine. Everyone couldn't react at all. Just watching this scene was like watching a very ridiculous drama.
Finally an official came to his senses. He screamed in horror, then rolled his eyes white, and just passed out like this.
The guards rushed over and attacked Fan Xian, but only heard a few muffled slaps, and several fainted bodies appeared on the wooden boards on the second floor of the Xinfeng Pavilion, and Fan Xian still stood quietly by the table. It's like you never made a move at all.
The Deputy Secretary of Dali Temple pointed at Fan Xian tremblingly with his finger, as if he saw a demon from the underworld suddenly walking under the sunlight.
Fan Xian's eyes were expressionless, he looked at him indifferently and asked: "I heard that in the past month, under your instruction, Dali Temple has tortured my subordinates a lot. Three of my subordinates are in prison. Tortured to death by you?"
The Deputy Minister of Dali Temple suddenly yelled, and ran away like a rabbit, watching the momentum, this lord was going to jump over the railing, even if he fell seriously injured, he would run out of the Xinfeng Pavilion.
However, since Fan Xian had already started to attack, how could he be allowed to run away? There was only a gust of wind blowing through the pavilions of the Xinfeng Hall, and then there was a crisp bang and a muffled bang. After this break, the head was tragically smashed into the hard pear blossom table.
The blood began to flow down the tabletop, and the heads of the corpses of the two court officials were wedged into the tabletop, and it was difficult to get off. Their corpses were half kneeling on the ground, and the toes of the thick boots were still twitching. It looks terrible.
Killing two people in the street, the Xinfeng Pavilion was full of ghosts crying and gods howling, but Fan Xian turned around without changing his expression. At some point, a guy from the Xinfeng Pavilion came behind the crowd without anyone noticing, and handed over a hot towel.
Fan Xian took the towel and wiped his hands carefully, then threw the towel on the ground in disgust, took Dabao's hand and walked downstairs, and said to the guy, "You can start."
From the moment Fan Xian came to this table, to the time he killed the two court officials with the most cruel means, and then to the time he went downstairs to leave, he didn't even look at Hou Jichang.
Hou Jichang with a pale face trembled his lips, looked back from the stairs, and landed on the two corpses, looking at the things on the table that don't know whether they were brains or bean curds flowing in blood, feeling endless fear Occupying his whole body, he finally couldn't help but bend down and vomit uncontrollably.
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"Send uncle back home." Downstairs in the Xinfeng Hall, Fan Xian helped Dabao into the carriage, said something to Teng Zijing, and watched the black carriage drive towards Nancheng. But Fan Xian was alone, but started to walk in the direction of the imperial city.
Fan Xian was not worried about the safety of the carriage home, because there were six swordsmen along the way to protect it. As it was said in the Xinfeng Pavilion, killing people is to avenge the subordinates of the Overwatch Council. Although he is no longer the director of the Overwatch Council, in fact, as long as he is willing, he will always be the director of the Overwatch Council.
Shadow returned to the capital and reorganized the six assassins who had been hiding in the dark. With the arrival of Haitang, especially Wang Shisanlang, the palace had no way to prevent Fan Xian from re-contacting the Eighth Division of the Overwatch Council. People who are true to themselves. The Overwatch Council is already in a storm, so today may be the last glory of this gloomy courtyard.
This morning, in the name of the head of the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian issued the last order to the nails and assassins stationed everywhere in the Overwatch Council. He didn't know how many spies and officials would follow him, but Fan Xian believed that his subordinates would The sons and daughters of the company will certainly not let themselves down.
The cold wind of deep winter was blowing on the streets of Kyoto, and there was still a while before the time to enter the palace. Fan Xian walked along the streets alone, heading towards the imperial palace in the distance. He looked at the street scenes of Kyoto along the way, and breathed the air of Kyoto greedily, as if he wanted to engrave all this in his memory, even if he died, he would not forget it.
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Not long after Fan Xian left the Xinfeng Hall, the Overwatch Council, which had been closed all the time, suddenly went out, and more than a hundred Overwatch Council officials dressed in black official uniforms poured into their old room with a murderous look. Neighbors, now the most hateful new enemy - Dali Temple.
It has to be said that Fan Xian chose the seventh day of the lunar month, which was indeed the best time. It was not yet noon, but the officials in Dali Temple had already gone to have fun with the officials from various ministries. There was no resistance at all in front of these wolf-like Overwatch Council officials, and this happened to meet Fan Xian's expectation that not too many officials of the Qing Kingdom would shed blood because of this turmoil.
