That night, upon returning to the residence, Fan Xian wasn't surprised to learn that Yang Wanli and the other three had come by. He'd already said what needed to be said at the inn anyway – as long as they served as good officials, cared for the people, and rose through the ranks, that was all that mattered. Fan Xian wasn't exactly a selfless hero dedicated to the nation and its people, but he'd naturally be pleased if his protégés amounted to something. As for any dirty work he might arrange for them in the future, that was a matter for later.

As departure drew near, he inevitably held hands with his sister Ruo Ruo, speechless and choked with emotion. He meticulously reminded Si Zhe about earning his private money, paid respects to his father, greeted Aunt Liu, and finally returned to his bedroom, ready to undress and climb into bed, to properly reward his poor little wife... only to find his brother-in-law, the simple-minded Da Bao, already in the room.

Fan Xian smiled and exchanged a few words with Da Bao. Lin Wan'er watched from the side, finding their relationship rather peculiar. She couldn't figure out how the two of them had so much to talk about, or why Fan Xian was so patient.

After a long while, Fan Xian and Da Bao, grinning, placed their right hands on each other's shoulders and shouted something that sounded like a slogan before Fan Xian instructed a servant to escort Da Bao out.

"What did you say to Da Bao?" Lin Wan'er asked, hugging the thin quilt, looking at him with a pout, as if jealous of her own brother. Her bare feet peeked out from under the edge of the quilt, snowy feet against the yellow bedding, exceptionally beautiful.

Fan Xian smiled gently, sat on the edge of the bed, reached out to caress his wife's feet, and mischievously tickled her soles, replying, "He promised Little Xian Xian that even when Little Xian Xian isn't in the capital to play with him, he'll be a good boy."

Lin Wan'er felt a tingle in her soles. Hearing the double entendre in his flirtatious words, her fair face flushed crimson in an instant, even her earlobes turning pink, making her appear utterly adorable. She quickly withdrew her feet, shyly saying, "It's still early."

Fan Xian teased, "No, it's not. I'm leaving tomorrow, so it needs to be as early as possible."

"By the way, did Father ask you to go see him during the day?" Lin Wan'er, facing her husband who was a refined gentleman in public but a shameless rogue in private, didn't know what to do, so she tried a feint.

But she'd used this trick too many times, and Fan Xian was immune. "Father-in-law scolded me, first about the imperial examination, then about this mission to Northern Qi. He's unhappy I didn’t follow his and Father's arrangements.” Actually, when he went to the Prime Minister's residence during the day, Fan Xian clearly saw his father-in-law's worries, but he didn't know where the Prime Minister's anxieties came from.

As he answered, his hands couldn't resist moving upward along his wife's bare feet, soon passing under the covers, breaking through the five-finger defense, eliciting a soft gasp from Wan'er.

...

...

During their nighttime chat, they inevitably revisited their first encounter at the Qing Temple. Just as things were becoming sweet as dates, Fan Xian felt a sudden pang in his heart, thinking of Grandmaster Ku He of Northern Qi, of the ethereal Temple, and his mood gradually became heavy.

Sensing his unease, Lin Wan'er propped herself up, leaning lazily on his chest, and said with a smile, "You're leaving tomorrow. What are you thinking about again?"

Feeling his wife's hair brush against his bare chest, causing a slight itch, Fan Xian smiled and banished all those extraneous thoughts. His roguish eyes rolled, his gaze piercing through his wife's dark hair and the darkness of the night.

Wan'er was looking into his eyes, feeling as if her husband's bright eyes could speak, their gentle gaze even purer than that of ordinary girls, one moment seemingly thinking of herself, another moment seemingly reluctant to part, another moment seemingly saying he'd return soon… Wait, didn't that gaze seem to be saying something rather lewd?

She followed Fan Xian's gaze and realized that her undergarment had already slipped down to her waist, leaving her upper body completely bare. Overwhelmed with shyness, she let out a soft cry and quickly burrowed under the thin quilt.

With no more beauty to feast his eyes upon, Fan Xian’s desire was ignited. Feigning anger, he said, "We're an old married couple already. What's with all the hiding?"

Lin Wan'er peeked half her face out from under the thin quilt, looking shyly at her husband, but her watery eyes held a bashful smile, and her covered lips whispered something.

Fan Xian didn't understand. Lin Wan'er's bare white feet gently pushed against the bed, moving her face further out from under the quilt, revealing her soft, supple lips, a strand of black hair falling just beside them. She whispered shyly, "Didn't you once say… to maintain… that… that thing… myst… mystery?"

This sensual scene had already captivated Fan Xian. What mystery could he maintain now? To hell with mystery – only ghosts have mystery. He threw back the quilt, pulled his wife's soft body into his arms, and went with her to Mount Wu for sightseeing.

A long time later, when the wind and rain had ceased, the clouds had dispersed, and they were both exhausted, Lin Wan'er opened her lake-like eyes and said sleepily, "You must come back soon."

Fan Xian, half-closing his eyes, a contented smile on his lips, twirled his fingers in his wife's hair and said softly, "Don't worry. My luck is so good in this life, everything goes smoothly. I've never had any problems."

