Lord of the Desert

Chapter 499 Gimmick
Hong Fan obtained the Mo family's confession and the salt field's monthly income and expenditure accounts at 3 p.m. on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.

Eight hours later, the capital city was already in sight under the night sky.

At this time, most people had gone to bed, but Guan Qimai had not yet left the government office. When he heard that Hong Fan had returned and wanted to see him, he immediately summoned him.

Jianwei Palace.

Accounts, confessions, and sketches recording the locations of the salt fields and transportation routes were all on display.

Hong Fan narrated the entire process, not even hiding the fact that he had killed the Motan County Lieutenant.

Across the wide table, Guan Qimai listened carefully and nodded from time to time.

"From Shenjing to Yunque City and then to Chongshan, the round trip is nearly 4,000 miles, and you went there and came back in just three days. Moreover, you were able to break into the fortress and capture Mo Lao San by yourself. Your actions are almost as sharp as Yuan Ci."

Guan Qimai sighed, revealing a rare look of disbelief.

"When your cultivation reaches a higher level, it is hard to imagine what the scene will be like."

Hong Fan remained calm as he was praised by the Martial Saint.

"The main reason why this was so successful was that the Pan family was caught off guard. However, because they used the fast to defeat the slow, it was so violent that it was bound to leave behind many heads and tails, which may have consequences later."

He said.

"You don't have to worry about that."

Guan Qimai didn't care.

"Whether there are traces or not, Pan Yucheng will know that it was me who caused the trouble. If they dare to retaliate against you, the martial arts academy will bear the responsibility."

He said this with absolute certainty.

Hong Fan nodded silently when he heard this.

The candlelight in the hall flickered and the atmosphere was a bit depressing.

"You look worried, what's wrong?"

Guan Qimai said strangely.

Logically speaking, only one of the seven things is left to be done, so it should be a happy occasion.

"There are two situations."

Hong Fan forced a smile.

"When I came in, I heard that Yi She had a duel with Zhong Lianyun at Jianyu Avenue as scheduled this afternoon, and successfully topped the list after three hundred rounds. It's a pity that I didn't see it in person."

"Huh, what's wrong with that?"

Guan Qimai waved his hands and sneered.

"The competition among the geniuses is just a joke. It's all just some tricks in the ring. As for the first and last place, it's just a gimmick to win over and manipulate the talents. If you care about this, don't fight with others until you reach the Xiantian Liuhe. Then I will talk to Shao Juezhi and put you at the top of the list."

Hong Fan was stunned when he heard this.

From Jinhai to Xijing, and from Xijing to Shenjing, this was the first time in all these years that he heard someone mention the Tianjiao List and the Tianjiao on the list in such a joking tone, which made him feel quite uncomfortable.

After a few breaths, Hong Fan recalled the rankings of military power, education, corruption, etc. that flooded social media in his previous life, and couldn't help but laugh at himself - because that was the fact, and he was more or less at the mercy of this gimmick.

Even if the advocacy of rationality and restraint of desires is engraved in one's bones, it still does not mean that one is indifferent by nature.

"Fame is only a burden if it is not used for doing good things."

Seeing that he was wavering, Guan Qimai added something.

"For those who want to achieve great things, advancing to the next level is the starting point."

Upon hearing this, Hong Fan nodded heavily.

"One more thing."

He calmed down in an instant.

"I heard from Mo Sanlang that the Pan family made a special trip to offer sacrifices to the Silver King in order to open the salt field. Not only did they avoid 70% of the beast attacks, but they also received his protection. Once a creature above the Qi realm approaches the salt field, the shrine in the fort will react."

When talking about this, Hong Fan looked extremely solemn.

"I understand. You grew up in Western Xinjiang, so you probably think the Pan family is suspected of colluding with foreigners?"

Guan Qimai's tone was relaxed.

"It's not a big deal. I read some secret books after I came to Beijing, which recorded that the Silver King was once the leader of all the spirits in the prehistoric world. But after the Ancestral Dragon descended from the sky, He did not obtain the throne of God nor had a clan. He only occasionally selected the creatures he liked to develop spiritual wisdom. Therefore, the relationship between Dahua and Chongshan is not similar to that of other alien races. The beast tide in the Eastern Frontier is more like a natural phenomenon than a battle between two armies."

After hearing this, Hong Fan relaxed a lot and bowed to take his leave.

Not long after he left, "Yuhua Zhenjun" Tian Huai came to report something.

The two top leaders of the Martial Academy walked to the center of the courtyard and talked under the stars and the moon. Soon the topic turned to Hong Fan.

"This person knows how to advance and retreat. He has insight, force, intelligence, and resources. He can be used very skillfully. He can be said to be a magical weapon that appears only once every ten years."

