"Why wouldn't I be anxious when time is of the essence?" Chen Pingping's thin face was expressionless, and his smooth, beardless chin made the wrinkles on his face appear even deeper, revealing an air of old age. "You must remember, I'm not that much younger than Xiao En."

Fan Xian was silent, sensing a certain ashen aura from the old cripple before him. He forced himself to concentrate and reported some of the secret events that occurred during his mission, but he didn't reveal that he had spent the night talking with Xiao En in the cave and already knew the exact location of the temple.

"When will Si Lili be able to enter the palace?" Chen Pingping seemed very confident in his ability to control that woman from afar.

Fan Xian frowned slightly, thinking about when he would be able to contact Si Lili's younger brother, and casually replied, "I am arranging things with certain people. It shouldn't be difficult, as it's not a big deal for the Northern Qi court."

Chen Pingping nodded and then said, "You also know that the position of the First Bureau was originally reserved for Yan Bingyun. But I didn't expect Yan Ruohai to want to retire at such a young age. Yan Bingyun has been working under his father and is very familiar with the Fourth Bureau, so staying there is also a good choice. But the First Bureau has been given to you, so you should put more effort into it."

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is there anything I need to pay attention to?"

Chen Pingping gave him a strange smile and looked into his eyes, "There are many aspects you need to pay attention to. Actually, His Majesty has always hoped that you would pick up the First Bureau again. After all, officials in the capital are mostly involved in important matters. If you don't keep a close eye on them and they get too close to the princes, it will always cause some trouble."

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, and he began to curse the one in the palace inwardly. *Your sons are causing trouble, why should I put out the fire?*

Chen Pingping's withered fingers gently tapped the armrest of his wheelchair. His knuckles protruded like the joints of bamboo. Fan Xian looked sideways, listening to the tapping sounds from the armrest, and realized that the armrest was hollow, like bamboo. He couldn't help but have a strange association. Could this most stern and terrifying old man in Qing Yu Nian be as principled as bamboo in the wind?

"You did well in the north this time," Chen Pingping said. "I know what you want to do by leaving Wang Qinian there, but you can't act until His Majesty speaks."

Fan Xian frowned. "The Eldest Princess has made a lot of money from that line. You also know that I will be taking over the Internal Treasury after the new year. If I don't clean up this line before taking over, I'll be stuck with a mess, and I won't be able to achieve anything. How will I explain that to the world?"

Chen Pingping glanced at him and said, "The Cui family is fronting for the Eldest Princess, selling goods to the north. If you dismantle this line completely, do you have a suitable person to take over?"

Fan Xian thought he had a good recommendation, so he put on an attentive expression.

Chen Pingping waved his hand. "I will report this matter to His Majesty. His Majesty also feels that the Eldest Princess has stretched her hand too far in recent years, but after all, they are family. If he doesn't agree to let go, then you shouldn't act... You need to know that the Court also hopes that you can firmly control the Internal Treasury. Firstly, you are already the Commissioner, and secondly, you need to understand that the Supervisory Council can maintain its current status among the Three Courts and Six Ministries because of the Internal Treasury."

Fan Xian asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Chen Pingping glanced at him and slowly explained in a somber voice, "The Supervisory Council has the power to supervise all officials, so it cannot have any relationship with these ministries. State affairs and council affairs have always been strictly separated. The Supervisory Council's annual expenditure is a huge sum, but for so many years, not a single penny has been taken from the national treasury. Therefore, neither the Ministry of Revenue nor any other ministry can interfere with the Council. This is the so-called independence."

Fan Xian understood: "The Supervisory Council's expenses and salaries are directly drawn from the profits of the Internal Treasury."

"That's right," Chen Pingping continued. "This was the iron rule set by your mother back then, in order to separate the Court from the officials of the world. So, in the future, if you want to control this Court, you have to plan for the thousands of officials in the Court and those on the periphery. The healthier the Internal Treasury, the stronger the economic foundation of the Supervisory Council, and it can always maintain this independent status."

Chen Pingping sneered, "Since that bloody event thirteen years ago, His Majesty has launched countless new policies. The old Military Department was changed to the Military Council, and now it has been changed to the Privy Council, and the Ministry of War has been re-established. This is just a microcosm. These nominal things are changed back and forth, seemingly without any fundamental impact, but in reality, they have already kneaded these ministries into a large pile of dough. The reason why the Supervisory Council has always remained the same is because of its so-called independence."

Fan Xian said with a wry smile, "Isn't that just a word from His Majesty?"

"So you have to fight!" Chen Pingping stared at his eyes with chilling intensity. "In the future, if the palace wants to break up the Supervisory Council, you must fight! If the Supervisory Council also becomes a broken-down thing like the Dali Temple, our Qing Yu Nian Dynasty... I'm afraid it will slowly become a broken-down thing like the former Da Wei!"

