(Updates have been unstable, as I mentioned at the beginning of the month. Whose life doesn't have important events? I made it clear on the 1st that updates would be fewer this month and sincerely asked everyone to give their monthly votes to other writers. I didn't expect so many people to bring it up even now. Let them talk, but there are a few who keep shouting about what they're going to do...)

(Ah, why bother? Why suffer? It's not easy for anyone, let's be more tolerant of each other.)

...

...

It was unclear whose daughter she was, trembling under the faintly blood-scented black dagger, pitifully, her two arched brows slightly furrowed, clutching her chest as if wanting to cry out.

This girl was unfamiliar and frail. Fan Xian didn't recognize her and didn't feel a trace of pity. Watching the pale-faced girl open her mouth as if to scream, he swiftly covered her mouth with his left hand, then flicked his fingertip, preparing to seal her meridians and temporarily immobilize her…

However, before his fingertip touched her, Fan Xian was surprised to find that the strange young lady he was restraining merely whimpered in his palm and fainted.

Fan Xian paused, gently pressing his finger on the girl's neck to confirm that she had genuinely fainted and wasn't pretending. He couldn't help but retract his hand, settling her back in the chair. He frowned at his fingertip, wondering how the young lady had fainted before he'd even had a chance to apply the sleeping draught.

The frown between his brows remained, as Fan Xian was focused on listening to the shouts outside the manor. He listened quietly, ready to take the next step once the pursuers entered the manor.

However, to his surprise, the commotion outside the manor didn't last long. After a brief exchange, the soldiers who were chasing him left.

Fan Xian was slightly startled. He walked to the window and looked out at the front entrance of the manor, frowning. He wondered who lived in this residence that could command such trust from the Princess Royal's forces. At this critical moment, who could evade the search of the Kyoto Prefecture?

Although the manor was not small, its design suggested it didn't belong to any prince or duke's family, but likely to a minister in the court. He frowned, thinking for a long time, but couldn't recall any minister on the Princess Royal's side living in this neighborhood.

Although he couldn't guess the owner of the residence, now that the pursuers were gone, Fan Xian relaxed slightly, finally finding some time to observe the room he was in.

He wouldn't have been so surprised if he hadn't looked closely, but a careful examination shocked Fan Xian, just as he had been when he mistook the boudoir for a study and when he first encountered the strange young lady.

Because… the boudoir was not only filled with bookshelves, unlike the room of a young lady. There was not a single item of needlework. Moreover, on the pillars on either side of the desk, there were two couplets that Fan Xian found unusually familiar.

"Tender chill locks dreams because of spring's cold; Fragrant aroma envelops people, it is the scent of wine."

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, unable to resist glancing at the young lady who was unconscious in the chair. He thought to himself that this was not good. The couplet was written by Qin Guan, a scholar of the Great Song Dynasty in that world. And the reason it would appear in this world, in this young lady's boudoir, was naturally thanks to Fan Xian's hand-copied *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

The couplet had once appeared in Qin Keqing's room in the book. The reason Fan Xian felt it was inappropriate was that Qin Keqing was so charming and dissipated in dreams. Hanging this couplet in her room suited her character. The couplet and the young lady's innocent appearance, and the scholarly atmosphere of the boudoir, simply did not match.

The dense rows of books on the bookshelves were the second reason for Fan Xian's shock. The bookshelves didn't hold *Biographies of Exemplary Women*, textbooks from girls' schools, or the most widely circulated poems and biographies. They contained…

*Ban Xian Zhai Poetry Collection*, various editions of the *Ban Xian Zhai Poetry Collection*, especially the edition with Master Zhuang Mohan's personal annotations, of which there were three complete sets.

There were also three whole rows of Zhuang's editions of classics and historical records personally proofread by Fan Xian a year ago, compiled by the Imperial Academy. These were the results of organizing part of the books from that carriage.

And the most numerous books on the shelves… were *Dream of the Red Chamber*, or rather, *The Story of the Stone*, in various editions, long and short, elegantly and crudely packaged. Most were published by Danbo Bookstore over the past three years, but there were also works from unknown small bookstores.

Fan Xian stood blankly in front of the bookshelves, looking at these books that emitted a faint ink fragrance, and for some reason, he fell into silence. He didn't know which family this unconscious young lady belonged to, nor did he know why this young lady valued his writings left in the world so much.

