The meaning behind the strange officials of the Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council commenting on Fan Xian's good physique was simply that his measurements were standard, fitting the accessories developed by the Third Bureau perfectly, eliminating the need for resizing.

Fan Xian put on the garment, frowning. It reminded him of that night when he was five years old, when Teacher Fei Jie sneaked into his bedroom, wearing something similar. This kind of clothing was remarkably tear-resistant.

Head Leng explained, "It has some fire-resistant properties, but not strong. It can effectively reduce the impact of sharp weapons, but if your opponent wields a broadaxe, Junior Brother, you'd better dodge."

Fan Xian smiled wryly, spreading his hands. The style was quite fashionable in the capital, except for a hidden hood attached in the back.

"Take out the hidden crossbow." Head Leng immediately noticed the hidden crossbow on his left forearm.

Fan Xian sighed, reluctantly placing the hidden crossbow, which had been with him for four or five years and rarely left his side, on the table.

Head Leng examined the thickness of his arm, opened a box on the table, and took out a small, entirely black hidden crossbow. He carefully placed it inside his sleeve, adjusted it, and then glanced at the crossbow Fan Xian had just removed. He frowned and said, "What junk! You've been using a seven-year-old model all this time?"

Fan Xian said with a wry smile, "It's enough. I'm content."

Head Leng earnestly explained the crossbow's structure and firing mechanism to his junior brother: "...This is a repeating crossbow, but it's too small, so it can only hold three bolts. These three bolts are tipped with Grade Four Poison, which you should know about."

Fan Xian knew that the Third Bureau's Grade Four Poison was derived from the sap of the *Jingua Ge* plant, causing instant death upon contact with blood. He slightly flexed his finger to test the trigger's feel, and frowned, asking, "I need a range of three *zhang*."

"I can only guarantee one *zhang*. At three *zhang*, I can't guarantee a hit to the eye, throat, or vital parts." Head Leng said calmly. "As for your dagger, it's Senior Uncle Fei's favorite short weapon, extremely sharp. So, there's no need to change that. Here are some specialized weapons and auxiliary tools. Since I don't know the specifics of your mission, choose what you need yourself."

Fan Xian knew that his choices would greatly impact his actions in Northern Qi, so he carefully examined everything for a long time. In the end, he selected several items, but he did not choose a grappling hook that could launch ten *zhang* high.

One of the Third Bureau officials asked curiously, "Director Fan, although I don't know the specific mission, I imagine you'll inevitably be visiting the Northern Qi palace to see if there's anything good to 'borrow.' The walls of the Northern Qi capital's palace aren't shorter than those of our capital."

This was said so innocently, so simply, and with such a Wang Qi Nian-esque comedic timing that it made Fan Xian laugh. He looked at the intricately designed iron claw, shook his head, and didn't explain. No one in this world could climb better than him.

"As for poisons, Senior Uncle Fei has said your talent far exceeds the Third Bureau's personnel, so we haven't prepared any." Head Leng carefully checked Fan Xian's equipment again, nodding with some satisfaction.

Fan Xian drooled and said, "But I'm short on ingredients."

Head Leng became interested. "Short on what?"

"Cat buttons, arsenic, nux vomica, camphor from the South Sea."

"Cat buttons have too strong of a bitter taste, and they don't suit your plan this time." Head Leng said curiously, "Arsenic and nux vomica are common."

Fan Xian said with a wry smile, "Given my current position, it's really inconvenient to ask someone to buy such things for me. It's easy to attract attention."

"Then let's add some chloroform. Teacher only experimented with it last year. It's a very effective anesthetic." Head Leng said excitedly, "Better than nux vomica."

Fan Xian became even more excited, nodding repeatedly. "But I absolutely need arsenic. I tried it back in Danzhou. It's very effective, with a faster reaction than curare."

As soon as the two brothers started talking about poisons, they became professionally excited. The Third Bureau officials around them were of the same ilk, so they gathered around and began a heated discussion, arguing about which poison caused the slowest and most painful death, and which anesthetic could instantly turn the widow living under the memorial archway into the fiercest beast on the Liujing River.

In short, the Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council was a twisted department, inhabited by a group of twisted people.

---

After leaving the Third Bureau, Wang Qi Nian found that Director Fan was far less composed than usual. His delicate face had a hint of excited redness, as if he had done something... significant.

Fan Xian said with a bright face, "Pretending to be a talented scholar every day is too tiring. It's much happier to discuss practical life skills in a place like this."

The twisted ancestral figure of the twisted Third Bureau, Mr. Fei Jie, was currently holding a cup of tea, watching his young student with a half-smile and a hint of satisfaction at the end of the long corridor.

"Why don't you just stay in the Third Bureau?" Fei Jie walked forward with his student, saying softly, "Don't go to Northern Qi, don't be a court official, don't manage the Internal Treasury. It would be nice to live out your life in peace."

Fan Xian was silent, knowing that his teacher was worried about him.