Fan Xian understood the old cripple's worries. He had more experience from his previous life than him, so he naturally understood the importance of the independence of supervisory institutions.

"So, the Internal Treasury and the Supervisory Council are essentially two sides of the same coin," Chen Pingping said, word by word. "Your father's idea is too naive! If you want to control the Internal Treasury, you must have power in your hands and firmly control this Court! And if you want to control this Court, you must ensure the Court's blood supply! Don't underestimate money. This little thing is enough to destroy the most tightly controlled organization in the world."

Seeing that he had mentioned his father, Fan Xian, as a son, naturally couldn't say much, so he could only listen silently and accept his teachings.

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That day, Fan Xian went to the First Bureau and officially took office. The yamen of the First Bureau was not located in the square, gray-black building of the Supervisory Council, but in a courtyard next to the Dali Temple in the east of the city. The gate still looked solemn and imposing, but the plaque almost made Fan Xian spit out the water he was drinking onto Teng Zijing, who was acting as his coachman.

He held onto the wall of the carriage, suppressing the laughter in his heart, looking at the plaque that he found very incongruous:

"Imperial-Appointed Da Qing Yu Nian Supervisory Council First Branch Office"

Fan Xian immediately had an absurd feeling of time mixing, as if he had come to another time and space, to the entrance of the procuratorate of a city known for its oil fields.

They traveled lightly and simply, without notifying Mu Tie in advance. The official documents from the Council had not yet been issued, so the officials of the First Bureau didn't know that a new boss would be coming today. The gatekeeper looked at the carriage at the yamen entrance and muttered for a long time, thinking that the young man standing outside, laughing like an idiot, was really wasting that pretty face. He had been standing there for a long time without coming in. What exactly was he doing?

At this time, Fan Xian had already led Deng Ziyue and a few confidants inside. Teng Zijing refused to go in, still preferring to stay away from places like the Supervisory Council. The gatekeeper was an old man nearing fifty, and he quickly came out and stopped them, saying, "Gentlemen, what brings you here?"

Fan Xian was slightly taken aback, thinking that no one had stopped him when he first broke into the Supervisory Council, but that was because no idlers would run to the Supervisory Council to wander around. His mind worked very quickly, and seeing that the gatekeeper had stopped him, he wondered if the First Bureau usually had many officials coming to visit.

Although he wasn't wearing his official uniform today, Deng Ziyue and the others were still wearing the uniforms of the Supervisory Council, so the gatekeeper couldn't figure out their identities, and his tone was still relatively gentle.

Fan Xian ignored him and walked straight inside. Deng Ziyue put out a hand and stopped the old man, and the group walked directly into the yamen.

As soon as he entered the yamen, Fan Xian realized that this First Bureau was indeed different. Not to mention that no one came up to greet him and ask anything, after walking through a few rooms, he found that the rooms were empty. It was during working hours, but there wasn't a single person there. He was a little puzzled and went to the side hall, found a chair for himself, and sat down. He faintly heard a clamorous sound coming from the back of the yamen.

Several clerks from the former First Bureau were in the Qinian Group. One of them, named Su Wenmao, happened to be following Commissioner Fan today. Seeing that the Commissioner's face looked displeased, he quickly ran to the registry to look for the officials on duty, but he couldn't find anyone. Su Wenmao was also puzzled, thinking that he had only left the First Bureau for a year, but how could the entire atmosphere in the yamen have become so strange? Fortunately, he was an old hand at the First Bureau. If he couldn't find anyone, he could still find tea and hot water. He quickly and respectfully made a cup of tea and brought it to Fan Xian.

Fan Xian wasn't in a hurry, holding the teacup and sipping it gently, acting as calm as those old ministers in the court.

Deng Ziyue glared at Su Wenmao, as if to say, why haven't you found anyone yet? Su Wenmao stood beside Fan Xian, half-hunched over, with a bitter smile on his face, not daring to respond. He really hadn't expected that the dignified First Bureau of the Supervisory Council, under the authority of Director Chen, had become like a general idle yamen.

The gatekeeper peered in from outside the gate and saw that these gentlemen were just drinking tea, probably waiting for someone, so he couldn't be bothered to pay them any more attention. So the group sat awkwardly in the hall like this. Fan Xian became a little impatient, stood up, motioned for them to sit down, while he went to the counter next to the hall and began to rummage through the files that had already been covered in dust, thinking that no one had even stopped him. The discipline of this First Bureau was really too lax.

Suddenly, a few people walked in, talking and laughing. Their clothes showed that they were all officials of the Supervisory Council, and they were carrying a large bamboo basket in their hands. The basket was filled with fish, preserved with ice, and it looked quite fresh. These people didn't even look at Fan Xian's group as they passed by, but one of them caught sight of Su Wenmao and shouted with a laugh, "Old Su, why do you have time to come back and sit around today?"