Faintly, Fan Xian sniffed, seeming to have completely forgotten that he was in dangerous Kyoto, planning a bloody conspiracy. He just looked at these books calmly. For a moment, he suddenly felt very satisfied.

People always die, and he had lived twice, possessing two completely different lives. It was more wonderful than the Creator's gift. And he had left these words, these spiritual things, in this world of Qing, so even if he died today, how much regret would there be?

The words were not his, and the spiritual wealth was not his, Fan Xian's. However, all of this, he brought from that world and gave to this world.

Fan Xian suddenly felt proud, proud of being a bridge, proud of leaving behind certain traces. This was perhaps very similar to Ye Qingmei's feelings when she changed this world.

...

...

Night had long fallen outside the window, with only the moonlight filtering in. People in this era usually ate dinner very early, and the young lady was probably used to being alone, so not a single maid or servant came into the room to check on her during this time, allowing Fan Xian a rare moment of solitude to reflect.

He had now emerged from the emotions that had suddenly appeared earlier. He walked to the desk, looking at the fresh ink on the snowy white rice paper, at the fragmented sentences copied on the paper, and couldn't help but smile in a way that was both subtle and knowing.

His internal *qi* was abundant, and his six senses were extraordinary, so he didn't need to light a candle, nor did he have to worry about being discovered.

"Everyone says the author is foolish, but who understands the flavor within?" Fan Xian said to himself, looking at the handwriting on the paper, thinking that this young lady was truly a fool. Judging by the delicate and spirited handwriting on the paper, perhaps this young lady possessed some inner wisdom.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a touch of red in the compartment below the side of the desk. He curiously reached out and took it out. It was a thin book, with a wordless red cover, about eight inches square. Fan Xian gently opened the cover and saw the four large characters "Feng Yue Bao Jian (Mirror of Love and Lust)" written on the title page. He couldn't help but be filled with many emotions.

It was this book.

He recalled when he first entered Kyoto, in front of a Shi Ju tavern, he bought this copy of *Dream of the Red Chamber* from the child seller, it was one of the first pirated versions in this world.

Fan Xian stared blankly at the book in his hand, never expecting to reunite with an old friend here. In an instant, his life in Kyoto and Jiangnan over the past few years flashed through his mind like fleeting shadows, leaving him speechless. He gradually realized that even if he were reborn, he would ultimately be no match for Kyoto's fame and fortune, and had long forgotten his initial bright mood, long gone were those witty yet carefree days.

"I wonder which family this young lady belongs to." He savored these thoughts in his heart, holding the book and subconsciously looking at the face of the girl in the chair.

Only now did he realize that the girl was extremely pretty, especially the skin on her face, which was exceptionally clean. There was an inexplicable sense of aloofness between her brows, making her look like snow on a distant mountain, almost reflecting light. Fan Xian squinted slightly and couldn't help but think of his sister Ruoruo, who was always as cold as ice in front of outsiders, and his wife Wan'er, who was now trapped in the palace.

The young lady's still cold expression in her unconscious state seemed to capture a bit of Ruoruo and Wan'er's spirits.

Fan Xian smiled as he looked at the girl's face, suddenly noticing that the girl's eyelids moved slightly. He knew that she was finally about to wake up.

...

...

Sun Pin'er slowly woke up, but her eyelids felt as heavy as lead. She only remembered that after eating, she returned to her room for a nap, preparing to carefully copy the poem once again, to burn it in the garden tomorrow to worship His Majesty. Unexpectedly, a clamor arose outside the residence, it seemed that the Kyoto Prefecture was arresting a wanted criminal, and then that man rushed in…

That black dagger was so cold, and those hands had such a heavy smell of blood, as well as a strong masculine scent.

Sun Pin'er had never been treated so rudely in her life. The smell of sweat from the hands covering her mouth and nose overwhelmed her, causing her to feel ashamed and angry. Unable to catch her breath, she fainted!

She didn't know how long she had been unconscious, but she finally woke up and slowly opened her eyes. She vaguely saw a face, a handsome, kind, young man's face with an irritating smile looking at her. There were no lights in the room, only the faint moonlight from outside the window, which made the face appear even more pure and gentle.

