(A bit delirious from the illness, the left side of my head is throbbing painfully, so this is much later than usual, sorry. If I can't hold on tomorrow and need to rest, I'll ask everyone for leave, thank you.)

...

...

Fei Jie silently looked at the old man in the wheelchair. He knew that Dean Chen had a clear enough understanding of his own body that he couldn't bring himself to say any comforting words.

The Supervisory Council was the darkest part of the newborn Qing Kingdom back then. The only person left in this world who truly understood most of its history and knew Chen Pingping's intentions was this Grandmaster of Poison.

"Mid-year," Chen Pingping emphasized, stressing the time. "Once you leave Kyoto, don't come back. I know you've traveled all over the world, but you've always hoped to one day take a sea ship to those foreigners' lands and see how they make their medicines. Since you have this wish... you should go sooner rather than later."

Fei Jie didn't speak for the moment. He knew that with the role he had played in the military, the events in the palace couldn't possibly affect him. The Dean was urging him to leave Qing and board a sea ship so he could fulfill his life's ambition and escape that matter before it exploded.

Even though he was old, he still had ideals.

"I should have gone long ago," Fei Jie said with a smile. "But I took in a student and I'm always a little concerned."

"Go," Chen Pingping said sincerely. "In life, you should do what you like, otherwise, when you get old and crippled, you won't be able to move even if you want to. I don't believe in the karmic retribution spoken of by the Temple, but you've killed so many people in your life, it's bound to attract attention… Of the three old poison masters, Xiao En is already dead, and I heard that the one in Dongyi City suddenly fell ill. You're the only one left, you have to survive."

After a long silence, Fei Jie asked, "I'll listen to you. I'll set sail from Dongyi City mid-year."

Chen Pingping glanced at him and smiled wearily, "Why not leave from Quanzhou?"

"First, that place has too many old memories, and I don't like reminiscing about the past," Fei Jie said. "Second, since I'm going to sea alone, I don't want His Majesty or Fan Xian to know where I'm going."

Chen Pingping nodded.

...

...

Fei Jie was a very special character within the Supervisory Council. He had resigned from his position in the Third Bureau many years ago and should now be considered a type of honored guest of the Council. The current head of the Third Bureau was his junior, and the Commissioner, Fan Xian, was his student. For many years, he had been Chen Pingping's arm, partner, and friend, so he was very detached within the Council.

Although a room was still reserved for him in the basement of that square building for drug testing and research, he rarely went there. His daily work of preparing medicines and brewing poisons was done in a courtyard in a corner of Kyoto.

This courtyard was a solitary research department. All expenses were, of course, paid by the Supervisory Council, and the corresponding servants and apprentices were also members of the Supervisory Council.

The research results of a Grandmaster of Poison were naturally quite valuable. Whether it was the arrow poison needed by the military or the poisons needed in the backyards of princes and nobles for jealousy, murder, and silencing, they were all objects of desire.

However, the defenses of this courtyard were not very strict. Because Fei Jie's fearsome reputation as a poison master was well-known, neither the enemies of Northern Qi and Dongyi nor the nobles within Qing dared to play the thief in the courtyard. Who knew what poisonous insects Fei Jie had raised in the courtyard, or what poisonous powder he had spread?

The apprentices and servants serving Fei Jie were naturally not worried about this. They all wore antidote pills, so even if they accidentally ingested poison, there would be no danger to their lives.

However, the people in Fei Jie's courtyard often faced economic danger. Because researching poisons and purchasing rare raw materials always required large sums of money, and in previous years, the Imperial Treasury's output was insufficient, and the Supervisory Council sometimes failed to allocate funds in time. Fei Jie, however, was unwilling to wait when conducting experiments, so the apprentices' monthly salaries were often deducted, and Fei Jie often forgot to make up for them afterward, and the apprentices dared not ask… Therefore, their lives were not very pleasant.

Cats have their ways, and rats have their paths. As members of the vast organization serving Qing, people always found all sorts of ways to earn extra money and fill their pockets.

The apprentices in the courtyard were no exception. What they relied on was their understanding of poisons. Although they didn't dare enter that small room and sell Fei Jie's cherished research results, some inconspicuous little things became their way to make money. In the past decade or so, assassins, senior wives, and mistresses all over the world shared the Supervisory Council's poisons through different channels.

At the same time, money flowed here.

However, the danger of selling poison was too great. No one knew where the poison would be sold. So later, the apprentices began stealing Fei Jie's prescriptions to sell. At first, business wasn't very good, because not many people dared to use Fei Jie's prescriptions. Until Fan Xian, as Fei Jie's personally taught disciple, healed himself in the Imperial Palace, and later Fan Ruoruo inherited her brother's skills and began lecturing at the Imperial Medical Academy… Fei Jie's ability to cure diseases was truly recognized by the market.

Selling medicine was good, safe, and without future troubles.

Five or six months ago, an apprentice of Fei Jie's had sold a prescription, and this prescription had brought him great financial benefits. He sold this prescription to the famous Huichun Tang in Kyoto, and was extra careful when selling it. He did not reveal any clues on the prescription, nor did he show his face to the other party. It was simply a case of one hand exchanging money for goods.