Su Wenmao was full of embarrassment, but he saw Fan Xian's gesture in the corner, so he could only smile apologetically and say, "Commissioner is reporting for duty at the Council today. We have nothing to do, so we brought the brothers to take a look around." After traveling north, the Qinian Group knew Fan Xian's methods, and under his accumulated power, they didn't dare to remind him even half a word.

That person clapped his hands, told the others to carry the basket of fish in first, and said to Su Wenmao with envy, "Old Su, you're really rising in the world now. Following that young master, you'll be able to walk sideways from now on, right?"

Su Wenmao carefully considered his words and replied cautiously, "Commissioner is very strict, I wouldn't dare to rely on his name to do anything wrong outside."

The person laughed and said, "Let's not talk about that. Anyway, these good things won't be our turn in the First Bureau. Let's go, let's go..." At the same time, he called out to Deng Ziyue and the other colleagues, "Since you're here, don't leave yet. Everyone knows how long the meeting at the Council will take. Let's go in and play a few rounds."

Deng Ziyue snorted coldly and turned his face to the side. Seeing that he wasn't giving him face, the person's face also showed embarrassment. He thought angrily, *Isn't he just hugging Commissioner Fan's leg? What's there to be arrogant about?* He ignored them and chatted with Su Wenmao for a few more words before preparing to leave.

At this moment, Fan Xian walked out, asking with a gentle face, "Brother, I saw you loading a basket of fish earlier. Are you planning to eat this for lunch? I'm afraid I'll have to join you."

The light in the yamen was dim, and the person didn't see Fan Xian's face clearly, only knowing that he was a young man. He said with a smile, "We can't bear to eat that. We'll distribute it to our families later."

"Oh? It seems to be a very valuable fish, otherwise it wouldn't be preserved with ice," Fan Xian said.

"That's right!" The person glanced at Deng Ziyue askance, his face showing pride. "Yunmeng fish shipped from the south at 800 li per emergency delivery, caught from the big lake, extremely fresh. It would spoil quickly without being preserved with ice. In this capital city, even those top-grade ministers wouldn't find it easy to eat. It's thanks to the Ministry of War that we have this ability, and it's also thanks to us being the dignified First Bureau of the Supervisory Council, otherwise where would we have such good fortune."

"So it was sent by the Ministry of War," Fan Xian said with a slight smile, knowing that the various ministries in the capital would definitely try their best to please the First Bureau, but he didn't expect them to put in so much effort.

The person cupped his hands and said, "I won't say any more. Since you're waiting for Commissioner to dismiss the meeting, then please sit for a while. I'll go in and grab my own fish first, and then come out to talk to you."

Fan Xian said, "Don't rush, we have something else to ask of Lord Mu, but we haven't been able to find him. Please, brother, help us with that."

The person looked at him, smiled, and said, "I thought it was a big deal. I'll go inform him, you wait."

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The person walked towards the backyard with a grin on his face, but as soon as he left Fan Xian's group's sight, his face immediately changed. He jogged into a room at the back of the yamen and kicked the door open!

There were several people in the room sitting at the table, enthusiastically shuffling mahjong tiles. They were startled by his interruption and couldn't help but shout loudly. Mu Tie, who was sitting in the main seat, looked even more displeased. A verdant mahjong tile transformed into a hidden weapon and was thrown over, as he cursed, "Are you reporting a funeral?! A few fish have made you so greedy."

The person said tremblingly, "Lord Mu, a young man has come to the Bureau."

Mu Tie frowned, self-importantly: "Who is it? If he's familiar, bring him over, I can't bear to give up this good hand."

"Not familiar," the person said in a trembling voice, "but Su Wenmao is also with him. I reckon... could it be... that young master has come?"

Mu Tie was shocked and slammed the table, pointing at his nose and cursing, "You... you have to take responsibility for your words!" He was so frightened that he stood up and circled around in place, anxiously asking, "Is it really Commissioner?"

"I reckon so," the person said with a face full of grievance. "I didn't dare to recognize him in front of him, pretended not to know him, and quickly came to notify you, Lord. If it's really Commissioner Fan, you have to be careful."

Mu Tie was full of panic and quickly ordered his subordinates to remove the mahjong table and rearrange the room to look like an office. He jogged, leading the person to the front hall of the yamen, running and saying, "Feng'er, I'll remember your contribution. I'll have your aunt introduce you to a good marriage... Damn it, how could this Commissioner come so suddenly? Fortunately, you reacted quickly... Truly worthy of being our imperial-appointed First Bureau of the Supervisory Council! You haven't dropped the work of intelligence disguise, very good, very good!"

The mole known as Feng'er wiped the ice water on his hands onto the clothes on his buttocks and said, "It's Lord Mu's great leadership, great leadership."