"Impossible."

Fan Xian lay on the bed, shaking his head and uttering those two words. However, he immediately coughed, as if even his internal injuries knew he couldn't completely trust his judgment. The surge of emotion inevitably triggered a reaction.

Still, Fan Xian found it impossible. Since he was a child, he had followed Teacher Fei, learning the basics of biological poisons and their elementary applications, the rules and departmental structure of the Overwatch Council, and its unique methods of handling affairs and killing people. From a very young age, his life had been closely linked to the Overwatch Council, the institution most feared by the officials and commoners of Qing.

In the eyes of others, he was just a child, at most a child with some genius tendencies. But he knew that Fan Anzhi in Danzhou already possessed a quite mature soul. Therefore, he had long understood that his future life would definitely be closely connected to the Overwatch Council.

The appearance of the Supervisor's Waist Token after entering the capital further clarified the good intentions of the old men in the Overwatch Council. They wanted to entrust the Overwatch Council to him, or rather, return it to him, or more precisely, return it to that woman from back then.

Now, Fan Xian possessed immeasurable wealth, a reputation known throughout the land, and an extremely high position. All of this was perhaps due to his experience of living two lives, the poems and songs of countless predecessors, and the strong will he had cultivated since childhood. But he knew in his heart that all of this was external and unreliable, and could be lost at any moment.

And the reason he still possessed all of this today was because of the power of the Overwatch Council.

No matter how you looked at it, the Overwatch Council was Fan Xian's foundation, his very root, in this world.

The assassination in Snow Valley was different from the assassination at Suspended Temple. The severe injuries he suffered after Suspended Temple was completely an accident. Shadow's intervention was entirely under Chen Pingping's control. If it hadn't been for the fact that his Overlord Qi had reached a bottleneck at that time, and his meridians happened to be severed, he probably wouldn't have suffered such serious injuries.

But the assassination in Snow Valley was meant to kill him. Once it started, there was no possibility of stopping...

If what his father said and what he suspected were true, and this foundation suddenly loosened, Fan Xian could collapse and withdraw from the scene at any time. Whether from a rational or emotional standpoint, Fan Xian was unwilling to accept this speculation, nor could he accept it.

"Impossible."

Fan Xian repeated those two words again with a heavy tone.

He was the Supervisor of the Overwatch Council. Through Chen Pingping's deliberate loosening of the reins and support over the past two years, he had already placed his own people in the eight divisions. The Qinian Group had also become a special department. He himself was in the First Division, Yan Bingyun was in the Fourth Division, Fei Jie was in the Third Division, the Fifth Division's Black Knights were heartless, and now there was Jing Ge, and Shadow was in the Sixth Division...

When he thought about it, Fan Xian was no longer the lonely person he had been. He had firmly grasped the resources of the entire Overwatch Council in his hands. He really couldn't understand how, even if there was a traitor in the Council, it was possible to completely keep him in the dark and cooperate with his enemies.

Unless it was him.

The one he thought of in the valley.

But he... was so kind to him. That hand that always rested on the wool blanket was so steady. That thin, disabled body seemed so reliable. No matter where he was, he always felt that he was his biggest support, allowing him to do anything without any fear.

...

...

"There's never been anything impossible in this world," Fan Jian said coldly. "Back then, how was your mother any different from you now? She also had the Overwatch Council in her left hand, the Internal Treasury in her right, and the Fifth Elder behind her. Moreover, she had us few more people, and the Quanzhou Navy in the south. How was that compared to you today? ... But what happened in the end?"

Fan Xian fell silent, and suddenly vaguely felt that the events in the valley were probably related to that incident many years ago.

"The Queen's father was personally beheaded by me," Fan Jian said, looking down at his slender fingers and smiling. "But... who knows if all the heads that should have been chopped off were chopped off?"

Fan Xian was shocked when he first heard this. He looked at his father for a long time without saying a word. It was only today that he learned that the Queen's father was actually killed by his father himself!

He knew what his father meant. The Kyoto Bleeding Night was a major revenge for the downfall of the Ye family. But the Ye family's foundation was so deep back then. To be overthrown overnight, even if it was taking advantage of the Emperor's westward expedition... there were countless powerful families in Kyoto involved in this matter. It was not surprising that some escaped the net... or even that the main culprits still survived.

