(Apologies, I am truly quite ill. I will write less in the coming days. Deep bows.)

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After several autumn rains, the autumn scenery outside the window deepened, and the elegant residences of Kyoto were lightly bathed in the dampness.

Fan Xian clenched his fist and held it to his lips, coughing twice. He withdrew his gaze from the window, took several heavy breaths, and then slowly sat up in bed.

This inn offered a view of the beautiful scenery of the southern city, and was naturally quite high-class. The mattress on the bed was not thick, but the feel of the fabric was excellent. He subconsciously ran his palm across the material, and a sigh escaped his lips. After surviving the ambush at Da Dong Mountain, the assassination attempts by Bei Yan's Xiao Yizi all the way north, and countless near-death experiences, looking at the familiar streets of Kyoto again gave him a sense of being separated by an age.

After killing Xiao Yizi with the heavy sniper rifle, he, seriously wounded, nursed his injuries on that meadow for a full two days before accumulating enough strength and spirit to walk towards the unknown path surrounded by mountains.

After experiencing some indescribable difficulties, and traversing the small path that Fifth Bamboo had told him about, Fan Xian entered the Song Kingdom under the protection of Dong Yi City. In that small principality, he dared not act rashly while his injuries were still healing. He only dared to ask the waiter at the inn to fetch some medicine.

He was originally Fei Jie's student, and although his medical skills were not the best in the world, he had put a great deal of effort into treating knife wounds and curing poisons. The medicine he obtained was effective, and coupled with the domineering Qi in his body as a foundation, and the natural aura of the Heavenly One Dao flowing to heal him, his injuries gradually improved.

But Xiao Yizi's arrow was too powerful. Although it did not hit his heart, it injured his heart meridian. His injuries were not completely healed, and his heart meridian was damaged, so he couldn't suppress his cough.

Fan Xian was very clear about his physical condition, at most possessing 60% of his peak strength.

Leaving the Song Kingdom, passing through the southern lands of Yanjing, even after hiring a carriage to enter the country, he ultimately went around in a big circle. By the time Fan Xian disguised himself as a bean oil merchant and entered Kyoto, he was already several days later than the messengers reporting the news, and the arduous journey of a thousand miles had caused his gradually healing injuries to linger.

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Along the way, Fan Xian was very careful not to contact any subordinates of the Overwatch Council. However, the silver that had been sprinkled in the Baoyue Brothel over the past two years finally paid off. After entering the Qing Kingdom, the events in Kyoto, and the initial reactions, were all supported by intelligence.

The reason he had not contacted his subordinates in the Overwatch Council was because Fan Xian was worried that if the nobles in Kyoto really placed the blame on his shoulders, even if he was the Supervisor of the Overwatch Council, who would dare to be loyal to a regicide traitor?

Fan Xian was unwilling to test human nature, even the human nature of the people under the Overwatch Council.

That afternoon, he went out for a while, walked around the streets and alleys of Kyoto, confirmed many things, and very carefully did not go to the pharmacy, but instead directly entered a hidden warehouse of the Third Bureau and retrieved the medicine he needed. The Third Bureau needed a large amount of medicine year-round, and most of the people in the bureau were eccentric people who only knew how to bury themselves in medicine. As the Supervisor of the Overwatch Council, he was very clear about these distributions, and he believed that taking the medicine without anyone noticing would not lead to any investigation.

Back at the inn, after applying the medicine and soaking his feet in the cool well water, Fan Xian lowered his head and remained silent.

During the day, after disguising himself, he went to many places, but most of the vital locations had been taken over by the Imperial Guards and the Kyoto Prefecture. Especially near his home, he sensed the presence of many experts, and dared not risk contacting the people in the residence.

He also went to the periphery of the Overwatch Council and the Privy Council. The Overwatch Council seemed to have no problems, but he was very clear that the courtyard was also under constant surveillance by the inner court. As for the Privy Council, it was extremely busy. He had a very detailed understanding of the various procedures in the military. After spending half an hour, he confirmed that the Empress Dowager in the palace was still in control of everything, and had wisely chosen to mobilize the border troops and start putting pressure on all sides at this dangerous juncture.

After all, he had served as the Supervisor of the Overwatch Council for a long time, and had too many eyes and subordinates in Kyoto, as well as the tentacles of the Baoyue Brothel and the martial world. Although he dared not contact too many people, it was not difficult to understand the current situation in Kyoto.

And the thing he was thinking about most at this time was... Fan Xian raised his head, grabbed a towel and wiped his feet haphazardly, lay on the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling—was the Emperor really dead?

His mood was very complex, somewhat shocked, somewhat suppressed, somewhat disappointed, and somewhat strange. If His Majesty was really dead, what should he do next?

Touching the letter written by His Majesty and the jade seal hidden close to his chest, Fan Xian closed his eyes to rest, gathering his energy for the evening's actions, but he couldn't fall into a quiet state for a long time. The situation ahead was too dangerous. He had two choices before him, and both were essentially a gamble.

If he wanted to prevent the Crown Prince from ascending the throne, he must find a way to enter the palace and personally deliver His Majesty's letter and jade seal to the Empress Dowager. But... Fan Xian understood that if the Emperor was really dead, with the Empress Dowager's mindset, for the sake of Qing Kingdom's stability, the old Empress Dowager might directly destroy this letter!

