Fan Xian's expression remained unchanged; he had anticipated this. The trip to Xiushui Street today was, in reality, secondary in its superficial purpose. The key was to see how the Internal Treasury was operating in the North. Therefore, he wasn't surprised when he heard Boss Sheng address him as "son-in-law." After all, the Internal Treasury was still under Princess Chang's management, and there would inevitably be some of her confidants lurking in Northern Qi.

For some reason, Fan Xian was quite certain that Princess Chang would proactively send someone to find him, the head of the envoy. This was not just intuition but also a judgment of the people of Qing, who, whether wise or foolish, possessed an almost obsessive self-confidence and pride. Princess Chang must have an ulterior motive for letting Xiao En go. If it wasn't secretly related to the Temple, it must be related to Shang Shanhu, who was residing idly in Shangjing. Now that Xiao En had been sent into Northern Qi, Princess Chang would naturally want to contact her son-in-law, who was the head of the envoy, to rescue him.

However, the term "son-in-law" still made Fan Xian feel absurd. It seemed unlikely that his mother-in-law would grow to like him more and more.

Since Sheng Huai'ren dared to directly call him "son-in-law," he must be a confidant among Princess Chang's confidants. Fan Xian nodded at him and said, "What instructions does the elder have?"

Sheng Huai'ren didn't say anything; he just handed him a letter.

…

…

Sitting in the carriage, Fan Xian squeezed the envelope in his sleeve. He hadn't had time to read it yet, but he could already feel the weight of the letter. After he finished today's business, he needed to deal with it properly. Wang Qinian was good at tracking, and Gao Da was incredibly powerful, but he lacked someone to help him judge the situation and analyze information.

He couldn't help but think of the students he had recruited during the Imperial Examination. Those guys should have been assigned to their posts by now, but while they might be suitable for officialdom, scheming was not their forte. Even if he wanted to cultivate Shi Chanli, it was too late. Suddenly, an idea struck Fan Xian. If he could get Yan Bingyun out quickly, he believed it would greatly help the court's plans.

At this moment, Wang Qinian respectfully handed over a thin slip of paper. Fan Xian raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at it, discovering it was a five-hundred tael silver note. He frowned and said, "What's this?"

"The kickback from Boss Yu of the glass shop."

Fan Xian glanced at it again and said with a smile, "Even IOUs have kickbacks… You and Gao Da can split it. Oh, right, leave some for those Tiger Guards too."

Five hundred taels of silver was already a huge sum, but Fan Xian gave it away without even batting an eye. Only a wealthy family like the Fan family could cultivate such habits. Now that Fan Sizhe was a millionaire with an annual income of ten thousand taels, he wouldn't care about these amounts either.

Lin Jing said with a smile from the side, "Lord Fan sees money as dirt; this official admires that greatly."

Fan Xian knew that he didn't really admire his incorruptibility; he was probably admiring the yard full of money at his house. He smiled and said nothing. The carriage travelled in silence through Shangjing's quiet and beautiful streets and finally arrived at the area where the high officials and nobles lived, stopping in front of the Changning Marquis Residence.

This place in Shangjing was somewhat similar to the southern city of Kyoto in Southern Qing. The spring breeze gently brushed the branches of the trees extending from the various residences, and the sunlight was scattered softly after being blocked by the tall trees overhead. Fan Xian stood beside the carriage, looking at this street and the stone lions beside those grand facades. For some reason, he thought of his initial arrival in Kyoto from Danzhou.

The carriage stopping in front of the Changning Marquis Residence, with the Imperial Guards protecting it, caused quite a stir. Some people had already hidden in the shadows to peek. The gatekeepers and servants in front of the Marquis Residence were even more at a loss, unsure whether to go down to greet them or rush inside to inform the master.

These servants could tell that the attire of the visitors was clearly from the Southern Qing envoys! Who had ever heard of envoys running to the residence of a minister of another country on their own! If it were a schedule permitted by both countries, the Changning Marquis Residence would probably have started preparing long ago. How could it be so quiet and silent?

The gatekeeper swallowed and wondered what act this was. Did these envoys not understand the rules at all?

The envoy was not conducting official business today, and Fan Xian had brazenly shaken off the accompanying officials from the Honglu Temple, so he only had Commander Wei, who was from Northern Qi, by his side. Seeing that Fan Xian and the other three were about to barge into the Changning Marquis Residence, Commander Wei became anxious and stepped forward to stop them. "Lord Fan, this is absolutely impossible. Without the court's permission, envoys cannot associate with court officials privately. If Lord Fan and the Changning Marquis are really good friends, then you shouldn't enter like this. What if it brings trouble to the Changning Marquis?"

The Changning Marquis was the Empress Dowager Wei's own brother. What trouble could he possibly be in? Fan Xian thought to himself. It would be best if it brought him trouble, who told his son to hide from him all day today? But on the surface, he said with a smile, "It's fine, it's fine. I mentioned it to His Majesty in the palace this morning. His Majesty didn't have any objections. Are we still afraid of those gossiping tongues?"