But... Fan Xian broke the silence, a firm look on his face. He said gently, "Father, don't say anymore. I trust the Director."

Fan Jian sighed.

Fan Xian continued gently, "He has actually said your words to me before... I have also been thinking about the problem back then, and found that before I entered Kyoto, you and Director Chen were unusually cold to each other, completely unlike how you are now. I understand that there is vigilance in your hearts, but just as I unconditionally believe in you, I also unconditionally believe in him."

He coughed lightly twice and continued, "Suspicion of comrades is a terrible thing. Perhaps some people have been deliberately hiding something in order to make you and Director Chen suspicious of each other."

"I won't do that," Fan Xian said with emphasis. "I believe in my own feelings. Only feelings won't deceive me."

His eyes looked out the window.

...

...

After a long time, Fan Jian laughed and comforted, "It seems that you still have faith in human nature... In this point, you are very much like your mother."

Fan Xian also laughed and said, "Only for a few specific people."

Fan Jian then asked calmly, "How are you going to handle this matter?"

"I'll wait and see how His Majesty handles it first," Fan Xian replied after a moment of silence. "I'm afraid nothing will come of the investigation. The other side has invested so much capital in it, so naturally they have thought of ways to deal with the aftermath."

He laughed sarcastically, "Sometimes I don't know where His Majesty's confidence comes from. Even the military has begun to stir, but he is still as unconcerned as ever?"

"An investigation can always uncover something," Fan Jian said, looking at his son, knowing that the young man had not been blinded by blood. He smiled with relief, "The siege crossbows all have serial numbers."

"I'm afraid that even the siege crossbows were transferred from elsewhere. It wouldn't be good to investigate the wrong people."

"You're right," Fan Jian's lips curled into a strange smile. "His Majesty was furious, and the case was investigated extremely quickly. News came in the afternoon. There were a total of five siege crossbows in the valley, just out of the C-Workshop of the Internal Treasury, and should have been sent to Dingzhou along the road... but for some reason, they were a little late for the delivery time, and happened to appear on your way back to Kyoto."

"Dingzhou?" Fan Xian frowned. "Is the Ye family going to be the scapegoat again? Can His Majesty be so cruel?"

"Of course His Majesty knows the trickiness of this matter," Fan Jian said. "But... what if the Ye family did it on purpose?"

"So we need other evidence," Fan Xian asked softly, "Is the live witness I sent to the Privy Council valuable?"

"Yes," Fan Jian laughed strangely again, "Your trick is the same as the one you used to deal with the Second Prince, sending the witness to the other party's office."

Fan Jian's expression was slightly calm. He said, "It's just a method. It's best not to use it twice. At least this time, the Privy Council didn't fall for your trick."

"Oh?" Fan Xian frowned. "How did they handle it?"

Fan Jian smiled slightly and said, "They treated that live witness like an ancestral shrine, afraid that he would lose too much blood and die, making it difficult to answer His Majesty's questions. Then, they used the reason that this matter must be investigated by the Overwatch Council, and the military should avoid suspicion, and sent this person to the Overwatch Council."

Fan Xian was slightly stunned.

Fan Jian continued to smile and said, "But the person was thrown in the Privy Council by you, so the Overwatch Council naturally refused to accept it, and dragged it back to the Privy Council... The crude men in the Privy Council's military really learned to be shameless this time, and actually dragged the person back to the Privy Council again."

The Minister of Revenue, who was always solemn, shook his head with a smile, "This afternoon, the two courtyards were competing over this live witness, sending you to me, and me to you, as if this person was a hot potato that no one wanted to take."

Although Fan Xian was in a heavy mood after encountering the ambush today, he couldn't help but laugh when he heard his father's words. It seemed as if he could see this afternoon, on Tianhe Avenue, in the power center of the Qing Dynasty, two government offices dragging a pig back and forth... That military hero was probably did not think that he would have this treatment in his life.

"What happened in the end?"

"In the end, the palace issued a statement, and the Overwatch Council put him in prison."

