There is something in this world that is the god of all people, the soul of all gods, a supreme treasure that even ghosts are forced to grind for.

The Fan family's carriages often bore the family crest of the Fan clan, a square within a circle, precisely the shape of this thing. Lord Fan served as the Minister of Revenue, managing the national treasury, and Master Fan was about to head to Jiangnan to take over the Internal Treasury. The wealth of Qing Yu Nian was managed by this family, and even their family crest reeked of copper.

Money, that money that people love and hate, that money that sends people to heaven and hell, that makes people laugh on mountains of knives and dance madly in seas of fire!

Not only do the common people love money, but the court loves it even more. That's why they've set up so many taxes, wishing they could scrape off three layers of topsoil. As for the Qing Yu Nian court, from the very beginning, they began taxing salt, iron, and tea in addition to land and corvée labor. Later, due to the sudden rise and fall of the Ye family, the Internal Treasury became the largest source of revenue for the court. The court naturally levied heavy taxes on the glass products, liquor, toys, and ships produced by the Internal Treasury, and the supervision was always extremely strict, handled exclusively by the Overwatch Council.

Therefore, when the Cui family's smuggling was investigated by the Overwatch Council, it immediately shocked the world. Only then did the Qing Yu Nian citizens realize that the Internal Treasury had such a large deficit, and the court had lost so much silver in tariffs!

The Censorate was silent, and the officials bribed by Xinyang were silent. However, some officials from different factions or with a sense of justice began to submit memorials, demanding that the court thoroughly investigate the matter. Although no one dared to mention the Princess Royal's name in the memorials, the spearhead was pointed directly at Xinyang.

In comparison, the young emperor of Northern Qi also seized a great opportunity. The matter of Supervisor Fan of the Overwatch Council recuperating in Cangshan was intentionally or unintentionally overlooked. Although everyone knew that Supervisor Fan was the mastermind behind this operation, making it easier for him to take over the Internal Treasury next year, no one dared to say anything.

On the contrary, the impulsive students in the Imperial College had already begun to prepare memorials, requesting His Majesty to transfer the jurisdiction of the Internal Treasury to Master Fan – Fan Xian's reputation was indeed much better than the Princess Royal's, and this was naturally due to the efforts of the snow-like words on paper back then.

And recently, some rumors have begun to circulate in the teahouses and restaurants of Kyoto, saying that the one in Xinyang has begun to send assassins like a madman, wanting to murder Master Fan!

The efficiency of the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council is indeed very high.

————————————————————————

Not everyone can fully understand the conflict between Fan Xian and the Princess Royal.

Many high-minded scholars have always been puzzled as to why the world is so obsessed with this filthy lucre, even willing to risk their lives for it. For example, Shi Chanli, although he is now a prominent figure in Kyoto's entertainment industry, the head shopkeeper of Baoyue Brothel, having transformed from a poor student into a wealthy merchant, still does not understand this point.

Why is the Princess Royal so reluctant to let go of the Internal Treasury? And why would she use such ruthless methods to deal with her own son-in-law recently! What is she using so much silver from the Internal Treasury for, through the Cui and Ming families, smuggling to the north, Dongyi, and even overseas? Where has the vast wealth she has amassed over the past decade gone?

"Raising troops," Fan Xian explained to the only student by his side. "The armies all belong to His Majesty, all belong to the court. Although Yan Xiaoyi is the Grand Protector of the North, if he wants to do anything in the future, I'm afraid he won't be able to stand against a single imperial edict… You know, in our country, especially in the army, His Majesty's prestige is extremely high."

"If you want to counter this prestige, there is only one thing in the world that can play a certain role."

"That is money." Fan Xian said with a smile, "A lot of money. The monthly income of the officers under Yan Xiaoyi is so high that you would be stunned to hear it. It is precisely because of this that Yan Xiaoyi can maintain a firm grasp on his troops as much as possible."

Shi Chanli stopped his right hand, which was copying notes, and gave a wry smile.

