Joy of Life: I, a man, became the Queen of Northern Qi?

Chapter 176: The peace talks ended and the judge entered the city.

Another five days passed. During several rounds of negotiations, Xin Qiwu changed his cautious attitude as on the first day and became sharper. He argued with the envoys of Northern Qi as aggressively as a sword and did not give in at all.

Fan Xian, who had been keeping an eye on Zhuang Mohan's movements at the posthouse from beginning to end, also confirmed the speculation that the goals of the Northern Qi delegation were not consistent.

After several rounds of negotiations, the three issues of prisoner exchange, compensation and territory between Northern Qi and Southern Qing were all resolved.

During the whole process, Fan Xian just watched Xin Qiwu perform coldly, waiting for Lang Tao to reveal his true intentions. At the same time, he also had a slight change of opinion about Crown Prince Li Chengqian - Xin Qiwu was a disciple of the Crown Prince, and he did not expect that not all of Li Chengqian's subordinates were like Guo Baokun, who were just sitting there doing nothing but eating for nothing.

The exchange of Sean for Yan Bingyun was approved by both parties, and the 10,000 soldiers who had not been negotiated before were also exchanged for 100 taels of silver each as ransom.
Of the three states that Northern Qi had gained through the war, two were retained. The remaining state was exchanged for an enclave in the northwest near Xihu because its location was too important. Nanqing took a very tough attitude.

However, when they regain control of the land, only God knows how many people will be left there.

Fan Xian was very satisfied with this result.

This time, apart from using the Supervisory Council for information files, he did not contribute much. However, since he completed His Majesty's orders, he will naturally share the credit.

However, in addition to preparing to enter the palace at night, there was something else that made him feel a little worried:

"Sir, Yun Zhilan has been staying in the delegation these past few days and has not come out; and Zhuang Mo and Han Zhuang have not shown up either. Apart from being invited by the Queen Mother to give a lecture in the palace once before, even the heads of some large families have not been able to see him since then. It's a bit too quiet." Wang Qinian said in a low voice while pouring tea for Fan Xian in the teahouse.

Zhuang Mohan and Yun Zhilan, one a scholar and one a warrior, are the real core figures of the two countries' delegations. It is impossible for them not to attract attention from outsiders.

Fan Xian knew clearly that Zhuang Mohan had not made any other moves since he disappeared once before. He thought that he had no direct conflict with him, and at the very least he just needed to be on guard against the eldest princess's troubles. But as for Yun Zhilan, he had killed two of his disciples. Even if this was the capital of Nanqing, would the temper of Si Gu Jian's disciples really not come to seek revenge on him?
Fan Xian held the teacup for a long time without taking a sip. He just asked slowly, "Wang Qinian, tell me, now that the three-party peace talks have ended, if you were Yun Zhilan or the princess, how would you deal with me?"

It was obvious that Wang Qinian had come back from a long journey. He drank several bowls of tea before he calmed down. He replied, "After the peace talks, there will naturally be a courtesy banquet. We can either do something to embarrass you, or wait for you to represent the court in handing over to Northern Qi and take ruthless action."

At this point, Wang Qinian was slightly startled, looked at Fan Xian and asked haltingly, "Sir, are you going on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi? Is this news reliable?"

"It's all just speculation."

Fan Xian smiled slightly. He understood that sometimes things he foresaw might not develop as he had expected; but what your enemy wants you to do would most likely happen. He just put himself in the princess's shoes to think about this matter.

After all, he was the deputy envoy for reception, and would then become the deputy envoy to Northern Qi, so it would be very easy for the enemy to manipulate him.

"By the way, I haven't seen you these past few days. Did the academy assign you to go on another mission?" Fan Xian asked jokingly, "Since the foreign delegation arrived in Kyoto, you have been very busy. It has been a long time since you went home to rest, right?"

"Aren't you worried that your sister-in-law will get angry?"

Wang Qinian was not good-looking to begin with, and when he heard this, he immediately frowned and said with a wry smile, "Sir, please stop talking. Why are you a little nervous after hearing this?"

"It's nothing, actually. My wife can understand me. But I'm afraid this mission will be difficult to pass in the hospital, and it's not easy to explain to Dean Chen."

Fan Xian secretly looked at Wang Qinian's reserved look, and the corners of his lips curled up, almost laughing out loud. He was wondering why this old man was so attentive today? He was treating guests and serving tea and water, so it turned out that he had something to ask of him: "Why? Did he embezzle or take bribes, or did he keep the dirty money for himself?"

"Old Wang, Old Wang, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you should get rid of those bad habits as soon as possible. Don't wait until the day when I can't help you anymore before you regret it."

"There is still a sister-in-law and a daughter at home waiting for you to support them!"

"Hey, my Lord knows me, too. I haven't done those things recently." Wang Qinian didn't mention the jade pendant and silver that were stolen after suppressing the rebellion in the courtyard last time. He just explained with an embarrassed look on his face: "I messed up the job in the courtyard this time!"

"The cause was still the iron judge from Northern Qi."

"That man arrived in Shazhou three days ago, and he didn't stop for long. That night, he broke into the residences of twelve officials. Not only did he not take any property, but he also killed all those powerful officials!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian's brows furrowed, and even his tone became cold. He asked in a deep voice:

"The whole family was wiped out?"