Fan Xian sighed, "I didn't expect that so many things would happen in Kyoto after sleeping all afternoon."

Fan Jian looked at his son quietly, and after a long time, he said slowly, "You were ambushed by the military, which is the biggest thing after the Kyoto Bleeding Night... And you came back alive, making many people unable to sit in their houses in peace. I don't know how many people will have trouble sleeping tonight."

Fan Xian was silent.

"Are you really going to take action?"

"I won't do it myself," Fan Xian said softly. "But I want them to hurt, to hurt to the bone."

Fan Jian nodded and said, "Handle it yourself, but... don't offend the entire military."

"I have a sense of propriety."

Fan Jian stood up and left his bedroom, finally saying, "You must live."

——————————————————————————

On this night, countless people sat in secluded rooms, restless, silent.

The news of Fan Xian's assassination had already spread throughout Kyoto. Today's routine grand court meeting was abruptly ended because of this sudden incident. According to private discussions among the ministers who had left the court, His Majesty appeared relatively calm after hearing the news, and immediately ordered the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, to go out of the palace to inspect the situation, and ordered the two Grand Scholars, Shu and Hu, to express condolences on behalf of the Emperor.

But according to Eunuch Yao from the palace, His Majesty broke a porcelain teacup from the official kiln after returning to the imperial study, and remained silent for a long time.

Everyone knew that the Emperor was enraged, but not everyone was afraid. Those who had presided over the events in the valley, or had secretly helped with the events in the valley, were plotting in their respective residences with different thoughts and anxieties.

Since these people dared to kill people in the suburbs of Kyoto, they were naturally prepared to face His Majesty's anger and the Overwatch Council's revenge. They just didn't expect that after using such a powerful force and making such thorough preparations... Fan Xian didn't die!

"He actually didn't die!"

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the East Palace said with gritted teeth, grabbing the embroidered cloth on the footstool next to him with one hand, turning this soft embroidered cloth into countless ugly flowers.

The Queen, with her eyebrows lightly drawn, sat opposite him indifferently and nobly, and said in a cold voice, "Pay attention to your status, pay attention to your words. Fan Xian is a minister of the court. If he doesn't die, you, as the heir apparent, should be gratified. How can you be so disappointed?"

The Crown Prince sneered twice, "This is the East Palace. Besides, everyone knows that only one of me and Fan Xian can survive. I'm afraid everyone is guessing that the events in the valley were arranged by me. Since that's the case, why should I pretend to be so benevolent?"

The Queen looked at him quietly, and after a long time, she said, "Don't worry, His Majesty won't suspect you, because... we don't have that kind of strength in the first place."

The Crown Prince was speechless. It was only now that he realized that among these forces in the court, his own power was the weakest. This was partly because of the Second Prince's struggles over the years, and partly because he had lost the powerful aid of the Eldest Princess. Another reason was the existence of Fan Xian.

He smiled bitterly, "I didn't expect that it would turn out to be a good thing. The Empress Mother is right, I have no way to mobilize the military to kill people."

"But..." A trace of jealousy flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes, "It would be great if Fan Xian died."

What a Fan Xian! He filed a lawsuit over the Ming family's property in Jiangnan, but insisted on associating it with the major issue of whether the eldest son had the right to inherit. Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Doesn't the Empress Dowager know? The Empress Dowager is already angry... The Crown Prince sneered, and was very grateful to that unknown force for daring to directly assassinate Fan Xian in such a situation, helping many people in Kyoto do things they wanted to do but dared not do.

...

...

Many people were guessing on this night which force was so bold and reckless as to dare to risk the world's disapproval and murder the Emperor's favored minister in the suburbs of Kyoto.

Everyone's eyes turned to the Eldest Princess, because it seemed that only this noblewoman had such madness, such courage, and such strength.

"It's a pity that it didn't succeed this time." In a quiet Wang residence in Kyoto, the most powerful and most beautiful woman in Qing was lazily lying on a low couch, with a fire cage under the couch, and warm air rising.

Li Yunrui squinted her eyes, her eyes full of laziness. She looked at the Second Prince sitting below her and smiled, "But this matter has nothing to do with me. I wouldn't be so stupid as to do such a thing. There are many simple ways to deal with Fan Xian."