Those imperial officials who were about to die naturally had a reason to die. They were carefully selected targets by Fan Xian, and the purpose of occupying Dali Temple was to rescue those colleagues who had been imprisoned by the imperial court.
Fan Xian walked through the long street, turned around Shahe Street, bought a bunch of candied haws from the vendor, ate them with relish, and threw a piece of gold leaf casually, so he didn't bother to ask for change. It was because of the candied haws in that child's hand that he didn't get lost in Qingmiao.
At noon today, Minister of the Household Department was entertaining guests in Yishiju. He invited the minister of the Ministry of Punishment and several good friends. Unsurprisingly, they were all the backbone of the He family. Master Shang Shu stroked his short beard lightly, and felt a little proud of himself in the warm pavilion this winter. After three years of hard work, he finally cleared away the shadow left by his predecessor, Fan Jian, in the Ministry, and the independent kingdom belonging to the Fan Mansion ceased to exist. , He finally became the real Hubu Shangshu.
Although in order to resist the pressure from the Fan residence, he took the initiative and humbly stood by the side of the senior scholar, but he didn't feel humiliated, because He Zongwei was originally a senior scholar under his sect, and standing beside the senior scholar, It's an honor to stand in front of His Majesty the Emperor.
Originally, today's banquet should be more formal at night, but the disciples who went to He's mansion to inquire about the news heard it clearly, and after the next court meeting years ago, Master He also confessed that there are some things to do in the Sun Palace on Chuqi , I couldn't come to the banquet in person, so I moved the time to noon.
Although he was slightly disappointed, the Minister of the Household Department also felt relieved. He Dashi did not arrive, and he was the one with the highest rank among the officials at the table. Hearing the flattery in his ears, he felt so relieved
Especially when he thought of the fact that just now, the Ministry of Household Affairs had forcibly intervened in order to inherit the will of the Grand Master He, and played the Kyoto government government to death, forcing the hard-headed Sun Jingxiu to resign sadly. Entering the prison, Lord Shangshu began to feel as if he was about to die. What do you use to fight me? Isn't it because of giving birth to a good daughter? After your daughter is sold into the Jiaofang, I will secretly make your daughter want to die.
He was drunk, and when Master Hubu was circling around the words "desiring to be immortal and dying", he didn't notice a sly and sinister gleam in the eyes of the woman who served everyone in the warm pavilion.
Master Shangshu certainly didn't know that the poison in the Wuliangye he drank was enough to make him want to die countless times.
On the seventh day of the first lunar month in the eleventh year of Qingli, a fire broke out in Yishiju, and the Nuan Pavilion was completely ruined. Several key officials of the He faction, including the Minister of the Ministry of Households and the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, were killed in the fire and died of alcohol.
When the fire broke out, Fan Xian had already finished eating candied haws, and walked to the beautiful Tianhe Street with a newly bought black cloth umbrella. He randomly threw the bamboo stick with sugar residue into the green pond beside the street, which was extremely clean and the running water was falling. He shrugged his shoulders, not blaming himself for his actions of polluting the environment.
Then he glanced at the black stone tablet at the main entrance of the Overwatch Council, which was being demolished, and the fewer and fewer gold letters on that stone tablet, stared at it for a moment, and shook his head.
Suddenly a gust of wind blew by, and the snowflakes began to float down.
The snowflakes fell on the deserted door of He's residence. University scholar He was upright and honest, and hated people giving gifts the most, so he raised two vicious dogs at the gate of the mansion. Lord Ruohai's initiative can't help but secretly slander and laugh at the scholar He's picking up people's teeth, but no matter what, these two vicious dogs still earned him a lot of fame.
The two dogs were annoyed by the slowly falling snowflakes, and barked desperately at the sky. The frozen dog barked at the snow, but it didn't help at all, the snow was still falling slowly and firmly.
Two screams were heard, two vicious dogs fell to the ground, and a dozen assassins dressed in common people's clothes vigilantly controlled the surroundings of Qing Jing He's mansion, and then quietly entered the mansion.
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Fan Xian squinted at the sky, opened the black cloth umbrella, covered his eyes, and covered the sky.
The snowflakes accumulated on the black cloth umbrella and melted a little too fast, which made him a little unhappy. Walking like this, he came to the front of the imperial city. He didn't go to the main gate to wait for the pass, but walked around the root of the imperial city. The outside of the humble bungalow.
Fan Xian pushed the door open, brushed off the snowflakes from his body and head, carefully placed the black cloth umbrella dripping with snow at the door, and said with a smile to the stunned officials inside, "Long time no see."
Sitting on the warm kang, studying all kinds of memorials carefully, Master He slowly raised his head, glanced at the uninvited guest at the door, and frowned.