Guan Qimai gave many adjectives in one breath.

"Is the headmaster moved by his love for talent?"

Tian Huai replied.

"But Hong Fan is still just a Tiqi now."

"Of course I know that. Zishou has fulfilled his promise and both the goods and the people are cleared, and the world will be bright. Because of this, I am quite harsh when evaluating his performance."

Guan Qimai sighed.

"You have always known that I love talents. My great ambitions cannot be accomplished without gathering people. Otherwise, why would I set up a public school?"

"As for Hong Fan, anyone who has met him twice knows that he is a rare talent, but I have long seen that he is not interested in running the martial arts academy, and he is arrogant in his heart. Sometimes I even feel that he does not think highly of me."

Tian Huai was really surprised this time.

Who can, or who has the qualifications to look down on the Martial Saint?
Seeing his expression, Guan Qimai waved his hand and didn't care about it.

"It doesn't really matter whether you like it or not, but you know I don't like self-righteous people - such people are too opinionated and will never burn themselves out for other people's ideals - after all, I am such a person."

"Hong Fan has his own ideas and is not willing to stay in the Zhangwu Academy."

He finally came to a conclusion.

"Not necessarily."

Tian Huai shook his head.

"I think Hong Fan is a pragmatic person. He doesn't want to stay because the price is not high enough."

Guan Qimai seemed to be moved.

"Well, he still has a problem with me. Let's try again when the time is right."

······
The sun and the moon alternate endlessly.

The thirty-third year of the Shohe era arrived with the sound of firecrackers.

Because Aunt Liu and others are in the capital, Hong Fan will celebrate the New Year in the capital this year.

From the first to the third day of the Chinese New Year, he first sent a gift to Guan Qimai who was working overtime at the Zhangwu Academy, and then visited Xiao Chu, Ye Zhan, and then several good friends such as Shi Yuanwei. After that, he returned to Xijing and Jinhai and stayed for a few days respectively.

The reunion time passed quickly.

In a blink of an eye, it was after the Lantern Festival, and the Pan family indeed gave in to the Zhangwu Academy. With the help of the number one family in Juzhou, the shortage of local resources such as venues, elixirs, and teachers needed for the public school was greatly alleviated, and various problems were temporarily put to rest.

Where some are happy, others are sad.

In Prince Sheng's mansion, the princess was so angry about the humiliation her family suffered that she went to her husband and cried for several days; the third prince was also furious and smashed two vases one after another.

Revenge from Xiao Ji's faction followed.

On the twenty-eighth day of the first lunar month, the fifth-rank assistant of the Juzhou Tixing Anchashisi, who was in charge of the Experience Department, wrote to the court to report that the Purple Ribbon Tiqi Hong Fan of the Zhangwuyuan was suspected of killing the county lieutenant of Motan County, but because there was no witness or physical evidence, the Zhangwuyuan side easily suppressed the case. On the second day of the second lunar month, at the end of the Yin hour (before 5 a.m.).

In the Chuigong Hall of the imperial city, all officials are waiting for the court.

The morning light shone in through the palace gate, and the officials stood in two rows, civil officials in the east and military officials in the west, familiarly following the "Rank Chart".

In the southeast corner, the censor on duty stretched his neck and looked around, occasionally using his eyes to remind the guy who was gossiping.

The emperor's throne was placed in the center of the high platform at the end of the palace, and on the left side of the platform was a cushioned armchair placed diagonally, which looked more comfortable than the stiff and bare former.

Guan Qimai was sitting on the armchair, bored.

Censor Xia Chenghe stood in the queue holding a jade tablet. He glanced carefully at the chair legs and felt a little uneasy.

As the head of the Military Academy, although Guan Qimai was the chief of the military officers, he did not like to attend regular court sessions and often sent Tian Huai to take his place.

【But why did he come today? 】

While Censor Xia was daydreaming, he heard the first whip sound outside the palace and was startled.

After three whip blasts, the emperor rode to the palace, looked at his ministers in front of the throne and half bowed.

Below the stage, Guan Qimai did not stand up, but also slightly bowed half his body in return, while the ministers held the tablets in front of their chests with both hands and bowed deeply.

The Dahua Dynasty has been in existence for 300 years, and except for the grand court meetings held on important festivals and the emperor's birthday, kneeling is not required by etiquette.

After all, Zulong is the common ruler of the world.

The Emperor of Dahua governs the people on behalf of Zulong and shares the rule with the aristocratic families. In the eyes of many martial artists and noble families, he is at most a CEO, and the martial saints and celestial beings are the real shareholders.

After the ceremony, the emperor took his seat and the court meeting officially began.