Four months ago, this apprentice suddenly fell seriously ill. Perhaps he had been infected by prolonged contact with poisons. Several treatments were ineffective, and he coughed up blood and died in bed.

Before that apprentice died, Huichun Tang had already successfully developed the first pill based on that prescription. After confirming the efficacy on a certain test subject, the old manager of Huichun Tang wisely turned the existence of this medicine into Huichun Tang's greatest secret, but he did not discover the side effects of the medicine at all.

He knew that many princes and nobles in Kyoto needed this medicine, and this was Huichun Tang's means of gaining a foothold in Kyoto. That old manager would certainly not be foolish enough to let the prescription leak out, and only sent one pill to the backer through secret connections.

The backer of Huichun Tang was a sixth-rank official in the Taichang Temple. This official had always been extremely careful, and did not let his relationship with Huichun Tang be revealed. After he confirmed the effectiveness of this medicine, a surge of excitement from the inside out immediately occupied his face.

The Taichang Temple was responsible for the relevant affairs of the royal family and clan, and often moved around the palace, so he vaguely knew about the Crown Prince's so-called hidden illness over the years. This official vaguely saw the possibility of his own meteoric rise, but… he was unwilling to just be a medicine provider.

So he found another member of the clan through roundabout means, and sent the medicine over, of course without saying that it was the result of his own pharmacy's research and development, but only said that he had searched hard several times, and finally found this medicine in foreign goods from Dongyi City.

When that member of the clan heard what he said, his eyes lit up naturally.

The Taichang Temple official naturally had to say that he did not have a prescription, and needed to continue searching.

He had a clear idea of what he was planning in his heart. As long as this medicine was in his hands, the noble person in the Eastern Palace would always need him, and his current future, and his future future, would naturally be great.

That member of the clan knew exactly what this Taichang Temple official was thinking, but he did not point it out. He stroked his beard and smiled several times, praising him several times, and only said that he would take the medicine himself, and would never say that the medicine would be sent to the palace.

They both knew what the other was thinking.

From then on, the wonderful elixir "personally researched and refined" by the old manager of Huichun Tang, was sent by the "hard searching" Taichang Temple official through hard work, to the clan's residence "needing medicine to replenish strength", and then sent into the palace through secret channels.

With tea, it was sent into the Crown Prince's thin lips.

One pill every ten days, never interrupted.

All of this was done very secretly, and even if someone investigated, it would be cut off on a certain line at any time. However, no one on this line knew that from the beginning, all the relationships, all the possibilities on this line had been calculated. They thought they were being secretive, and thought they had everything under control, but little did they know that they themselves were actually pawns being controlled.

...

...

In the small courtyard, Fan Xian left Wang Qinian, who was lost in thought, and walked to the well. Deng Ziyue had been waiting outside, and when he saw that he was free, he quickly came up to report, his face naturally showing a few traces of reluctance and slight nervousness.

He was going to Northern Qi tomorrow to take over Wang Qinian's position as the head of the Northern spies. Although this position was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Bureau, it had always been directly responsible to the Dean or Commissioner. It was an extremely important position. After Yan Bingyun came Wang Qinian, and after Wang Qinian came him. He knew in his heart that his ability was not in this area, and he was afraid that his actions in the north would be significantly different from the previous two adults, so he sincerely asked Lord Fan for instructions on what matters he should pay attention to on this trip.

"Everyone in the world knows you're my confidant," Fan Xian instructed. "You can't hide this from the people of Northern Qi, and you don't need to... It's just that you can't get rid of the Embroidered Uniform Guards behind you at any time like Wang Qinian, so you have to be more careful than him."

He paused and said, "So you have to get used to playing the role of a diplomatic official. There are many types of spies. Young Master Yan was a covert spy, Wang Qinian was half covert and half overt, and you can only be an overt spy... Unless there are special circumstances, do not use the network in the north. For related documents, just use secret letters via the mail route. You are careful enough, and there is a lot of intelligence that does not need to be secretly inquired about. You only need to attend more banquets and chat more with the nobles of Northern Qi to detect it."

Deng Ziyue was slightly stunned. Lord Fan's novel statement immediately opened another door in his mind. Spies… couldn't they just not eavesdrop?

"Currently, the relationship between the two countries is in a honeymoon period," Fan Xian said with a smile. "Keep this in mind as the goal and do not ruin the reputation of the people of Northern Qi too badly."

Deng Ziyue nodded and asked, "How do I sort out the network in the north? My identity is too obvious, as you said earlier, and I am not very good at making contact."

"Lin Wen or Lin Jing? They should still be in Shangjing City now. They are old hands and will explain the precautions to you." Fan Xian thought for a moment and said, "I have already told you about the first level privately, but don't go to that place... If there is anything to explain, go find Si Zhe. His subordinates have a business network that makes it easier to pass messages to the first level."

Deng Ziyue knew that the first level was the oil shop that Lord Fan had mentioned privately a few days ago, and thought that the Lord's arrangement was appropriate, so he nodded.