Sun Pin'er's heart tightened. Her eyes were full of horror as she subconsciously shrank back into the chair, preparing to open her mouth and scream. But the horror in her eyes turned into a hint of confusion and helplessness.

Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered who this young man was. He seemed unfamiliar, but why did he look so familiar?

It was as if she had seen him somewhere a long time ago.

Seeing the girl in the chair slowly open her eyes, with such complicated emotions flashing in her eyes, yet not crying out, Fan Xian was a little surprised. He smiled at her, retracting the finger he had been ready to strike. He had no sleeping draught, as he needed a conscious hostage.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

The two spoke at the same time. Fan Xian tilted his head slightly, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Shouldn't I be a robber?"

Sun Pin'er looked at this handsome young man, slightly dazed. She always felt that there was nothing but tenderness in the other person's eyebrows. He didn't seem like a robber at all, but she also knew that her reaction was a little strange. She couldn't help but feel ashamed and flustered. She held her hands in front of her, and said in a trembling voice, "I don't care who you are, but please don't mess around. It won't do you any good."

"Miss, you are very calm. I admire that." Fan Xian looked at her with extremely gentle eyes, and said softly, "Generally, the daughters of ordinary families would probably scream out as soon as they wake up, which would bring tragic consequences that we both don't want to see. Miss, your self-control is so strong, I really admire it."

Sun Pin'er's face felt slightly hot, thinking that she had been about to call out, but when she saw this… vaguely familiar face from a past life, she didn't know why, but she didn't shout.

"Girl, don't panic. I just need a place to hide temporarily. I promise, I will definitely not hurt you."

Fan Xian said softly, gently placing the red-covered *The Story of the Stone* on the table. He could have knocked this girl unconscious, but he had a premonition in his heart that perhaps talking to this girl would bring him great benefits.

"Hide?" Sun Pin'er lowered her head in fear, glancing at the intruder's clothes out of the corner of her eye. She wondered who this person was? Who was he hiding from? Suddenly, she thought of the major event that had occurred in Kyoto these past few days, of the legendary appearance of that person, and glanced again at the *The Story of the Stone* that the person had gently placed on the table.

Sun Pin'er's face turned pale in an instant. It wasn't that she was smart, nor that she was lucky, but that for the past few years, her heart had been occupied by that name. She was always concerned about his every move, especially since that person had recently been plunged into the abyss, becoming a traitor whom everyone wanted to kill, which made her extremely painful - so she was able to connect with that person in the first place, making the closest guess to the truth.

"Is it him?"

Sun Pin'er's lips trembled slightly as she bravely raised her head and looked seriously at Fan Xian's face, but she couldn't say anything.

Fan Xian looked at her curiously, and asked gently, "Girl, may I ask which family you are from?"

Sun Pin'er had already determined that this person was that person. Under the excitement of her heart, she couldn't say a word, she just stared at Fan Xian foolishly, and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you Master Fan?"

...

...

Then it was Fan Xian's turn to be stunned. Although the disguise he had done wasn't too exaggerated, he was convinced that people who weren't too familiar with him definitely wouldn't be able to recognize him. But why did this young lady recognize him at a glance and call out his name? Fan Xian's heart tightened, and his eyes turned cold.

Seeing that he didn't deny it, Sun Pin'er was even more flustered. Only then did she think of the question he had asked earlier. She bit her lip shyly and said, "My father is Sun Jingxiu."

"Sun Jingxiu!"

Fan Xian gasped, unable to resist rubbing his nose. He opened his mouth wide, and couldn't say a word for a long time, marveling in his heart whether his luck was extremely good or extremely bad.

Sun Jingxiu! The current Prefect of Kyoto! In charge of the yamen and daily security of Kyoto, the chief official ordered by the Empress Dowager to arrest him... He never expected that he would hide in Sun's residence, and also capture Sun Jingxiu's daughter!

Fan Xian sighed, looked at Sun's young lady, and said, "So it's Miss Sun, I hope I haven't frightened you."

His brows furrowed. Sun Jingxiu was now a Right Second Rank Prefect of Kyoto. Although he had never had any factional affiliations, he had no ties with him. Especially since the Empress Dowager trusted this person so much, staying in this residence was no different from being in a tiger's den. For safety's sake, he had to leave as soon as possible.

