The city of Suzhou was a scene of prosperity, and the tender green hues seen everywhere were not much different from other parts of Qing Yu Nian. However, the rows of shops, the busy docks, the endless stream of people, the vast expanse of government offices in the southern district, the ostentatious mansions of wealthy salt merchants and imperial merchants in the western district, the girls beckoning with red sleeves in the eastern district, the young gentlemen lightly snapping willow branches on the streets, and the fiercely ambitious and cunning underworld brothers in the northern district – all of this wove together a flavor unlike any other place in the world: adventure, excitement, affluence, and desire.

Here, the pretense of scholarly airs was much less, the pressure from the millennial dynasty was much smaller, and while the authority of the government was still unchallenged, the large volume of the floating population, the massive amounts of goods and silver flowing in and out of the port, and the citizens' wallets full of money all gave them more confidence in their actions. Not to mention the merchants with close ties to the government, even the underworld brothers who made their living on the waterways had begun to emulate the Qing-robed attire of the imperial students in Kyoto, no longer resorting to constant fighting and killing.

Downstream on the Suzhou docks, a large area belonged to the Ming family. At this moment, the Qing-robed men were listening attentively to the instructions of a young master. These men looked like seasoned martial artists, but in front of the gentle-faced young man, they did not reveal a trace of arrogance, because that young man was the biological son of the Ming family's patriarch, Ming Lanshi. Those who mingled on the docks were basically relying on the Ming family for a living and were considered half-house servants.

After Young Master Ming left, these men wiped the sweat from their foreheads with their long sleeves, whispering among themselves, wondering why Young Master Ming had specifically come to remind them to behave themselves in Suzhou these days. Did the Ming family's power have any fear of someone grabbing their pigtails? The Governor-General certainly had that ability, but hadn't the old master Ming already fed him enough over the years?

Wiping sweat was convenient with the long sleeves; these underworld brothers were not genuine Kyoto students after all. However, some of them were clever enough to vaguely guess that it should be related to the upcoming opening of the Internal Treasury for the New Year... Hadn't they heard? The esteemed Cui family, who, along with the Ming family, were known as the two great clans, had been completely wiped out by the court during the New Year! It was said that this matter was orchestrated by that young Commissioner of the Supervisory Council, and that Commissioner... was the imperial envoy currently in Jiangnan!

No wonder Young Master Ming was so cautious, afraid of being caught by the government on some pretext; it turned out that he feared that cold-blooded, inflexible Little Lord Fan.

……

……

"It's not that I fear him." Ming Lanshi, now sitting in the carriage, could no longer maintain the calm he showed to outsiders and subordinates, and said with a somber face, "It's just that Lord Fan is really different from any other official in the court."

If Fan Xian had seen the person Ming Lanshi was talking to at this moment, he would have been shocked. Because the person sitting opposite him in the carriage was none other than the host of the martial arts conference by West Lake in Hangzhou, the official from Jiangnan Road!

At that time, Fan Xian had been impressed by that official's words and deeds, but he probably never guessed that this official's relationship with the Ming family was so deep. Ming Lanshi spoke without any hesitation, clearly indicating that this official was someone the Ming family absolutely trusted. If Fan Xian had been more careful then, he could have discovered the other party's relationship with the Ming family and been more vigilant about that so-called martial arts conference.

This official's surname was Zou, and his given name was Lei; he was an imperial censor of Jiangnan Road in the Censorate. He said with puzzlement, "Cousin, how is the imperial envoy different from other officials in the court?"

Ming Lanshi sneered, "Lord Fan is so young, yet he wields such great power. Can other officials compare? The Supervisory Council is different from your Censorate. Now he also has the identity of an imperial envoy, making it even easier for him to act. Even the Governor-General has to give him some face. You should have received the news that as soon as this Little Lord Fan arrived at the Internal Treasury, he beheaded five trouble-making warehouse keepers, including two managers of the major workshops! Now he has even removed all the officials placed in the Transportation Office by the Eldest Princess! Which official in the court has the courage to use such ruthless methods?"

Zou Lei sighed and shook his head, "Without internal support, it will be much more difficult for the family to pull strings in the future."

Ming Lanshi looked at him, smiled mockingly, and said contemptuously, "I think you've become muddled-headed from being an official. What time is it? You still want to pull strings? I only hope that the imperial envoy doesn't pull any strings on us."