The Second Prince was slightly startled. In fact, from the moment he heard the news of the assassination in the valley, he thought it was done by the Eldest Princess. After counting, only she had such courage, and dared not to look at the Emperor's face. He even suspected that this matter had the tacit approval of the Empress Dowager Grandmother.

Unexpectedly, he heard the Eldest Princess's straightforward denial.

"Of course, I am very grateful to that person," Li Yunrui said with a smile. The woman in her thirties did not have the slightest taste of fading flowers, but was instead blooming with intense charm. With every squint of her eyes and every turn of her wrist, a taste of romance naturally revealed itself. She sighed, "It would be nice if my son-in-law could be killed. The assassination in the valley was simple, crude, direct, and had a military style... I like it."

Her words suddenly stopped, and the Second Prince didn't know what to say. The room was filled with a silent sigh.

After a long time, the Eldest Princess slowly shook her head and said, "He can't be killed even like this... Is it because he's lucky enough, or what?"

The Second Prince and the Eldest Princess looked at each other, and both saw the unease and self-deprecation in each other's eyes. Fan Xian... was really a monster, a monster who was lucky to the extreme. Or rather, everyone still underestimated his strength today, when they paid so much attention to him. The details of the assassination in the valley had already reached the desks of these nobles. All the forces were shocked by the fact that Fan Xian not only returned to Kyoto alive in that situation, but also killed all the assassins and captured a live witness.

There was even a faint trace of fear.

The Eldest Princess was not afraid, but just thought faintly, if, just if, there had been no incident on Niulan Street back then, how wonderful this world would be.

...

...

"Continue to maintain a good relationship with the East Palace." The Eldest Princess taught the Second Prince as if she were teaching her own child, "We need his name to persuade the Empress Dowager."

The Second Prince nodded, finally unable to resist the strong doubts in his heart, and asked, "Who on earth did it? It's not possible that Director Chen suddenly went crazy, right?"

"The serial numbers of the five siege crossbows have been investigated clearly," the Eldest Princess looked at the Second Prince sarcastically, "They belong to your little wife's family."

The Second Prince shook his head firmly, "The Ye family's power is far away in Dingzhou. Even if two hundred experts raided Kyoto overnight, it would be impossible to completely avoid alarming the Kyoto garrison and the Overwatch Council. As for these five siege crossbows, it's even more... ridiculous."

"In the imperial court, no one cares whether it's ridiculous or not," the Eldest Princess said sarcastically. "If His Majesty and the Overwatch Council want to vent their anger, the Ye family will inevitably become the scapegoat if they can't find an outlet."

After pondering for a moment, the Second Prince said calmly, "Please, Aunt, take action."

Although the Ye family was far away in Dingzhou and had been repeatedly suppressed because of the Suspended Temple incident, they were still a powerful figure in the military after all. Now that they had become a family with the Second Prince, the Second Prince was naturally unwilling to see the Ye family suffer another blow because of Fan Xian's assassination. Even for the sake of future events, the Ye family had to be protected.

"I'm not a god," the Eldest Princess said calmly. "How can the anger of the Son of Heaven be settled by a few words from the women in the palace?"

She looked at the Second Prince quietly and said, "Not to mention the Ye family, you should also be prepared. I know my imperial brother. He will definitely be very angry this time. And if he can't find the root cause of the matter in the end, perhaps he will bestow universal grace and make everyone unhappy."

The Second Prince lowered his head, knowing that many people were going to be unlucky, but he wasn't too worried anyway. After all, the matter had nothing to do with him. He still insisted on asking, "Who is it after all? Aunt... this matter is very important, don't hide it from me."

The Eldest Princess's eyes were still calm, but the corners of her lips curved into a beautiful, slightly mocking curve.

"Everyone knows that I am not on good terms with Fan Xian because I want to protect you, and Fan Xian has already made it clear in Jiangnan that he wants to protect the Third Prince." The Eldest Princess said with a smile, "But you and I both know that the events in the valley were not done by us, so this matter is very clear."

"Why not deal with the Third Prince, but only want to kill Fan Xian?"