———————————————————————

The next day, outside the Imperial Prison of the Overwatch Council, the prison warden whom Fan Xian had met once before, a former leader of the Council, stood expressionlessly outside the iron gate. Fan Xian squinted, looking at this former head of the Seventh Bureau, and was shocked to find a hint of unease in the other's eyes.

The surroundings were already filled with Overwatch Council spies and Sixth Bureau swordsmen. Several carriages were parked outside the gate. Fan Xian stood about ten steps away from the carriages and noticed that all his Overwatch Council colleagues seemed inexplicably nervous. These carriages were specially made, with iron plates sandwiched in the walls. The horses, perhaps because they were tired or nervous, kept snorting.

In such a tense atmosphere, Fan Xian couldn't help but frown, thinking of the rumors about the important figure about to be transferred out of prison.

Xiao En, the great leader of Northern Wei's secret intelligence, who once commanded countless spies, dominating the world, secretly planting spies in various countries. Best at discerning people's thoughts and employing poisonous schemes, he had overthrown many small kingdoms, and the people who died directly or indirectly at his hands would probably be enough to pile into a mountain of bones. And the most terrifying thing was that this once-illustrious head of intelligence possessed extremely high intelligence and means, having evaded countless assassinations from enemy countries.

In those days, the Wei king's most trusted civil official was Zhuang Mo Han, his most trusted military official was Zhan Qingfeng, but the one he truly relied on as the cornerstone of the nation was this Lord Xiao En, who always hid in the shadows.

At that time, the world was in turmoil. It was thanks to Xiao En's ruthless actions in eliminating some countries around Qing that he not only brought vast territories to Northern Wei but also indirectly helped Qing stabilize its founding situation.

But as Qing gradually rose, Xiao En's dark hand naturally extended south. During those years, the officialdom in the capital was in chaos. Before and after the founding emperor passed away, the two princes were at odds, like fire and water. Naturally, Xiao En's instigation was behind this—Northern Wei's myriad cavalry had long been watching covetously, waiting for the two princes to fight each other for the throne before marching south to swallow Qing into Wei's territory.

But it was at this time that no one knew that a woman named Ye Qingmei entered Qing's capital with a blind young servant, who carried a black box on his back.

...

...

As a result, the two princes died very inexplicably. His Majesty's father, the then incredibly compliant Prince Cheng, ascended the throne. Qing's national strength did not suffer any real losses, and the capital gradually stabilized. Northern Wei lost its best opportunity to invade.

It was also at this time that a person named Chen Pingping gradually appeared on the stage of history. Chen Pingping was initially just a servant in Prince Cheng's manor, but for some unknown reason, he gained the deep trust of Prince Cheng's heir, whom he followed his whole life, never leaving for even a moment. And when the Overwatch Council, this strange and unconventional organization, was established, Chen Pingping became its director, and has remained so ever since.

People initially didn't know what the Overwatch Council did, nor did they know that the shadow of that Ye family mistress still lingered behind the Overwatch Council. They only knew that Chen Pingping's ruthlessness gradually manifested, and his talent for all things related to the night gradually became apparent.

The two most terrifying secret organizations in the world served two of the most colossal national machines respectively. As the situation between Northern Wei and Qing became increasingly tense, they began to engage in tentative mutual attacks in the dark.

One year, Qing finally risked launching its first Northern Expedition. This attempt to crack a stone with an egg ended in a miserable failure in the face of Northern Wei, the strongest country in the world.

In the face of Zhan Qingfeng's iron cavalry, and within Xiao En's dense network of spies, the crown prince at the time, today's Emperor, suffered repeated defeats, and nearly died in the northern lands. Chen Pingping led a team of Black Knights and cut a bloody path through the treacherous battlefield, rescuing the crown prince's life. At the same time, he ordered the Overwatch Council spies lurking in Northern Wei's Shangjing to start spreading rumors, bribing high-ranking officials, and framing Grand Marshal Zhan Qingfeng. With repeated desperate efforts, he finally created a crack in the battlefield among the northern mountains.

The road back home was long and dangerous. Many times, the team was driven into a desperate situation, with food and water running out. Chen Pingping, who was not as old as he is now, expressionlessly left all the food for the crown prince and his subordinates, while he himself drank horse urine and ate grass roots... In the end, only one-tenth of the original Black Knights were able to return to the capital.

On the way, they also relied on a female prisoner from Dongyi City to serve the crown prince, which allowed the seriously injured crown prince to recover his health. This Dongyi female prisoner is now the mother of Qing's eldest prince, Consort Ning in the palace.

Long after, people were still speculating about what conspiracy Chen Pingping had used to make a great general like Zhan Qingfeng lose the trust of the Northern Wei royal family, but no one had the real answer, not even the Qing Empress Dowager had asked. However, some people vaguely knew something, and it was rumored to be related to the private affairs of the Northern Wei Empress.

From that day on, Chen Pingping gained the absolute trust of His Majesty the Emperor and the Crown Prince. At the same time, a saying began to spread throughout the world.

In the north, there is Xiao En; in the south, there is Chen Pingping.