The flower boat was moored at the shore. Li Hongcheng, the Heir Apparent of Prince Jing, stood by the railing, smiling as he watched the figures disappear into the night. He held Yuan Meng in his arms. Yuan Meng asked curiously, "What did Master Fan go to do?"

The Heir Apparent tapped her cool nose and scolded with a smile, "Must you feign innocence before me?" Yuan Meng smiled sweetly and replied, "No matter what Master Fan does, he doesn't hide it from you. It's just that Sili-Li, I'm afraid she knows nothing at all."

"Not hiding it from me shows he's clever," Li Hongcheng said with a faint smile. "I'm just a shield he's pulled in. But if he wants me to be willing, he can't keep it from me." He suddenly asked, "What do you think Fan Xian thinks of Sili-Li?"

Yuan Meng seemed especially familiar with the Heir Apparent. After thinking for a moment, she responded, "This Master Fan seems to really like Sili-Li, but it's unexpected that he could resist spending this spring night, and instead go do something else." The way she covered her mouth and laughed was completely different from the image of a pure courtesan.

"Then in the future, interact with Sili-Li more. Perhaps Fan Xian will often visit Zui Xian Residence." Li Hongcheng frowned slightly.

"Yes," Yuan Meng agreed like a subordinate, though she was a bit curious as to why the Heir Apparent was so interested in Fan Xian.

Li Hongcheng reached into her robe. Yuan Meng let out a soft murmur, her body almost going limp. "Do you know who Fan Xian is?"

"He's the most beloved illegitimate son of Fan Jian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue," Yuan Meng replied, her voice like a kitten's, but her eyes were very bright. "Your subordinate understands. You want to seize the lifeline of Qing Yu Nian's finances."

Li Hongcheng smiled and shook his head. "I don't have that ambition. I just genuinely feel that Fan Xian is a friend worth making." There was some truth in his words, but some things remained unsaid. Li Hongcheng knew about the secret marriage alliance of the Fan family, so he was very clear that the young man named Fan Xian might one day manage the vast commercial system behind the royal family.

If the Second Prince wanted to compete with the Crown Prince, then money was the most important weapon.

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Guo Baokun had lost face at the poetry gathering today, and his mood was extremely bad. So he went to indulge in wine and women in the evening, which slightly eased his mood. But when he thought of his old-fashioned father at home, his mood worsened again. He was planning what fun things he should get for the Crown Prince to bring to the palace tomorrow when he noticed the sedan chair had stopped.

He wasn't prepared for it, and for some reason, his head was a little dizzy. His forehead bumped into the front, causing a sharp pain. He roared in anger, "You bastards, how are you carrying the sedan chair?"

No one answered him. It was quiet outside the sedan chair. Guo Baokun climbed out of the tilting sedan chair in a somewhat disheveled state and found the street was quiet. It was Niu Lan Street, which he had to pass through to return home.

Surrounding the sedan chair were three masked men in black, and the sedan chair carriers and guards of the Guo residence were already lying on the ground, their life or death unknown. Guo Baokun thought he had encountered robbers along the way, and he was scared to death. He thought, "When did the security in the capital become so bad?" Trembling, he questioned, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Niu Lan Street was always quiet, especially after dark, with basically no pedestrians. Guo Baokun was a bit desperate, not expecting to be able to call for help by shouting loudly, so his voice was very low.

A clear and gentle voice answered, "I am Fan Xian, and I want to hit you."

Guo Baokun turned his head in astonishment, only to find a sack coming at his face, covering him. So he didn't see Fan Xian's hateful smiling face.

There was a faint fragrance in the sack, which made Guo Baokun's dizzy head clearer. But this only made things more miserable, because what followed was a storm of violent beatings, punches and kicks, showing no mercy.

Fan Xian watched as Teng Zijing and the others attacked. He felt a slight pleasure in his heart. He just wanted to let others know not to easily try to provoke him. He also had some other thoughts. Guo Baokun was the son of a high-ranking official, so he had never suffered such humiliation and pain. But he knew that Fan Xian was the one attacking him. In the struggles of the children of influential families, killing blows were never used. He assumed he wouldn't lose his life, so he still spoke harsh words:

"You little bastard Fan! If you have the guts, then beat me to death!"

Hearing these words, Fan Xian was enraged. He waved his hand, telling Teng Zijing and the others, who had been silently hammering away, to move aside. He walked over, squatted down, first gave him another round of beatings, and then softly said to the constantly rolling sack, "Brother Guo, do you know why I wrote that poem this afternoon?"

Fan Xian was strong, and Guo Baokun in the sack was already in too much pain to speak, only moaning mournfully.

"The wind is swift, the sky high, apes cry mournfully; the islet is clear, the sand white, birds fly back. Boundless fallen leaves rustle and fall; endless the long river comes rolling on. Ten thousand miles I sadly see autumn as a constant guest; a hundred years, much ailing, alone I mount this height. Hardships and bitterness I hate my frosted hair; worn by misfortune, I have newly given up turbid wine. You bullied me twice, so I must beat you until you are mournful, sad, and full of ailments. Only then can I be happy."

As soon as he finished speaking, he punched Guo Baokun's face hard through the sack. He didn't know how he could be so accurate in the middle of the night, through the cloth bag, but he accurately hit Guo Baokun's nose. Guo Baokun felt a wave of pain, numbness, sourness, and itching rush to his brain. Blood flowed, and he finally couldn't help but cry out in agony, repeatedly begging for mercy.

Fan Xian looked at the constantly writhing sack on the ground and realized that his ruthless side seemed to be slowly breaking free from the years of disguise. Still not satisfied, he kicked the sack a few times before waving his hand and leading the three thugs away, disappearing into the night. It could truly be said that they came quickly and left quickly, and Guo Gongzi wished he had never met them.

After a long time, Guo Baokun finally crawled out of the sack, his body covered in bruises. He looked at the guards and sedan chair carriers still lying on the ground and cursed countless times. He kicked them to their feet, only then realizing that his subordinates had been drugged. But that hateful Fan Xian had actually put the antidote in the sack, beating him until he wished he were dead.

The guards held their dizzy heads and saw that their young master had been beaten into a pig's head. They were scared to death and quickly rushed forward to support him. They didn't even use the sedan chair, carrying him directly back to the Guo residence.

That night, the Guo residence was in an uproar. Early the next morning, they sent people to the Kyoto Prefecture, handing the complaint directly to Mei Zili, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and Prefect of Kyoto, recounting the tragic events of the previous night, vowing to severely punish those Fan residence bastards. They couldn't let go of that audacious Fan family's illegitimate son who dared to commit violence on the streets of the capital. If he couldn't even be punished, where would the face of this high-ranking minister be placed?