His visit to the mountain this time was at the behest of the Imperial College, to write a biography for Fan Xian, a literary official of this generation in Qing Yu Nian. Since Fan Xian published "Ban Xian Zhai Book Talk," his position in the Qing Yu Nian poetry scene has been firmly established, and even more so when he traveled to Northern Qi and brought back that cart of books from Madam Zhuang, which further expanded his influence. The Imperial College, of course, was proud of this Master Fan, who had risen from a righteous man in the Imperial College to a middle-ranking official, and now became a school supervisor. They were unwilling to miss this opportunity, so they decided to create a personal biography for Fan Xian, which would then be published by Danbo Bookstore and distributed throughout the world, in order to attract more students in the north and Dongyi City next year, and to encourage more talented people to come to Qing Yu Nian to participate in the spring examination.

However, after Fan Xian was injured, he hid in Cangshan and had not gone to the Imperial College for a long time. Even Scholar Shu could not find him, so he had to find Shi Chanli, the only disciple of Master Fan in Kyoto, through roundabout connections.

Shi Chanli also felt that this matter was very promising, and in addition to the personal invitation from the Imperial College president, he felt even more glorious than being a brothel owner in Baoyue Brothel, so he happily ran into Cangshan. It was fortunate for him that he did not see the dead bodies in the snow.

He never expected that the development of events would be different from what he had imagined.

Although he had begged and pleaded with his master to stay in the study, his master stubbornly refused to talk about his life, scholarship, or poetry, but instead kept talking about the court's secrets, such as how the Overwatch Council had brought down the Second Prince, and why the Princess Royal refused to let go of the Internal Treasury!

How could Shi Chanli have the courage to write these things on paper? Even if he dared to write them, even if the Imperial College had eight hundred heads, they would not dare to print them and distribute them!

He looked at his master, shivering with cold, and said in a low voice, "Teacher, these things… can't be included in a biography."

Fan Xian himself felt that the writing of a biography was absurd. He thought to himself, he's so young, are those scholars in the Imperial College preparing to give him a final judgment? Seeing Shi Chanli's embarrassed expression, he scolded with a smile, "A biography my ass!"

After saying a dirty word, he continued, "Is the Imperial College idle? When will they be able to organize Madam Zhuang's books? Danbo Bookstore is waiting to start printing, and His Majesty is urging them, as you know. His Majesty wants me to sort them out within three years… These freeloaders only know how to flatter me and don't know how to do anything useful."

Shi Chanli cautiously explained for the Imperial College, "Madam Zhuang's books have already begun to be printed in batches."

Fan Xian shook his head and continued, "Then let's talk about this ridiculous matter of writing a biography for me. Although I have written a few poems, sung a few songs, and had two conversations with Madam Zhuang, don't you know that my most glorious, truly remarkable career… is still these shameful and unspeakable things?"

These words were true, even somewhat similar to Rousseau's self-analysis, but without a trace of remorse.

"What I am most proud of is killing people with poison, not those romantic affairs. Can you write it? Do you dare to write it?" Fan Xian stared into Shi Chanli's eyes. "If you want to write a biography for me, wait until the day I die, or everyone in this era is dead, and if you are still struggling to survive, it will not be too late to discuss it."

——————————————————————

Shi Chanli sighed, knowing that the work of taking notes was impossible. His master's mind was made up, and it would be difficult for him to persuade him again. However, he had been aroused by the court secrets that Fan Xian had previously mentioned, and continued on the topic of his master's previous words, "Regarding the affairs of the north, I think that General Yan Xiaoyi is only buying loyalty with money… Even if he wants to rebel, I don't think it will be of any use."

Under his master's influence for the past six months, Shi Chanli, like Sisi from Danzhou, had become much bolder and spoke much more sharply.

"His Majesty has a firm grip on the army." Fan Xian raised an eyebrow and said, "The Princess Royal has no loopholes to exploit. Yan Xiaoyi is her only confidant, so of course, she has to spend a lot of money, trying to earn even a bit of loyalty."

"Although accumulating generals and raising troops is extremely expensive… but that's the Internal Treasury! In ten years, is it only enough to do this little thing?"