He glanced at Sun's young lady, and secretly reached out his finger, picking up a bit of the chloroform that had once drugged Si Lili, Xiao En, and Yan Bingyun, preparing to knock Miss Sun unconscious and then leave quietly.

"Are you Master Fan?" Sun Pin'er bit her lip, persistently asking.

Fan Xian stood in front of her, with an inexplicable smile on his face, and asked curiously, "Why was Miss able to recognize me at a glance?"

Hearing his disguised admission, Sun Pin'er covered her mouth in disbelief. For some reason, two tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.

Fan Xian shook his head inexplicably.

Sun Pin'er saw that he was about to leave. She suddenly sat up from the chair, rushed over, and hugged him tightly!

...

...

Feeling the soft fragrance in his arms, Fan Xian was really dumbfounded. Was this Miss Sun a patriotic young woman, preparing to risk her life to arrest him, the assassin who had attempted to kill the Emperor?

No, the girl in his arms was crying. She didn't seem like she was going to catch him, so what exactly did she want to do?

Fan Xian's *qi* circulated to his hands. He didn't try to pry apart her shoulders, but only felt the twitching of her shoulders. He couldn't help but feel puzzled. This seemed to have fallen into some kind of man-woman issue, but Fan Xian's memory was amazing. He asked himself if he had ever owed a woman surnamed Sun in his life. In fact, he had never even met this person!

"Baoyu…" Sun Pin'er sobbed in Fan Xian's arms, and suddenly said two words as if in a dream.

Fan Xian was startled and pushed her away from his arms, saying softly, "Girl, please wake up."

Please wake up, and Sun Pin'er woke up. She cried out in surprise, and suddenly retreated, thinking that she had unexpectedly rushed into a strange man's arms in such an indecent way. She felt both happy, shocked, ashamed, and angry, and sobbed as she sat down in the chair.

Fan Xian frowned as he watched this scene, and he seemed to have vaguely grasped something in his heart. The Prefect of Kyoto? Sun's young lady? This room full of *Dream of the Red Chamber* and *Ban Xian Zhai Poetry Collection*, the word Baoyu that the young lady had unintentionally shouted out earlier...

In a flash, Fan Xian finally remembered a long-ago incident, a story that had once been widely circulated in Kyoto.

"You are the one who… how could you burn my Baoyu!"

Fan Xian said in surprise, looking at Sun's young lady.

Sun Pin'er was shocked to be recognized by Fan Xian. She lowered her head and shyly glanced at him.

...

...

This was a story that Fan Sizhe had told Fan Xian three and a half years ago. At that time, the two brothers were preparing to initially form Danbo Bookstore to sell Fan Xian's hand-copied *Dream of the Red Chamber*. Fan Xian was worried about the sales of *The Story of the Stone*, and Fan Sizhe told him to rest assured, because *The Story of the Stone* had already become popular in Kyoto, especially corrupting many daughters of wealthy families.

Among these young ladies, the most famous was the daughter of the Kyoto Vice-Prefect, who, after reading *Dream of the Red Chamber*, became listless and dazed. As a result, the Vice-Prefect's wife burned the manuscript in one fell swoop. The young lady cried out in pain, "How could you burn my Baoyu!" ... and became seriously ill, lingering on the bed for a long time.

This matter had been talked about in Kyoto for who knows how long, and it was a bright spot in Fan Xian's supreme reputation that year.

...

...

Fan Xian looked at the shyly lowered head of Sun's young lady in the chair, and couldn't help but sigh and shake his head, thinking that no wonder this young lady was so excited after knowing his identity, and that this boudoir was arranged in this way. It turned out that the other party was his number one fan... no, it should be said that she was a girl who had contracted Red Chamber Syndrome, a poor person who had been driven crazy by Brother Baoyu.

He looked at Miss Sun and said gently, "Wasn't the manuscript burned?"

Sun Pin'er shyly raised her head, glanced at the red-covered *The Story of the Stone* on the desk, and said in a mosquito-like voice, "I bought a copy later, and I got better."

"Kyoto Vice-Prefect… Sun Daren is now the Prefect of Kyoto. It's hard for me to connect the two."