"This shows that this assassination has nothing to do with that chair."

"It only has to do with Fan Xian himself."

"And the matter related to Fan Xian is enough to move a certain big figure in the military to take action. In addition to that chair, there is only that woman from back then."

"Why would that big figure in the military want to kill Fan Xian because of that woman?"

"It must be because he knows that if Fan Xian really comes to power in the future, or helps the Third Prince come to power... once he knows certain things, he will definitely let their family be ruined for that woman."

"In this way, that big figure in the military must be related to that woman's death back then."

Without peeling back the layers of the onion, the Eldest Princess just slowly said sentence by sentence, as if she were talking about everyday things, and approached the original truth of the matter extremely closely.

"But... Kyoto Bleeding Night?" The Second Prince frowned and said, "Weren't all the people who participated in the Ye family's affairs killed?"

The Eldest Princess smiled sweetly and said after a long time, "Are the Empress Dowager and the Queen dead?"

A trace of fanaticism suddenly appeared in her eyebrows, "And if I'm not crazy, since that big figure in the military has been able to live to this day with such glory, that woman's death back then was probably not that simple... Oh, I admire him more and more, more than when I was a child."

The Second Prince's lips were dry. He knew who his aunt admired, and was also extremely shocked by his aunt's deduction in the depths of his heart. If the truth of the matter was really like this, then it could only be said that his aunt's heart was too sensitive and terrible.

But he couldn't be sure of this either. After a long time, he frowned and said, "But... according to the news, on the way back to Kyoto, the son of the Grand Commandant, had shot an arrow."

The Eldest Princess smiled lightly, "You also know that although that big figure in the military hides in the mansion all day long, his hand is stretched out outside. Yan Xiaoyi's son has been hidden under his command. This time, it seems... this big figure is also afraid that His Majesty will really find out about him, and wants to drag us into the water."

The Second Prince sighed and said, "In this way, it seems that everyone wants Fan Xian to die. I really don't know how the Emperor will handle it."

"You should thank your imperial father," the Eldest Princess said with a smile. "He turned Fan Xian into a lonely minister, and at the same time, consciously or unconsciously, pushed everyone to our side. The Ye family is like this, and so is that big figure in the military today. God, everything that was taken from me was given to my good son-in-law, and he gave me back some better things one by one. How lovely is this world?"

The Internal Treasury, the Cui family, the Ming family, and even her own daughter... The Eldest Princess slowly clenched her fists, keeping a gentle smile on her face, but a trace of sarcasm was revealed in her words.

"I have always revered him, but I also clearly know that he has a fatal weakness."

The Second Prince dared not answer.

"He is too suspicious," the Eldest Princess said with a smile, "The suspicious will surely fail."

————————————————————————

Undoubtedly, the Eldest Princess possessed wisdom that was difficult for the world to achieve in terms of political judgment and the web of fame and fortune. However, regarding the assassination in the valley, she only guessed the superficial part. As for the deepest reason, I am afraid that no one knows except one person.

Even the big figure in the military who presided over this assassination in the valley himself didn't know.

A quiet mansion in Kyoto City, this mansion occupies half a street, is extremely wide and luxurious. All the instruments are made according to the prince's mansion. Various trees and plants grow in the courtyard, looking like giants' messy hair in this dark night, stabbing towards the lonely sky.

An old man in a cotton robe was watering the vegetables in his backyard vegetable garden. The old man was wearing a pair of cotton shoes, and the backs of the shoes were already a little worn. Wearing cotton robes and cotton shoes, plain and simple, this was the character that countless years of military career had forged.

He loved growing vegetables, especially after he got old and rarely went to the office in the yard, he preferred to toss the few vegetable fields at home. His sons and grandsons knew his hobby and brought many rare vegetable seeds.

But he didn't plant them. He only planted cabbage and radishes, the two most common vegetables in the army. He was different from that muddled Prince Jing. He did not rely on pastoral life to express his grief. He was just used to it, used to growing vegetables, used to simplicity and directness.

...

...

(I have some small things tomorrow, I will update later, write less, I wish you all a happy weekend, bow and leave the stage.)