The Crown Prince and he were both grandsons of the Empress Dowager, but the Empress Dowager had never liked him, and had even been wary of him because of the past involving Ye Qingmei. Who knew what the Empress Dowager would decide? If she really decided to hide the truth about His Majesty's assassination, then Fan Xian and everyone around him would naturally become the first batch of sacrificial pigs and dogs on the Crown Prince's path to the throne.

There was another choice. Fan Xian could contact all of his support in Kyoto, reveal the truth of the Da Dong Mountain assassination, openly display their troops, and fight a fierce head-on battle. In the end, whoever won would naturally have the qualification to determine the course of history.

This choice would kill many people, but it seemed safer for Fan Xian himself. But the problem at hand was... Fan Xian could not contact his father, nor could he contact Chen Pingping. It was said that the Director had recently suffered from a cold, mistakenly taken medicine, and been poisoned, and had been confined to his bed ever since.

Fan Xian didn't know if Chen Pingping was pretending or what, but the intelligence he had secretly seen at the branch office clearly stated that the person who administered the poison was the master of Dong Yi City—one of the three great masters of poison in the world. Xiao En was dead, Fei Jie had left, and the most powerful was that person. If that master really took action, it would not be too difficult to imagine Chen Pingping being poisoned.

All the movements after His Majesty's assassination vaguely pointed to one thing—although the palace still hadn't identified Fan Xian as the true culprit in the Emperor's assassination, nor had the court issued a warrant for his arrest, he had secretly been regarded as the primary target. Once Fan Xian appeared in Kyoto, what awaited him would be endless pursuit.

And what was most unfavorable to Fan Xian now was that Xiao Yizi's failure, and the news of his survival, should be entering Kyoto within these two days. Regardless of whether the Empress Dowager believed Fan Xian or not, once Fan Xian survived, she would want to take control of this grandson, and then observe Qing Kingdom's future with one eye, and decide Fan Xian's life and death with one hand.

Wan'er and Sisi were in the palace, and his father was under house arrest in the residence.

Lying calmly on the bed, Fan Xian's mind raced, and he finally made a decision. He would not return to the Fan residence tonight, but would directly enter the palace. Even if he couldn't convince the Empress Dowager, he believed that he could still seek some benefit. After all, he had many helpers in the palace, and many people, even for their own benefit, would firmly stand by his side.

As for the Fan residence, the Imperial Guards were commanded by the Eldest Prince, and should not pose too great a threat to his father.

After thinking through all of this, another day in Kyoto had come to an end. A faint dusk seeped into the window, giving the inn room a warm color. Fan Xian suddenly opened his eyes, filled with strong confidence and persistence—as long as he washed away the charge of treason on his body, with the Overwatch Council in his hands, the Eldest Prince's Imperial Guards, the energy of his father's Duke's residence outside the palace, and the assistance of Consort Yi and Talent Ning inside the palace, as well as that Hongzhu little eunuch who was said to be always by the Empress Dowager's side.

As long as the Ye and Qin families' armies could not enter Kyoto, who in this entire Kyoto could be stronger than him?

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"The decree has entered the Zhengxi Army camp. The five thousand soldiers offered as prisoners have already set up camp and returned west. In about ten days, they will begin to launch an offensive." In the palace, a frail old general sat on a soft stool and respectfully said to the Empress Dowager, "The Lord of Nan Zhao is still young and shouldn't cause too much trouble. As for the two northeastern directions, the Zhengbei Army has the momentum of a new victory, and Grand Commandant Yan should be able to suppress Shang Shanhu. The Western Camp of Yanjing borders the Song Kingdom and can thrust directly into the country in less than three days. Dong Yi City dares not make any unusual moves."

The Empress Dowager nodded slowly. The news of the Emperor's death had spread throughout Kyoto, but it had been forcibly suppressed. However, this news would eventually spread throughout the world. No one knew whether those forces in the world would take advantage of the death of the lion pack leader, and before a new lion king emerged, greedily seek some benefits—therefore, at the beginning of handling matters of the nation, the subjects of Qing Kingdom's first order of business was to deter those people's ambitions with a powerful military force.

"Not enough." The Empress Dowager looked coldly at the old general and said, "Convey my decree, order the Privy Council to draft a battle plan. Within half a month, the three armies must launch external offensives, limited to one hundred miles. We don't want any more land, but if they fight less than one mile, let Ye Zhong, Yan Xiaoyi, and Wang Zhikun cut off their own heads."

"The Empress Dowager is wise." Qin the Elder sighed. As the first important official in the military, he naturally understood why at this time, Qing Kingdom would launch a large-scale military offensive against foreign countries. However, he still said with hesitation, "But suddenly launching troops, I fear that the supplies will not keep up."

"Attack and return. It's not like the North Qi and Dong Yi are all deserts. What can't be plundered? It's just a half-month offensive, no need to consider so much." The Empress Dowager said coldly, "At this time, my Great Qing Dynasty cannot be in chaos, so... we must kill more, plunder more, and let other places fall into chaos."