The night in Kyoto was a bit quieter than the night in Shangjing, the capital of Northern Qi. The people of Qing seemed not to have gotten used to the so-called prosperous times, so most of the time, they were accustomed to staying at home at night. Of course, the flower boats on the Liujing River and the brothels in the west of the city were exceptions.

Fan Xian walked slowly in the night with his hands behind his back. Deng Ziyue followed him a few steps behind, carrying a box. Suddenly, Fan Xian stopped and waved to the dark places in front of and behind him. Those officials from the Supervisory Council who were responsible for protecting his safety, hidden in the darkness, appeared, somewhat puzzled.

"Everyone in Kyoto knows you're around me, why bother staying in the dark?" Fan Xian said with a smile.

Deng Ziyue explained with a wry smile, "The court officials don't like seeing the Supervisory Council's spies on the streets, and the common people are also quite fearful… I'm afraid it will have a bad influence on you, sir."

Fan Xian understood what he meant and said with a smile, "You guys are always walking on people's roofs, aren't you afraid of disturbing their sleep?"

The subordinates looked at each other, but they followed the Deputy Director's instructions and came out onto the street. These people were all officials who hadn't been very successful in the Supervisory Council. When Wang Qinian was ordered to form the Qinian Group, he put a lot of thought into it, finding people who were suitable. Now, the people in the Qinian Group were following Deputy Director Fan, and they were thriving in the Council. No matter which department of the Eight Bureaus they went to to report on official business, the other party was always respectful, and in addition to their monthly salary, there was also a large allowance. This change made them feel very lucky to be following Deputy Director Fan.

As midnight approached, the temperature dropped. Deng Ziyue hurried forward a few steps and draped a thin black windbreaker over Fan Xian's shoulders, then immediately retreated to his position. A group of seven or eight people walked forward, all wearing the Supervisory Council's specially made black single-layer clothing, the hem above the knees. The material didn't reflect much light, giving it a gloomy appearance.

Under the moonlight, the group maintained a meaningful distance, silently and synchronously guarding Fan Xian in the center, moving forward. The silver light was like snow, and the black clothing was like ink.

——————————————————————————

The next day, Fan Xian went to the building next to Tianhe Avenue—the Supervisory Council.

He walked inside, and the calm-faced officials of the Supervisory Council bowed to him along the way.

"Good morning, Deputy Director."

"Good morning, Deputy Director Fan."

He responded with a smile, not stopping, and walked towards the room behind the Council. He pushed the door open and found that the seven chiefs of the Eight Bureaus had all arrived.

Fan Xian bowed slightly and greeted the crowd with cupped hands. The seven chiefs didn't dare to be presumptuous and quickly stood up to return the greeting, especially Yan Ruohai of the Fourth Bureau, who looked at Fan Xian with a joyful and grateful expression, presumably because he had been getting along well with his son and father, Yan Bingyun, these past few days and was in a good mood. Only Chen Pingping sat at the end of the long table in his wheelchair, watching him with a smile that wasn't a smile.

He coughed and sat down in the seat to Chen Pingping's right, somewhat surprised not to see his teacher. As if guessing what he was thinking, Chen Pingping gently stroked his knees and said in a slightly sharp voice, "He went to Jiangnan to enjoy himself. I can't control him either."

Fan Xian smiled, lowered his voice, and looked ahead, saying, "When are you going out to play?"

Chen Pingping glanced at him and said, "That depends on when you have the ability to take over."

———————————————————————————

The Supervisory Council rarely held such meetings, and it just so happened that Fan Xian had attended two of them, and of course, both meetings were inextricably linked to him. After listening to Fan Xian's report on his trip to Northern Qi, the officials were relieved. As long as the spy network in the north hadn't been fatally destroyed, everything else was actually insignificant.

As for Fan Xian nominating Wang Qinian to temporarily handle all affairs in the north, there weren't too many objections. On the one hand, Fan Xian, as Deputy Director, had the authority to do so. Secondly, Wang Qinian had been in the Council long enough. If he hadn't been unambitious in the past, he might have been a chief of a bureau by now. Since he had coincidentally followed Deputy Director Fan, it wasn't considered an excessive move for Deputy Director Fan to promote his own man. Thirdly, the situation in the north was a dangerous business; just look at what happened to the son of Lord Yan of the Fourth Bureau.

But the personnel arrangements announced next were somewhat unexpected. The officials in the Council had always thought that after Zhu Ge of the First Bureau committed suicide, the reason why the Director hadn't appointed someone to take over the vacant position was to wait for young Lord Yan to return to the country and take over. They hadn't expected the Director to announce that Yan Bingyun would become the chief of the Fourth Bureau. If he went to the Fourth Bureau, who would manage the First Bureau? And what about Lord Yan Ruohai?