"You were very quiet when you were young, but you knew what you wanted." Fei Jie's eyes were somewhat cloudy, with a light brown tint that seemed to indicate sedimented experience. "After entering the capital, your defenses became even stronger, but power is something that can easily make you lose your way. Are you clear about what you want?"

Fan Xian pondered for a moment, then said respectfully, "I am, Teacher."

Fei Jie suddenly chuckled. "If you want to walk that path, you must learn to kill, be willing to kill, and enjoy killing."

Fan Xian said with a bitter face, "I'm not a little pervert."

Fei Jie blinked his tired eyes, coughed twice, and said, "This world is twisted. If you're not twisted, how can you navigate it?"

In front of Fei Jie, Fan Xian always felt like he was still the little child holding a porcelain pillow. He smiled sweetly and said, "There are many ways to play... By the way, Teacher, why did Director Chen sigh when he saw me earlier?"

"Hmm, maybe he was a little disappointed. You're not as... outrageous as Miss Ye was back then?"

Fan Xian said with a troubled expression, "A good man doesn't compare himself to a woman."

After saying that, he pulled his teacher's hand and headed towards Yi Shi Ju. He was determined to get drunk today. Anyway, the entire capital already knew about his relationship with the Overwatch Council, so why bother avoiding anything? It was just a hardship for Wang Qi Nian behind him, who was panting and carrying a large pile of files, knowing that these files were top-secret intelligence and daring not to slack off. He dared not follow them to Yi Shi Ju for drinking and entertainment. He had to quickly summon the secret agents under his command to be on guard and drive uneasily towards the Fan residence.

---

His Highness the Crown Prince sat in his Eastern Palace with a gloomy face, gripping his wine glass tightly. His fingers trembled slightly. After a long while, he spat out a sentence between his teeth: "Why have the women in the palace never learned to be content?"

Vice Minister Xin of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices dared not interrupt. He knew that the Crown Prince was in a particularly bad mood today. The events that had taken place during this period had made the entire Eastern Palace feel unusually angry and annoyed. Even the usually gentle Grand Tutor had lost his temper several times.

First, there was the matter of the spring examination fraud. In fact, the Eastern Palace was the least affected party in this case. Among the dozen or so arrested officials, only a few truly belonged to the Eastern Palace. Although the downfall of Minister Guo Youzhi of the Ministry of Rites was seen by officials as an unbearable loss for the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince realized after the last night banquet that Guo Baokun was vaguely listening to someone else, and gradually discovered that the Guo family was actually on the Princess's side.

Therefore, the Crown Prince was not angry at all when Fan Xian brought down Guo Youzhi, but rather felt a hidden sense of relief.

"No one expected that Little Fan is actually the Director of the Overwatch Council." Xin Qi Wu frowned slightly. He had drunk with Fan Xian many times and never thought that the gentle-faced Fan Xian was actually a senior member of that secret agency.

Crown Prince Li Cheng Qian shook his head, the gloom on his face still unfaded. "Fan Xian is a sensible person. His exposure of the fraud case was mainly due to his official duties. It was appropriate that he did not communicate with me beforehand. As long as we look at what happened afterwards, Fan Xian gave me enough face, and I won't blame him too much. Moreover, Miss Wan'er specially entered the palace that day and handed over Fan Xian's personal letter. I believe he didn't intentionally target me."

Xin Shaoqing, being on good terms with Fan Xian, naturally hoped that the Eastern Palace could have Fan Xian, a strong supporter in the Overwatch Council. He nodded repeatedly in agreement: "That's right. Director Fan didn't say anything beforehand, but he did enough to make amends afterwards... It's a pity that he's about to leave for Northern Qi. Otherwise, I could have arranged for him to pay a visit to Your Highness."

The Crown Prince snorted coldly and heavily placed the wine glass on the table, angrily saying: "Even if he wanted to see me now, would Fan Xian dare to confide in me? The matter with the Ministry of Justice has caused a stir in the city. Although the Prime Minister and Vice Minister Fan have not taken any action now, don't they know about Han Zhiwei's relationship with me? I'm afraid the Fan family hates me and would never consider joining my side."

Xin Shaoqing was sadly speechless, knowing that the Crown Prince's handling of this matter could truly be described as prudent and brilliant, but unfortunately, there were two masters in this Eastern Palace.

Just as the one lord and one minister were feeling unwilling, they suddenly heard the eunuch outside loudly announce: "The Empress has arrived!"

Xin Shaoqing glanced at the Crown Prince and signaled with his eyes that His Highness must control his emotions. Then, he rushed to kneel on the side, giving a grand salute to the Empress who entered the palace, and then excused himself to leave.

The Empress, with her almond-shaped eyes, quietly watched her son, remaining silent.

The Crown Prince sat beside her with a smile on his face, but he refused to say anything first.

The Empress bit her lip, a trace of disappointment and sadness flashing in her eyes. Suddenly, she raised her hand and delivered a slap!