"Of course not only that." Fan Xian explained like a teacher, "The Second Prince wants to bribe officials in Kyoto, which requires money. To control public opinion, that requires money. Xinyang needs to befriend local officials, those regional lords, which also requires money. The word 'official' has two mouths, and the officials of our Qing Yu Nian are all so healthy that they can't help it, their mouths are wide open, wanting to feed these people… is really extremely expensive."

Shi Chanli frowned and said, "This is equivalent to rebellion."

"You said that earlier." Fan Xian laughed. "Right now, we have only reached the stage of seizing the throne. If His Highness the Second Prince really succeeds, and the imperial power is in his hands in the future, it will be extremely simple for him and his little aunt to take back the silver they sent out."

Fan Xian suddenly thought of the bridge in Deer and Cauldron where Wei Xiaobao framed Wu Sangui, and said with a wry smile, "Of course, after becoming emperor, there is no need to care about this small amount of money. The whole world is his."

Shi Chanli gasped and said, "Teacher, you are about to take over the Internal Treasury, and you have also overthrown the Cui family in advance. Isn't this cutting off the other party's source of money and causing great damage to the Second Prince's succession to the throne… No wonder Xinyang is so angry this time, and the reaction is much stronger than the last turmoil in Kyoto."

Fan Xian sneered, "Reaction? My mother-in-law began to react five or six years ago."

His mind flashed back to five or six years ago, to that small building in Danzhou that had been burned to charcoal. It was in that building that he killed someone for the first time in his life. After entering Kyoto, with the power of the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian clearly investigated this matter. The reason why Madam Liu wanted to poison him that year was precisely the arrangement of those two women in the palace.

It was in that year that His Majesty first proposed the marriage between the Fan and Lin families, which was also equivalent to raising the issue of transferring the jurisdiction of the Internal Treasury in the future. Although this marriage did not succeed temporarily due to Chen Pingping's strong opposition, it still made the Princess Royal feel vigilant. Of course, she was unwilling to easily let go of this vast wealth that she had firmly controlled, so she arranged for people to kill Fan Xian.

But no one expected that four years later, taking advantage of Chen Pingping's return to his hometown to worship his ancestors, Fan Jian raised this matter again, and finally obtained His Majesty's permission. Thus, Fan Jian sent Teng Zijing to travel thousands of miles, urgently bringing Fan Xian from Danzhou to Kyoto.

Thinking that when he was twelve years old and confused, he had already shouldered such a heavy burden and had already gotten into such great trouble, Fan Xian, who now held great power, still felt a little scared.

Then, there was the incident on Niulan Street. The Second Prince invited him to a banquet, and the Princess Royal secretly instigated the Second Young Master of the Prime Minister's residence to organize a murder plot.

Counting up, this mother-in-law had tried to kill him three or four times, but had only failed. Fan Xian thought with a wry smile that the dangers he had faced in his life seemed to have all been orchestrated by that beautiful Princess Royal who made people forget her age, and that this Princess Royal had not even done it herself, but had only used some conspiracies to make others dirty their hands – this woman, this woman with obsessive-compulsive disorder, would actually mobilize the manpower of Xinyang to assassinate him this time, which showed that she was really angry and also really panicked.

A confident smile floated on the corners of Fan Xian's lips. It's good as long as you're angry. If you were still as calm as before, I would be at a loss as to how to start.

He deeply admired the scheming ability of that Princess of Xinyang. The ability to turn the Niulan Street incident into a clever move to seize the land of Northern Qi, and to sell Yan Bingyun in exchange for the chaos of the Qing Yu Nian court, showed the Princess Royal's ability to plan conspiracies. However, he was not afraid of this, because the Overwatch Council was also the most skilled at conspiracies, and Young Master Yan was also a genius, with an insoluble hatred for the Princess Royal. Most importantly, in addition to conspiracies, the Overwatch Council also had strength, and that – was precisely what Xinyang lacked most.

To deal with conspirators, simple swords, blood, and fire are the most effective means.