Xia Chenghe hid in the queue and watched the ministers report important matters according to the procedures.

The first one is still about the progress of returning Haizhou’s surplus to the public.

The second thing was the snowstorm disaster in Qingzhou.

The third thing is that the Hezhou border has received a victory report, and the Zhenbei Guards are asking for a reward...

These major events had actually already been decided between the emperor and the prime minister, and were brought to court more as "announcements."

After the prime ministers finished talking about important matters, it was the turn of the "class leaders" such as the Prefect of Shenjing Prefecture and the Censor of the Censorate to report on the affairs in turn.

Xia Chenghe resisted the urge to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Time passed slowly, and he noticed that the Minister of Rites Meng Hongxi, who was sitting in the front row, looked back.

The two of them were in the same row, so Xia Cheng and himself could not be seen at this glance, but the latter knew very well that this was a reminder to himself.

"Xia Chenghe, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, has something to report."

Xia Chenghe made up his mind and stepped out.

"explain."

Xiao Ce, sitting on the throne, closed his eyes slightly and raised his chin slightly.

"I have accurate information that the Hong family in Jinhai City, Liangzhou, has a private army of assassins equipped with steel armor and firearms, which is tantamount to treason."

All the officials were already solemn when they heard the word "treason", but no one spoke for a long time.

Because most people have never heard of Jinhai City, let alone the Hong family.

"I have attended court meetings many times, but this is the first time I have heard the word treason."

Guan Qimai, who had nothing to do with the matter and had remained silent throughout the whole scene, suddenly smiled and spoke first.

"I know about Jinhai City. I remember that there was a case of collusion with a traitor in the 28th year. Censor Xia, how many people are there in this city?"

"One hundred and ten thousand."

Xia Chenghe said to himself, "It's over," but he remained calm on the surface. He bowed slightly to the Martial Saint and replied.

"How many people are there in the Hong family?"

Guan Qimai asked again.

"There are more than 800 people including the children born in the family."

Xia Chenghe answered again. Although he had made sufficient preparations, he still lacked confidence.

"This is a small border town with a population of only 100,000. The clan, including cats and dogs, has no more than 1,000 people. How dare they rebel? Did they produce a few martial saints in their clan, or do they think the imperial court is made of clay?"

Guan Qimai sneered, not giving anyone a chance to interrupt, and his tone suddenly became stern.

"Xia Chenghe, you are a Beijing official, but you suddenly accuse me of a horrific crime in the border area of ​​Xiliang. What is your intention?"

"Shanzhang, I am your Majesty's eyes and ears, and I am responsible for your majesty's duty."

Xia Chenghe gritted his teeth to calm himself, his voice trembling slightly.

"Oh, even if you don't tell me, how can I not know what's going on behind the scenes?"

Guan Qimai leaned back in his chair and spoke even faster.

"The 10th place on the Tianjiao list, 'Blazing Star' Hong Fan, is from Jinhai. He previously refused Xiao Ji's recruitment and now works under me. At the end of last year, he was ordered by me to go to Juzhou for official business. It seems that he offended the Pan family again, so he is being retaliated against!"

Seeing that the other party had the decency to bring such a matter up on stage, Xia Chenghe dared not to argue. He just remained silent and shook his head.

More exciting things are yet to come.

"His Majesty."

Guan Qimai half turned around and looked at Xiao Ce.

"I think the Third Prince is not virtuous enough and has a narrow mind. It would be better for him to become a vassal sooner."

At this point, the officials who had originally planned to join in the discussion no longer dared to speak. They just looked on in disbelief as if it had nothing to do with them.

On the high platform, the emperor remained silent.

This silence seemed like a concession.

Then the Chief Minister Yao Yiyuan came out holding a hu tablet.

"Shanzhang, please be careful with your words before you come."

He had a long grey beard and looked at Guan Qimai proudly from five steps away.

"Could it be that the Lord only allows the censors to report on matters based on hearsay?"

Guan Qimai was not annoyed, he just laughed.

"What the headmaster said certainly makes sense."

Only then did Xiao Ce begin to speak.

"It is the custom of this dynasty that the princes and queens go to the vassal states. The elders may wish to discuss it in the next two days and choose a good place for the second and third sons."

After hearing this, Guan Qimai stopped laughing and shut up immediately.

"Just now, Censor Xia reported..."

Xiao Ce opened his eyes and looked at the row of civil servants.

Seeing that the situation was about to escalate to an unknown outcome, Xia Chenghe, the target of public criticism, turned pale and thought quickly, and actually fainted half-truthfully.

Being impolite in front of the king is the least bad outcome.

Amid the chaos, the guards went to the palace and carried the censor down, and the court meeting ended in confusion.

(End of this chapter)