"Everything for Qing Kingdom."

"Everything for Qing Kingdom?"

Yuan Hongdao sat in the carriage, heading towards the fief of the eldest princess of Xinyang. In his heart, he felt a sense of absurdity towards this phrase that he had guarded for many years.

Many years ago, when the eldest princess began to fancy the current Prime Minister, Lin Ruofu, Yuan Hongdao, as one of the first secret members of the Second Bureau of the Overwatch Council, accepted Chen Pingping's arrangement. He had a new identity, a new life, and gradually became friends with Lin Ruofu, who at the time was not yet prominent.

At that time, it was just a chance encounter between two scholars.

In those years, Lin Ruofu was full of vigor, and Yuan Hongdao was steady and honest. After experiencing various coincidences arranged by the Overwatch Council, they finally became so-called "best friends." As the years passed, with the support of the eldest princess, Lin Ruofu progressed smoothly in the officialdom. Yuan Hongdao, however, willingly stayed by Lin Ruofu's side as a retainer, even when Lin Ruofu hinted countless times that he could become a local official, he would just smile faintly and refuse.

Precisely because of this, Lin Ruofu regarded him as his only true friend in life. However, the Prime Minister did not expect that this friend had been carrying another mission from the very beginning.

Yuan Hongdao had actually gradually adapted to this life. Because the Overwatch Council had never assigned him any tasks, and the few people who knew his identity had always kept their distance. Over the years, the only thing Yuan Hongdao had done to help the Overwatch Council was to cover up a lie after the murder of the Second Young Master Lin at the Cangshan Villa, framing the Eastern Yi City.

Because it was he who said it, Lin Ruofu believed it.

Yuan Hongdao betrayed Lin Ruofu only once in his life, and this one time was enough to make the Prime Minister retire from the court in dismay. This was His Majesty's intention, carried out by the Overwatch Council, and he was to execute it specifically.

Perhaps the betrayal of his old friend really made the Prime Minister see this world clearly, so his entry into the palace the next day became unstoppable. Even Fan Jian's repeated hints were ignored. For the future of the Lin family, the Prime Minister had placed all his hopes on his son-in-law, Fan Xian, and naturally, he did not want to drag the family into this muddy water.

In mid-March, Guo Youzhi, Minister of Rites, died, Han Zhiwei, Minister of Justice, was demoted, and the Prime Minister pleaded guilty and asked to retire. His Majesty tried to persuade him to stay, but to no avail, and bestowed silver upon him to return to his hometown.

All the measures taken by the Censorate regarding the Wu Boan case vanished like smoke. No one knew where the Wu family member went. His Majesty issued an edict that He Zongwei possessed both talent and virtue, and entered the palace to receive a reward. By imperial decree, he was exempted from the examination and appointed as a censor of the Censorate.

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"Why?" Fan Xian sat in the carriage, gently tapping the piece of paper in his hand. This was a report from within the Overwatch Council on the dynamics of the court. As a director, although he was far away in the Northern Border at this time, he received the news from the capital only a few days later than others.

His father-in-law was certainly not a purely good official. The title of treacherous prime minister was not for nothing. But Fan Xian still felt it was absurd that the prime minister of a country would be defeated so silently in the political struggle of Qing Kingdom!

Fan Xian had to consider the future. Although his prime minister father-in-law didn't seem to have helped him much this year, he knew that the reason why the civil officials in the court had been so tolerant of him, including the Imperial Examination Scandal, was because of his father-in-law's reputation. Apart from the two ministers who had already fallen, he had never encountered a real challenge in Qing Kingdom's officialdom.

The object of Fan Xian's question was Xiao En, the once great talent who was unable to dance because of the iron chains he wore.

"Why?" Xiao En analyzed coldly, "Because you made a move, the Qing Kingdom Emperor took the opportunity to weaken the power of the civil officials. But just two ministers can't satisfy an emperor's appetite. You are the Prime Minister's son-in-law, and now you have a great reputation. If the emperor really wants you to take charge of the Overwatch Council in the future, then today, for the sake of safety, the Prime Minister must step down quickly."

"As for how to step down..." Xiao En laughed mockingly, "An emperor can have countless ways to make a minister step down. Moreover, your emperor has always been a weirdo who likes to use the Overwatch Council."

The reason why the Qing Kingdom Emperor was said to be a weirdo was because the power of the Overwatch Council was too great, and yet the emperor still trusted Chen Pingping immensely, which was inherently an anomaly.

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "There is something strange about this case. Even if my father-in-law was heartbroken by the death of the Second Prince and wanted Wu Boan to have no descendants, there are plenty of ways to do it. As for assassinating the Wu family in the capital and coincidentally having the Second Prince and Li Hongcheng run into it, such a stupid method of doing things is too far from my father-in-law's abilities."

"There is a traitor by the Prime Minister's side." Xiao En said faintly, "As for whether it's someone from the eldest princess or from your emperor, actually... there is no difference."