Fan Xian said with a smile, thinking to himself that although the Vice-Prefect was only two ranks away from the Prefect, the power was worlds apart, especially in a key place like Kyoto. It was extremely difficult for an ordinary Vice-Prefect to climb to the position of Prefect, especially since only three years had passed.

Sun Pin'er glanced at him and said softly, "I still have to thank Master Fan for this."

"Thank me?"

"Yes."

After some conversation, Fan Xian understood that ever since he entered Kyoto, he had caused countless incidents. The Kyoto Prefect of the time, Mei Zhili, was forced to leave Kyoto because of the lawsuit between Fan Xian and the son of Minister of Rites Guo Youzhi. Now he heard that he was leisurely holding a sinecure in Yanjing. The Kyoto Prefect who succeeded him was also involved in the killing and silencing incident in the power struggle between Fan Xian and the Second Prince, and was dismissed and investigated.

In less than three years, the Prefect of Kyoto had been replaced several times. It was precisely because of this that Sun Jingxiu was able to climb from Vice-Prefect to the position of Kyoto Prefect, so it was not wrong for Miss Sun to say that all of this was thanks to Fan Xian.

Fan Xian quietly looked at Sun's young lady, his mind working extremely fast. The position of Kyoto Prefect was extremely special. He suddenly encountered this young lady by chance. Was it Heaven helping him?

...

...

"Miss Sun, do you believe me?" Fan Xian looked at Sun Pin'er with eyes that were so sincere that they seemed dull, and pure as could be.

"Master, you can call me Pin'er." Sun Pin'er said, lowering her head.

"Pin'er?" Fan Xian's heart stirred, knowing that there was two more points of certainty in this matter, and said softly, "Now I am wanted by the court..."

"I don't believe it!" Sun Pin'er raised her head in a panic, and said first.

"I am a bad..."

"You are not."

Sun Pin'er bit her lip, looking at Fan Xian's face, which was close at hand. She didn't know that this was the effect of Fan Xian's disguise. She only felt that her dream of three years seemed to have become a reality at this moment. That man in the dream had come to her, she could see him, she could hear his voice, and even... she had smelled the sweat on his palm earlier!

A burst of panic and a burst of joy, in Sun Pin'er's heart, how could Master Fan be a bad person who assassinated His Majesty? She had never even thought of it that way.

With the conversation reaching this point, what else was there to worry about? Fan Xian looked at her gently, and said softly and shamelessly, word by word, "Pin'er... girl, there is something I need you to help me with."

Sun Pin'er bit her lip, nodded vigorously, and then said softly, "Hurry up and light the lamp."

It was unclear whether she felt that the moonlight outside the window was too dim to see the face of her dream idol, or whether she was reminding Fan Xian not to arouse the suspicion of the servants in Sun's residence.

--------------------------------------------------

"The whole world is looking for you, but no one would have thought that you would actually hide in the residence of Kyoto Prefect Sun Daren... Master, we have known each other for two years, and only at this moment do I truly admire you." Under the candlelight, a young man sat opposite Fan Xian, and shook his head.

Fan Xian smiled and looked at him, and said, "Young Master Yan, have you finally learned to admire people?"

The visitor was the first person Fan Xian contacted after entering Kyoto, Yan Bingyun. However, since Fan Xian returned to Kyoto, he had not had a suitable residence, so this was the first time the two had met. As for how Yan Bingyun managed to get rid of the surveillance of the inner court and quietly come to the Sun residence, which would never attract attention, it was not a problem that Fan Xian needed to worry about. As the sole candidate for the next Director of the Supervisory Council, he wouldn't even have this bit of skill.

Yan Bingyun looked at him and said, "Not only do I admire you, but I'm afraid the Princess Royal also admires you. Kyoto Prefect Sun Daren is ordered to arrest you, but you are hiding in his daughter's boudoir..."

Fan Xian spread his hands, and shrugged: "My luck has always been better than others."

After a slight pause, he added in a serious tone: "Perhaps this is not luck, after all, this is the benefit that my past has brought me."

Yan Bingyun moved forward in the chair, crossed his hands in front of his legs, rubbed them, glanced at the big bed behind the boudoir, and frowned, "With a major event at hand, we shouldn't be concerned with minor matters, but Master, you... how do you plan to use... this girl?"