"Any private messages going south to me should go through Xia Mingji," Fan Xian thought for a moment and said, "Baoyuelou's branch in Shangjing will also open soon, and when that time comes, I will tell them to contact you."

Deng Ziyue thought that the Lord had already arranged everything, and he really didn't need to spend too much thought. Fan Xian looked at his calm face, but a faint apology surged in his heart. Letting Deng Ziyue go to Northern Qi with such a clear identity was actually to make it inconvenient for him to contact the spy network in Northern Qi, and to give his brother a chance to reach into it, and at the same time, let Baoyuelou get involved.

Deng Ziyue had never suspected Lord Fan's intentions, but Fan Xian had a somewhat absurd idea in mind, wondering if he could turn the Qing Kingdom's Northern Qi spy network into his own ears and eyes.

This network was too important for Si Zhe's business and for his transactions with Northern Qi.

He coughed lightly twice and said, "This time I will send three hundred Black Riders to escort you across Cangzhou. Naturally, someone from Northern Qi will pick you up there. In addition to the affairs of the Imperial Court, the most important thing is that you must bring this guy of mine alive into Shangjing City. After entering Shangjing City, do not look for anyone else, go directly to Tianyi Taoist Temple to find Haitang. Just listen to her arrangement for the rest of the matter."

Fan Xian looked up at the young man in the corner of the courtyard who was chopping wood with his upper body bare. The young man was full of vigor, but his eyebrows and eyes still had a hint of immaturity. He didn't know how old he was.

Deng Ziyue followed his gaze and frowned, "Miss Haitang can naturally arrange it, but… what will the people of Northern Qi think when they find out?"

Fan Xian said with a calm expression, "The thoughts of the people of Northern Qi are none of our business. I am just sending the person over."

Deng Ziyue hesitated for a moment, and then said tentatively, "But if he is sent back to Si Lili… how will we control her in the future?"

He was Fan Xian's confidant, so he naturally knew the story of how Lord Commissioner had forcibly snatched this young man from Dean Chen back then, and he also knew that this inconspicuous young man, this young man who had been locked up in the small courtyard for almost two years, was actually the younger brother of Si Lili, the Imperial Concubine of Northern Qi.

"There are many types of control. I don't need this method now, so I might as well be generous. It will be more comfortable for everyone to cooperate with each other," Fan Xian said with a smile, but in his heart, he was thinking that his interests with Northern Qi were already intertwined. Whether a hostage was there or not didn't really make a big difference. Si Lili's younger brother had long lost his importance.

Deng Ziyue had no further objections.

Fan Xian waved and summoned the young man over, looked at the young man's face, which still had unpolished resentment and hatred, and said gently, "You are going to Shangjing soon. Is there anything you want to buy for your sister?"

The young man spat on the ground.

Fan Xian and Deng Ziyue both laughed. Fan Xian looked at him and shook his head, "Change your temper after you go to Shangjing… I don't want you to cause trouble for your sister. Also, don't blame me for locking you up for two years… You also know about your background. If I hadn't locked you up, you would have died long ago… Well, remember to say hello to your sister for me when you see her in Shangjing."

Suddenly, he thought of the journey he had taken with Si Lili in the same carriage two years ago, his thoughts flickered slightly, and then he calmed down and said, "Say thank you for me."

The young man didn't quite understand, and scratched his head. He had only met Fan Xian a few times, and had been locked up in the courtyard all along. He didn't know the rumors outside, but he knew that this young and powerful figure must be an important minister in Qing, but he seemed a bit too young… He was a little surprised that this official surnamed Fan seemed to be very familiar with his long-lost sister, as if they had a friendship.

Hearing this person say this, should he really be grateful to him? The young man scratched his head again.

...

...

As dusk fell, Fan Xian and Wang Qinian left the courtyard and got into the carriage. In the carriage, Fan Xian looked ahead and said with a sly smile, "Old Wang, your home is also in this area. Why are you always unwilling to invite me to sit down?"

Wang Qinian looked at the smile on his face, his heart was bitter. Thinking of the threat the Lord made at the end when he secretly read the love letters between the Lord and Haitang, he said in a trembling voice, "My Lord, my daughter is still young… maybe in a few years."

Fan Xian was stunned and almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He glared at the old guy angrily, thinking, what kind of delicate woman can you produce with your appearance?

It was just a joke, but Wang Qinian's skill in playing the straight man had obviously dropped a lot because he was worried.

The carriage stopped at the back door of Wang Qinian's house. There was no one in the carriage, and there was no one in the house.

Two ordinary-looking people wearing coarse cotton-padded jackets appeared in an alley opposite the residence of a clan member in the South City. The two men were standing half-crouched on the ground, sleeves in hands, chatting idly, but the content of their chat did not seem very casual.

"This is the one. Almost all of the Empress's relatives are dead. This is a very distant relative."

"What's the use of knowing that?"

"If medicine is being sent in, then there must be a pattern to it. I need to know how often the person in the palace needs the medicine." Fan Xian, dressed as a commoner, spat on the ground and said, "This medicine can't strengthen the yang, but it can strengthen the courage. That lord's courage depends on this medicine. If you want to catch an adulterer, you have to figure out the regular time of the adulterous act…"