Chen Pingping listlessly raised his eyelids, "Ruohai has been in the Council for too long and is a bit tired of it, so he has requested to resign from his position in the Fourth Bureau. A document will be sent to the Ministry of Personnel tomorrow to find a comfortable position in the capital to retire." It seemed that Chen Pingping wasn't very happy about Yan Ruohai's voluntary resignation, but Yan Ruohai had been worrying about his son's life or death all year round and was indeed somewhat tired of life in the Council. Plus, he himself knew that among the Eight Bureaus, it was impossible for two chiefs to come from the Yan family at the same time. In order to make room for Yan Bingyun, he had no choice but to resign first.

The chiefs of the Supervisory Council's Eight Bureaus may not seem to have high ranks, but in reality, they held great power. Even the Vice Ministers of the various ministries wouldn't dare to offend them easily.

Fan Xian glanced at Yan Ruohai and noticed that there was indeed some weariness in the corners of his eyes, as well as a hint of relief and joy.

Since the Director and Lord Yan had already arranged the aftermath of the Fourth Bureau, no one said anything more. At this time, the chief of the Second Bureau asked, "The position of the First Bureau has been vacant for so long, it's time someone managed it. Mu Tie…" He shook his head, "Loyalty is certainly unquestionable, but this lord only knows how to flatter, and his ability is still a bit weak. The First Bureau is one of the most crucial departments in the Council, overseeing the supervision of officials in the capital, so it needs a capable person."

The other chiefs nodded in agreement. The First Bureau was the most glamorous position among the Eight Bureaus. Since these bosses of the Eight Bureaus didn't want to retire gracefully like Yan Ruohai, they naturally all wanted to go one step further.

Chen Pingping slowly turned his head and glanced at Fan Xian, whose face still had a suspicious expression. He said, "From today onwards, the First Bureau will not have a chief and will be managed entirely by Deputy Director Fan."

These words were spoken lightly, but they weighed heavily in everyone's hearts. Everyone immediately dispelled the little bit of desire to fight for power and profit in their hearts. They wouldn't dare compete with Deputy Director Fan, who was already their superior and was clearly a big figure who would succeed Director Chen in the future. Now that he was also in charge of the First Bureau, who would dare to say anything?

But everyone also felt a chill in their hearts. The power of the Deputy Director was already subject to few restrictions. Now that Lord Fan was also in charge of the First Bureau, the affairs of the First Bureau no longer needed to be arranged by the Council. Instead, the other departments would have to cooperate with the First Bureau. In this way, the First Bureau's position would probably be raised by half a level. In other words, Deputy Director Fan was the monarch of the First Bureau, and whatever he said, the First Bureau would do!

Fan Xian was also a bit surprised. Why would Chen Pingping let him manage the First Bureau? He turned to look at him and said, "Director, I'm already struggling to be this Deputy Director. I've never handled specific affairs before. If I rashly manage the First Bureau, I'm afraid it won't be good for the Council's affairs."

Chen Pingping settled the matter with one sentence, "You don't have experience in specific affairs, so I'm giving you the First Bureau to gain some experience."

—————————————————————————

After the meeting, the subordinates in the Council congratulated Fan Xian one after another, but the atmosphere in the Supervisory Council was generally better than in other departments and agencies in the imperial court, so Fan Xian didn't hear too many disgusting flattery. As the officials were leaving, Yan Ruohai specifically stayed behind to thank Fan Xian.

Fan Xian felt a hidden sense of shame in his heart and quickly said with a smile, "I hit it off with Bingyun right away, and besides, it was all Council business. I really didn't contribute much. Lord Yan, please don't say that. You make this junior feel ashamed."

Yan Ruohai saw that he wasn't taking credit, and he admired this young nobleman even more. He smiled slightly, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "In a few days, I'll send a formal invitation for Lord Fan to come to my residence for a visit."

"Definitely, definitely." Fan Xian wouldn't refuse, and he wondered what Miss Shen looked like in the Yan residence now.

……

……

Only Chen Pingping and Fan Xian were left in the room.

"What a mess," Chen Pingping frowned and looked at him. "I know that Bingyun is a calm child and would never bring that woman back to Kyoto. I guess this is all your idea."

Everyone feared Chen Pingping, but Fan Xian always played the role of a junior in front of him, acting silly and denying everything before saying, "Director, this has nothing to do with this official. As soon as that Miss Shen joined the envoy, she stayed in the Grand Princess's carriage. I couldn't forcibly drag her out and kill her."

Chen Pingping narrowed his eyes and said, "On the way back to Kyoto, I had the Black Riders follow the envoy. If it wasn't for your signal, how could that woman have ridden alone into the envoy?"

Fan Xian was choked and didn't know how to explain. After a long while, he sighed, "It's just a tragic love affair."

Chen Pingping loved this young man dearly from the bottom of his heart and couldn't bear to scold him too much, so he turned to reprimand him, "Why did you let the Qinian Group reveal their presence?"

Fan Xian knew that he couldn't hide this from the other party and had already thought of a response. He said with a smile, "Because I want to make the Council more open and aboveboard. There's no need to always shrink in the darkness and scare so many people."

"Open and aboveboard?" Chen Pingping frowned. "It's good that you have this idea."

Fan Xian pulled the blanket on his knees up a bit for him and said softly, "Take it slow, there's no rush."