At the Lou Wai Lou restaurant by West Lake, Ming Lanshi had shown such respect to the court official in front of him, but now he showed no regard for his feelings at all. Yet Zou Lei seemed very accustomed to this tone; this scene alone was enough to show how much power the Ming family had hidden in the court and the countryside.

Zou Lei furrowed his brows in worry, "But the imperial envoy's visit to Jiangnan this time is clearly aimed at the family. Does the old master have any arrangements?"

Ming Lanshi shook his head with a bitter smile, "That's what I said earlier; this Lord Fan is different from other officials. Ordinary methods simply won't work... If it were another high-ranking official who came to Jiangnan, the Ming family would have plenty of ways to deal with him, but it just so happens that this Little Lord Fan is here, and the usual methods are not effective at all."

Zou Lei asked tentatively, "There's no official in this world who isn't greedy for money."

Ming Lanshi's eyes narrowed, as if he had thought of something that made him feel very cold. After a long silence, he said quietly, "That's the most common method, and also the most effective one in the past. Father is very accurate in his judgment and knows that we must use a heavy axe... We've also tried it." He shook his head and sighed, "But the other party simply didn't accept it and returned it directly, without saying any harsh words, just like a block of ice."

"How much did you send?" Zou Lei simply didn't believe that there were officials in the world who weren't greedy for silver. Even if you're the emperor's illegitimate son, you still need silver.

Ming Lanshi held up four fingers.

Zou Lei asked in confusion, "Just forty thousand taels?"

Ming Lanshi's eyebrows showed a murderous intent, and he lowered his voice and cursed, "Forty thousand taels? Didn't you see that that young lord had 130,000 taels of silver in the boxes in his yamen? This time, Father raised enough chips and even withheld the tribute money to Kyoto, gathering a full 400,000 taels!"

"Four hundred thousand taels!" Zou Lei's heart trembled, and his lips quivered. Such a large sum of money could buy a small principality. Couldn't it buy the imperial envoy's heart?

Ming Lanshi gritted his teeth and said, "And a 20% share of the profits."

Zou Lei simply couldn't believe his ears. The 20% share was even more terrifying than 400,000 taels. How could the family be willing to use such a large amount of profit to buy off Fan Xian? In the past, when they provided for the Eldest Princess, they had never been so generous – this couldn't even be called generous; it was completely cutting off flesh to ensure peace.

Ming Lanshi slowly closed his eyes, his eyelids twitching slightly, and his face was somewhat distorted, presumably because he was extremely unhappy in his heart. Zou Lei didn't dare to say anything more, and the carriage fell into silence.

After a long time, Ming Lanshi, who was now gradually taking over most of the Ming family's business from his father, opened his eyes and said slowly, "We all underestimated Lord Fan's appetite. Don't forget that his father is the Minister of Revenue in the court. Four hundred thousand taels could definitely buy off a prince, but it can't buy him. So, I said earlier that this method won't work."

"What about the Eldest Princess's side?" Zou Lei said with a hint of resentment, "Our Ming family has put in so much effort for her. She can't just stand by and do nothing, right?"

After thinking for a while, Ming Lanshi said softly, "To deal with officials, if bribery doesn't work, then we resort to slander. We must start from the central government and work our way to the limbs, so we need to work hard in Kyoto, scheming against various officials in the court. Unfortunately... this trick doesn't seem to work either."

"Why?" Zou Lei was shocked.

Ming Lanshi said mockingly, "What kind of person is Lord Fan? Behind him are Lord Chen, the Dean of the Supervisory Council, and Lord Fan, the Minister of Revenue. Although Prime Minister Lin has resigned for a long time, his prestige remains. As long as His Majesty doesn't show any inclination, which official would dare to submit a memorial against him according to our wishes? Your Censorate has done it twice, but unfortunately, His Majesty's court rod has chilled your hearts."

After thinking for a while, Zou Lei shook his head and said, "Times are different now. Lord Fan is now far away in Jiangnan, unable to defend himself, and far away from the Supervisory Council, so his reaction must be slower than before... Even if his relationship with His Majesty is extraordinary, even a genuine prince couldn't cause such a big incident in Jiangnan without being recalled to Kyoto... If we cause some trouble, maybe His Majesty will recall Lord Fan."