Fan Xian was not sure: "To be able to force my father-in-law to step down, there must be very solid evidence. My father-in-law is a cautious person, how could he allow spies from opposing forces to access those important things?"

Little did he know that the one who betrayed his father-in-law was Yuan Hongdao, and he had not yet guessed that the Overwatch Council had a hand in this matter.

Xiao En laughed with some pleasure: "How much do you young people know about things hidden in the night?" He was qualified to say this. Back then, the internal strife in Qing Kingdom's court was planned by this old man. If it hadn't been for the sudden death of two princes, perhaps the world would have long ago lost the name of Qing Kingdom.

Fan Xian's eyelids twitched slightly. In these days of talking with Xiao En, he had discovered that although the other party had been imprisoned for many years and did not know the distribution of power in Qing Kingdom's court, Fan Xian could clearly see the problem once he explained it. He even guessed the punishments that the implicated officials in the capital would receive in this Imperial Examination Scandal without any mistakes.

Xiao En had once said that the Prime Minister would definitely step down because of this. However, this matter had no warning at all, and the Imperial Examination Scandal did not involve the Prime Minister's Residence at all. The eldest princess, who had a broken and hateful relationship with the Prime Minister, was far away in Xinyang, so Fan Xian didn't quite believe it... He didn't expect that he would be right, and Fan Xian couldn't help but be shocked by the other party's venomous eyes, and only then did he know that there was no false reputation under a great name.

Fan Xian sighed, looked at the old man, and suddenly said, "I am increasingly curious, why didn't the Overwatch Council kill you immediately after they captured you."

"Because I have a lot of useful things in my head."

"Then at least you could have been more ruthless." Fan Xian said, "For example, cutting off your five limbs."

"What does five limbs mean?" Xiao En was a little curious, "Everything has a bottom line. When things exceed the bottom line that I can tolerate, I think, at least I still have the ability to kill myself, and you... are not willing to pay such a price."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and thought about it. That was indeed the truth. He got up, bowed to him, and got out of the carriage.

He stood by the carriage, looking at the fresh reeds swaying slowly by the lake in the distance. He vaguely understood His Majesty the Emperor's true meaning. The court needed new blood. The so-called flowing water does not rot. The Prime Minister had been in that position for too long. His sudden rise in the capital made the Prime Minister's stepping down a matter of urgency.

No noble in the palace would allow the Prime Minister, the head of all officials, to have a son-in-law who controlled the Overwatch Council. If His Majesty really intended to reuse Fan Xian next year, then he must let the Prime Minister leave... Otherwise, Fan Xian would be suppressed. But Fan Xian knew clearly that the unfamiliar Emperor would not truly suppress him.

The waves behind the Yangtze River push forward the waves ahead. If Fan Xian himself was considered the wave behind, then the Prime Minister was undoubtedly the wave in front that was unable to crash on the shore. He had to bid farewell to this historical stage and make enough room.

This was just a very normal metabolism in the officialdom. Seeing that the Prime Minister left fairly unrestrainedly, he must have long foreseen the ending of the story. But Fan Xian, thinking of Wan'er who remained in the capital, and thinking of the simple and honest Da Bao who was inexplicably congenial with him, was still a little worried in his heart, and a faint worry appeared on his brows.

"I hope my father and Chen Pingping can protect the rest of the Lin family." He frowned, looking at the reeds that were still yellow, wondering why they wouldn't turn green? He suddenly felt a thud in his heart and began to think about the role the Overwatch Council played in this matter.

For no reason, Fan Xian felt a trace of anger. As the director of the Overwatch Council, he simply didn't believe that the Overwatch Council didn't know His Majesty's intention. Coupled with the poison on Si Lili's body, he suddenly felt a little cold.

Chen Pingping was just constantly removing the obstacles in Fan Xian's path, even if the other party was Fan Xian's family. This means of removal seemed unusually indifferent, unusually ruthless, and even didn't take Fan Xian's feelings into account at all.

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In the afternoon, after many days of traveling, the delegation finally approached the great lake at the border between the two countries. The great lake had no name, it was just called the Great Lake - because this lake was especially large. Fan Xian looked at the vast expanse of blue waves in front of him, and was swept by the breeze from the lake, and his whole person was much more awake, and a bright and beautiful smile reappeared on his face.

Although the delegation's convoy had arrived at the Great Lake, it would still take several days to go around the lake and enter the territory of Northern Qi. Fan Xian knew that if Xiao En was really going to make a move, it should be within these few days.

In the distance, water birds were flying freely across the lake surface, their long beaks gliding in the water. When they encountered a fish, they would close their beaks with extreme agility and fly to the shore. Then, they would step on the constantly bouncing fish with their thin claws, hold it in their mouths, raise their necks to the sky, and swallow it with a gulp, looking extremely relaxed and carefree.

Fan Xian's heart suddenly stirred, and he walked towards the carriage he hadn't visited for many days, lifted the curtain, and looked at Si Lili, who had a slightly stunned and then complex expression, and smiled slightly.