"The Princess Royal is a very remarkable woman." Fan Xian woke up from his contemplation and sighed, "She is really remarkable. In the beginning, all the civil and military officials thought she was an assistant to the Crown Prince, but who ever thought that she had an agreement with the Second Prince? Those in the court who hated her, such as my father-in-law who had left the court, would subconsciously lean towards the Second Prince, and those whom she controlled on behalf of the Crown Prince could be thrown out as villains at any time. With the ebb and flow of power, and the accumulation of strength, if this situation continued for seven or eight years, when His Majesty was old, perhaps the Second Prince might really be able to enter the Eastern Palace."

"But you met Teacher." Shi Chanli said.

Fan Xian was not modest and said, "I just have better luck, and do you think His Majesty and Director Chen really don't know about this matter?"

Shi Chanli was slightly startled.

Fan Xian said with a wry smile, "Even if the Princess Royal is a remarkable woman, she is still not a match for this group of old partners. I am just the hand that was pushed to the front. His Majesty… perhaps just doesn't want the Empress Dowager to be angry."

He suddenly tilted his head slightly, looked at the white mountains outside the glass window, and said with a slight look of confusion, "However, among these powerful figures, the one I actually admire the most… is my father-in-law who has already left Kyoto."

Shi Chanli did not understand. He had thought that his master would say that he admired Minister Fan the most.

Fan Xian said with a smile, "My father-in-law is known as the treacherous prime minister, but he is actually a rare and capable official. Qing Yu Nian could truly be called peaceful and prosperous in previous years, and although there were small discord, it did not hinder the overall situation. He contributed greatly. And what I admire about my father-in-law is that he is extremely patient and extremely decisive. In the beginning… because of the Princess Royal, Si Gu Jian killed my second brother-in-law. My father-in-law immediately agreed to my marriage with Wan'er and stood firmly on the side of the Overwatch Council and my father. Don't forget that he and Director Chen's father had fought in the court for who knows how many years. To make such a major decision and make a decision immediately is really beyond the reach of ordinary people."

He then sighed, "Moreover, my father-in-law held the power of the prime minister, but he did not cling to it at all. As soon as he discovered that His Majesty had other ideas, he immediately resigned from his post. Although he lost the power in his hands, he at least secured his family's safety and the peace of his family."

Fan Xian's father-in-law, Prime Minister Lin Ruofu, had been living in Wuzhou after retiring, living as a wealthy man, and often exchanged letters with Kyoto. It was said that he had been doing quite well recently, and his health was even better than when he was in Kyoto.

"It is easy to understand others, but difficult to understand oneself." Fan Xian said with emotion, "My father-in-law recognizes people, recognizes himself, recognizes the times, and recognizes the situation. There is too much that I can learn from him."

Shi Chanli's heart stirred slightly, and he thought of the fact that the cabinet in Kyoto was still vacant, and that the political affairs were only being handled by the adults in the Department of Ministries. He said in a low voice, "Teacher, you will eventually become a prime minister one day."

Fan Xian gave a wry smile and scolded, "Don't try to test me. I don't have that interest, and I don't have that ability. How can governing a country really be as simple as cooking small fish? My interest lies in managing the Overwatch Council in the future, and handling the Internal Treasury is His Majesty's decree. I won't do anything else."

Shi Chanli said with a smile, "Teacher's words are interesting, but just mentioning these two places is enough to make others envious."

"I'll tell you a piece of news, and you'll know that after your father-in-law retired, His Majesty had no intention of re-establishing the position of prime minister at all."

Fan Xian stood up, leaned on his cane, moved to the window, pushed it open, smelled the fresh wind coming from the snow, and said faintly, "Lord Hu, the retired Grand Secretary of the Pavilion, has already received an imperial order to set out for Kyoto."

Shi Chanli was shocked and lost color, "Which Lord Hu?"

"Are there several?" Fan Xian did not turn around and said lightly, "The Lord Hu who strongly promoted literary reform when you and I were still children. His Majesty summoned him to Kyoto to become a Grand Academician again. In the future, in the Department of Ministries, it is expected that Minister of Personnel Yan Xing Shu will not have a place, and Qin Heng will also go to be his Kyoto garrison commander. The Department of Ministries… will be led by several Grand Academicians, and the position of prime minister will never be re-established."

Shi Chanli was silent. After a long while, he sighed softly, "In the past, I only knew how to study and serve the court, but now I know that the affairs of the court are indeed extremely complicated, and cannot be fathomed by outsiders."