Ming Lanshi said mockingly, "That's the disadvantage of how you officials see things. You always focus your eyes on official ranks and identities. That's right, even if a genuine prince came to Jiangnan, our Ming family would have a way to make him go back in disgrace. Fan Xian is just His Majesty's illegitimate son, so we shouldn't be afraid. But the family sees things very differently from officials... In our eyes, Lord Fan has power, soldiers, money, and an excellent reputation, and he is also extremely ruthless. Even if he has some flaws, they have all been wiped clean by the Supervisory Council, which is responsible for amplifying flaws. People simply can't catch him... Who can swallow such a smooth pebble? He is much more difficult to deal with than any prince."

"If we really incite the people of Jiangnan to cause trouble according to your idea..." Ming Lanshi sneered, "Do you believe that Fan Xian would dare to调黑骑 (diao hei qi) to Suzhou and directly exterminate our Ming family!"

Zou Lei gasped, and said hesitantly, "Can't be, right? Is he really that unconcerned about... the face of the court? The Qing laws aren't just for show."

"That's a madman." Ming Lanshi gritted his teeth and cursed in a low voice, "A seemingly gentle madman. If you can avoid provoking him, then avoid provoking him, unless you have the confidence to make him disappear from this world."

Zou Lei suddenly fell silent, and after a long time, he suddenly said quietly, "Martial Arts Conference?"

This was the Ming family's secret control over the Jiangnan martial arts world, but it was just disguised with the clothes of the imperial court, so the Ming family did not control too many Jianghu experts. But after all, they controlled a group of desperados through Zou Lei. At this time, finding that the Ming family could not get their teeth into the pebble-like imperial envoy, a fierce thought flashed in his heart, and he mentioned this matter.

Ming Lanshi looked at Zou Lei as if he were an idiot, "Don't you know that Lord Fan himself is a ninth-rank expert? Don't you know that His Majesty has sent him a group of the most elite Tiger Guards? Don't you know that the swordsmen of the Supervisory Council's Sixth Bureau, who specialize in assassination, are now constantly by his side? Don't you know that the Northern Qi's Haitang girl once lived with him in Hangzhou for a period of time?"

Ming Lanshi's voice became louder and louder, and he felt that this usually seemingly shrewd family brother official was really like an idiot today. He cursed, "That martial arts conference? The cloud master that Father invited from Dongyi City... just appeared at West Lake and was stabbed with a sword by someone! Now those dogshit experts from Dongyi City are being chased around in the wilderness by those strange people like stray dogs... That was Yun Zhilan! Dongyi City! A descendant of Si Gu Jian had no chance to even make a move in front of Fan Xian. Do you think these martial artists in Jiangnan can kill him?"

Zou Lei's face turned pale, and he realized that Fan Xian was not just a powerful minister.

In today's world, Fan Xian is definitely one of the richest people, and those who are richer than him definitely don't have his power. Those who have more power than him definitely don't have his martial arts. Those who have higher martial arts than him are definitely not as shameless as him. Those who are more shameless than him definitely don't have such strong backers. Those whose backers are stronger than his have definitely not been born yet.

Sending money, he doesn't care; trying to weaken his power in Kyoto, he doesn't worry; trying to assassinate him, he's not afraid; trying to ruin his reputation, he doesn't care, he will only directly cut off your head with a knife to vent his anger.

This is a distorted existence created decades ago, in decades later. He is an invisible prince, but he possesses the Supervisory Council and the Ministry of Revenue, which princes can't have. Even the Eldest Princess, who has secretly influenced the court for more than ten years, can't find a way to deal with him.

What can the Ming family do?

……

……

Zou Lei comforted Ming Lanshi, "Lord Guo is also in Suzhou now. From his meaning, the Eldest Princess will exert some effort in Kyoto. What you said earlier makes sense, but Fan Xian is so arrogant now that I'm afraid the Crown Prince and the Second Prince will be a little uncomfortable. Even if they can't transfer him back to Kyoto, words from people in the palace can always suppress his arrogance."

Ming Lanshi nodded, knowing that the current situation could only be barely maintained, but hearing the name "Guo," he still couldn't help but show a vein on his forehead and said coldly, "Tell your superior not to interfere! Back then, he hit Fan Xian with a stick in the Ministry of Justice, and as a result, he was driven to Jiangnan... Does he still want revenge? Don't forget that the imperial envoy is the most vindictive young man. I only hope that I won't be dragged down by that old white face, Guo Zheng!"

(The war for monthly tickets is really cruel... The pursuit behind is too tight, so I still have to smile firmly and reach out for monthly tickets.)