He spoke in a very low voice, not worried about being heard by Miss Sun.

Fan Xian said calmly: "I need a hub that can connect with me. Without Sun's residence, I wouldn't be able to talk to you so calmly. The orders I want to pass down would also be difficult to convey smoothly... Sun's residence is the launching point for this Kyoto event."

Yan Bingyun looked at him, and after a long time, shook his head, and sighed: "Only you could do such a thing. That's right, no one would suspect that you would hide in the Kyoto Prefecture."

"Miss Sun is willing to help me." Fan Xian said calmly, "The city gate is half open to me."

"I don't think a young lady can have such a big influence on her father."

"This is a problem I need to consider. What you need is to coordinate from the middle." Fan Xian stared at Yan Bingyun's eyes, "You are responsible for arranging the manpower entering Kyoto to be evenly distributed outside each residence. Once you take action, you need a thunderous blow, not giving them any chance to fight back."

Yan Bingyun paused, then said: "But there is a problem at the moment. A month ago, all my authority in the Council was taken away by Director Chen."

Fan Xian's pupils shrank, and he said in a low voice: "What's going on? What's wrong with Chen Pingping?"

Yan Bingyun fell silent, and said: "We'll talk about this later, I only care about one thing."

He stared at Fan Xian's eyes, and said word by word: "His Majesty... is he really dead?"

...

...

After a deathly silence, Fan Xian slowly said: "I was the only one who escaped from the entire Great Dong Mountain. Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, I estimate that the situation is hopeless, otherwise the Princess Royal would not be so confident."

"What exactly happened on Great Dong Mountain?"

Fan Xian didn't have much time to tell the details, he just said: "Kuhai, Si Gu Jian, and Ye Liuyun should all have arrived."

When Yan Bingyun heard this news, his face turned pale, knowing that His Majesty would never be able to return to Kyoto. He gradually clenched his fists, and then asked: "Where are your five hundred Black Knights?"

"They are lurking outside Kyoto. I have a way to contact them, but it is difficult to transport them into Kyoto silently."

"Now that you have the Kyoto Prefecture's cover, you should have a way to transport these people in." Yan Bingyun's words made Fan Xian's arrangements clear.

"That's right, the five hundred Black Knights outside Kyoto are really not a match for the more than ten thousand Kyoto Garrison, but if they are let loose in Kyoto for a big slaughter, and with the help of the Eldest Prince's Imperial Guards, I think it should have a very terrifying effect."

"The Council still has one thousand four hundred people in Kyoto." Fan Xian said: "This is the power that you and I can control. We must start the attack in Kyoto before the Princess Royal controls the Thirteen City Gate Divisions."

"There is something I must remind you." Yan Bingyun was silent for a long time, and suddenly said in a astringent voice: "If I'm not mistaken... Director Chen should have known about the assassination of the Emperor in advance, and even secretly cooperated with the Princess Royal's actions."

Fan Xian's pupils shrank, and he couldn't speak for a long time. The strange situation of the Supervisory Council all fell into his eyes, but he still couldn't believe that Chen Pingping would play that kind of role in this matter.

"That shouldn't be." He said, lowering his head: "The Qin family's army is already surrounding Chen Garden at this time."

"This is a fact." Cold light flashed in Yan Bingyun's eyes, and he stared at him, "I don't care what relationship you have with the Director, but since you want to carry out His Majesty's will, you must pay attention to this matter. I don't want you to be killed before you even take action."

Fan Xian said: "Don't worry, I still have faith in human nature, the Director won't harm me."

He took out the Director's waist tag from his arms, and solemnly handed it to Yan Bingyun: "I don't know how many people in the Council this waist tag can still mobilize, but your authority has been taken away. If you want to organize this matter, you should still use this waist tag to try it."

Yan Bingyun took the waist tag without saying a word, subconsciously glanced at the figure of the young lady in the inner room again, shook his head and said: "It will definitely be useful, I am also beginning to believe in luck now."

Fan Xian laughed, and said: "I used to hear a saying, men conquer the world, and women conquer the world by conquering men."

Yan Bingyun stood up, preparing to leave, looked back at him, shook his head disapprovingly, and said: "I discovered a long time ago, you seem to be conquering the world by conquering women."