After a while, he became happy again. Although the things he had heard today could not be included in a biography and were of no help to the Imperial College's advertising business, these secrets were not to be passed on to a third ear. Now that his master had told him, if he had the opportunity to incorporate them into the national history in the decades to come, or to publish "Notes from the Mountain Residence of the Master of Ban Xian Zhai," he would undoubtedly leave his name in the annals of history.

Of course, his master must be the victor of history.

Thinking of this, he felt a faint excitement in his heart, but he heard his master laughing for some reason as he looked out the window, "Do you know that Director Chen's real age is even younger than His Majesty?"

Shi Chanli's joy was replaced by great surprise. He had seen Chen Pingping from afar once and knew that the director looked old and decrepit, as if he was about to go into the ground. Could it be that he was even younger than His Majesty, who was in his prime?

"A month younger." Fan Xian said with a wry smile, "The affairs of the court are too complicated, and there is too much to worry about, so naturally it becomes like this. I suspect that I will also suffer from premature aging in the future."

Outside the window was a desolate snowy landscape, and laughter from the girls playing mahjong came from the end of the corridor. Roujia had come again shamelessly, and Ye Ling'er, that bold and careless fellow, had also rushed back from Dingzhou. The Fan residence's villa in Cangshan was always so lively in winter, and compared to last year, it seemed that only a small fat man far away in Northern Qi was missing.

Fan Xian squinted his eyes, facing the oncoming cold wind, and remained silent, completely contrary to the joyful mood in his home. Working for the emperor in this shitty court, like Chen Pingping, was really a very nerve-wracking job. Everyone seemed to have several faces at the same time, and everyone held unknown cards in their hands. Fan Xian didn't know what the other people's cards were, so he always held his own cards tightly in his hands and would never play them easily.

As the sound of rustling came, Deng Ziyue, wearing a black snow cloak, came to the front of the house. He was about to knock on the door when he noticed that the window was open and that Supervisor Fan was waving at him. He paused slightly and walked over, saying in a deep voice, "The follow-up personnel from Xinyang have retreated, and Director Chen sent Zong Zhui to follow them."

Fan Xian nodded. That official named Zong Zhui was known as one wing with Wang Qinian, and he was best at tracking. He wasn't worried about this person's safety and naturally reached out his hand to take the paper bag in Deng Ziyue's hand.

The paper bag contained the intelligence analysis drafted by the Third Bureau, as well as the correspondence.

Deng Ziyue's face became strange. He smiled and said, "There's a letter from the north."

Fan Xian was stunned, immediately understood, and scolded with a smile, "Don't learn to be long-tongued like those women, you big man."

Deng Ziyue handed the paper bag to him, covered his mouth, and turned to leave.

Looking at his subordinate's ridiculous appearance, Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh again.

Using the excuse that Kyoto needed someone to watch over it, he drove Shi Chanli out the door. Then he broke the first layer of sealing wax on the outside of the large paper bag and pulled out a stack of letters. He was not surprised to find Haitang's letter. The reason Deng Ziyue had been so strange earlier was naturally because of this letter.

The Overwatch Council's sealing wax used rosin and cinnabar, not lampblack, making it more secure. The envelope was also specially seamless, so there was no need to worry about someone skillfully opening it along the way.

He first read the news from the Qinian Group in Kyoto, and then he read the intelligence reports submitted by the Third Bureau. Fan Xian nodded in satisfaction. The progress in various places was very smooth. Yan Bingyun had acted extremely quickly, and the Cui family was doomed. The news had spread to Jiangnan, and even the Ming family, which was related to the Cui family by marriage, had begun to transfer assets. This move of shaking the mountain and scaring the tiger had begun to take effect.

Finally, he glanced at the Agency Report before picking up the letter sent by Haitang. This was his usual principle, to put public affairs before private affairs. But when he finished reading Haitang's seemingly ordinary letter, he regretted reading it so late, even if it was just for such a short time.

Because the content written on the letter was too shocking! Fan Xian's slender fingers pinched the thin letter paper, and he couldn't help but tremble. His face was solemn.