Bringing out the Emperor of Northern Qi like this stunned Commander Wei. Did this really require confirmation from the palace?

At this time, Fan Xian had already led his three subordinates to the entrance of the Changning Marquis Residence. The gatekeeper quickly came up to pay his respects, his etiquette was impeccable, and his words were clear. Fan Xian secretly praised him, thinking that he lived up to the reputation of a noble family. He said, "Please inform him that the wine friend from Southern Qing has arrived."

Fan Xian had finally learned a few essences of this kind of easy familiarity through his training in the officialdom and at banquets this year. The gatekeeper was stunned, thinking that the Marquis had indeed been on a mission to Southern Qing last year, and he had heard that he had gotten drunk quite a few times there. Could it be this young envoy in front of him?

But he didn't dare to report it immediately, as the entry of foreign officials into a residence was a major matter. Just as he was in a dilemma, he suddenly heard a sound from the side door, and a person came out and bowed to Fan Xian, saying, "The Marquis invites you in."

…

…

Fan Xian hadn't expected it to be so easy to enter the Marquis Residence. Entering the hall, he looked at the middle-aged man in the chair, laughed heartily, walked over, and gave him a very enthusiastic hug, saying, "It's been a year since we last met, Marquis, your demeanor is even better than before." In fact, in Kyoto last year, he had only met this Northern Qi envoy a few times, and they had drunk heartily on the palace. He only vaguely remembered the other person's face.

The Changning Marquis was the Empress Dowager's own brother and was incredibly noble. Where had he ever encountered such a "enthusiastic" greeting? He coughed twice and said with some headache, "It's been a year since we last met, Lord Fan's reputation is even greater than before. Why did you think of visiting my residence today?"

"I only entered Shangjing yesterday, and I chatted with His Majesty for a while this morning. You see, I don't have any acquaintances in Shangjing, so of course, I have to visit the Marquis."

This Changning Marquis had a pale face and swollen eyes. He was in his forties or fifties, and the traces of excessive drinking and indulgence could not be erased. Standing close, Fan Xian could clearly smell the alcohol on the other person. It seemed he had drunk through the night again. Fan Xian secretly rejoiced, thinking that the gift he had bought was on the right track.

The Changning Marquis not only liked wine and women, but he was also a truly mediocre person. The Empress Dowager had two brothers. The Marquis of Changan could still lead troops into battle, although he was a defeated general, but he was still better than this one. This Marquis had been holed up in Kyoto for many years. It was only because he was so dull and relied on his sister, the Empress Dowager, as a backer that he dared to welcome Fan Xian, the envoy of Southern Qing, into his residence so carelessly.

Fan Xian's main purpose for visiting today was to build a closer relationship with this brother of the Empress Dowager. The second was to force out Vice Minister Wei through the Changning Marquis.

Sure enough, seeing the fine wine brought up by the attendants, the Changning Marquis smiled until his eyes narrowed. Although he didn't have a noble status on the surface, the title of Empress Dowager's brother was enough for him to look down on everyone in the world. Even though Fan Xian was now the Director of the Supervisory Council of Southern Qing, how could he catch his eye? He had only remembered that young, beautiful guy who could drink a lot after hearing the gatekeeper's report. After returning to Northern Qi, he had always been preoccupied with his "defeat," so he had let Fan Xian into the residence.

Now, seeing the beautiful wine vessels, the Marquis became even happier, deeply believing that he had indeed had a good eye for talent. This little Fan Xian was indeed a knowledgeable and interesting person.

…

…

According to the information from the Supervisory Council, this Changning Marquis was from the borderlands. Although he had once studied under Zhuang Mohan, he was actually doing very poorly in the Northern Qi court. He was always considered by the Northern Qi officials to have risen through his relationship with the Empress Dowager, so not many people looked up to him. His reputation in the court was not even as good as that of his son, Wei Hua. That was why the Marquis indulged in wine. Even in the broad daylight, the Marquis Residence immediately prepared a large table of delicious dishes, and the Changning Marquis pulled a few foreign envoys and started drinking heavily.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes slightly, took a sip, looked at the old man's greedy appearance as he smacked his lips, and said with a smile, "Marquis, when I came in earlier, Commander Wei said that it might bring you some inconvenience."

"Afraid of what!" The Changning Marquis cursed, "Guests come to the door, and I, the Marquis, have to refuse them? Last year in Kyoto, you and Lord Xin Qiwu accompanied me very well. Today, I, the Marquis, will accompany you. Who has the guts to say anything more?"

Fan Xian thought that was good. After a few rounds of wine, watching the Changning Marquis's pale face gradually turn flushed and his eyes become a little blurred, knowing that the other party had drunk a little too much, Fan Xian seized the opportunity to say what he wanted to ask. Hearing his words, the Changning Marquis was slightly stunned and said, "Lord Fan, you want to see Commander Shen, the commander of the Zhenfu Division?"