Wang Qinian shook his head: "That's not the case. Some young children were left behind, and a few female relatives were not killed. It can be seen that the Iron Judge killed people with a purpose. There are traces of interrogation at the scene."

"Could it be that this Iron Judge really thinks that he is the judge who punishes evil?" Fan Xian moved his fingers, thinking that this was nonsense.

There are many strange things in this world. In addition to nobles like the eldest princess and the prince who are of high status, there are also people like the Iron Judge who think they are superior to others and treat others arbitrarily.

I always do things as I please, acting based on my own preferences and subjective consciousness.

Fan Xian doesn't like this.
"What did Dean Chen ask you to do? If it's convenient for you to reveal, please tell me." Fan Xian knew Wang Qinian's abilities. Apart from much else, his martial arts and tracking skills were top-notch. How could such a person completely mess up the job?
It is said that the Iron Judge is cruel and has a ninth-grade cultivation. Wang Qinian is a special talent and is not famous for his martial arts. With Chen Pingping's scheming, he would never let him confront the Iron Judge head-on. The most he would do is investigate and track the Iron Judge to grasp his whereabouts.

"There's nothing I can't say."

At this time, the sun in the sky slowly set, and it seemed as if Wang Qinian's heart also sank a little. "This time, the dean asked me to track and investigate the Iron Judge. Judging from the path he took to commit crimes, this man's target is directly targeting the Kyoto area. According to his previous behavior pattern, I don't need to say more about what to do next, right?"

Fan Xian nodded. Wang Qinian's assignment was not beyond his expectations.

This is the power of a ninth-rank warrior. He comes and goes like the wind, and his whereabouts are hard to find. Even if you are sure of his next target, how can you defeat him without two masters of the same level to deal with him?
Not to mention mobilizing the Black Knights.

Perhaps the Black Knights could defeat the Iron Judge, but keeping him would be extremely difficult.

Sending Wang Qinian to follow from a distance and wait until the three-party talks are over before dealing with him is also a helpless move. A shadow flashed through Fan Xian's mind. He wondered who would be stronger and who would be weaker if this man faced off against the Iron Judge?
Fan Xian was thinking while Wang Qinian continued: "In addition to tracking, the dean also instructed that if there is a chance, he should try to contact the other party, but the other party refused!" Wang Qinian was still a little scared when he said this.

"In fact, I was discovered by the other party at the beginning, but I think the remaining people have not been killed yet. The Iron Judge didn't want to waste time on me, so he didn't pay much attention to me. After he finished his job, he turned around and rushed towards me!"

Wiping off the sweat from his forehead, Wang Qinian took two more gulps from the tea bowl, as if the tea in the bowl was not tea, but something called fear that he drank up in one gulp. "Your Excellency doesn't know, this person's Qinggong is also very good. At the most dangerous time, he was only five steps away from me! That's why I could see clearly the weapon in his hand. It was like a brush made of steel. It must be very heavy."

"If he throws away this weapon temporarily, I might never see you again!"

At this point, Fan Xian was truly shocked!
It's bad enough that the Iron Judge is extremely powerful, but how come his lightness skills can rival Wang Qinian's?
This person has such ability, why was he not famous at all earlier?
According to intelligence from the academy, when the Iron Judge first killed people in Shangjing, Northern Qi, he did not have such strong force. This means that the other party is still improving his skills rapidly!
When I think about it this way, it’s not just surprise, it’s horror!

"It's understandable now, why do you say you messed up the job?" Fan Xian frowned and asked. Wang Qinian had something to explain! "Old Wang, Old Wang, if you don't explain the whole story to me, I won't be able to protect you when you appear before the dean!"

Wang Qinian sighed again. He looked up at the sky. The time to return to the hospital was approaching. After hesitating for a while, he told his own tricks:
"That night, in order to avoid the pursuit of the Iron Judge, I shook him off and returned to Shazhou City. As you know, the Iron Judge was heading for Kyoto. If I took the same route as him, he might catch up with me while I was resting. Only in this way could I avoid his pursuit."

"When I returned to Shazhou City and revealed my identity to the government, I saw that the local officials were already handling the aftermath of the murder."

"Shazhou is separated from the Kyoto area by a piece of land, and there is no obstacle in between. How can such a big case be handled around the imperial city? Doesn't this show that they are incompetent? It just so happens that this is a critical moment in the negotiations between the three countries, and your majesty's attention is not on other things. After this matter is over, the remaining officials may be implicated and punished for their poor performance. By then, they will probably suffer more than dying directly!"

"Get to the point!" Fan Xian said angrily, "Just tell us how they handled it afterwards, and what role you played in it!"

Wang Qinian did not dare to neglect and told the truth: "That night, the people of Shazhou City were in a panic, and the wealthy families were terrified and worried that their homes would be robbed. When the officials in the city saw that something was wrong, they arrested a death row prisoner to take the blame, saying that they had caught the real culprit and executed him that night."

"They also know that the Iron Judge will not commit crimes again in the short term. The fact that nothing has happened in the past few days is also proof of this."

"In this way, the thieves will be caught and killed, and naturally there will be no more cases of rich people being robbed or officials being killed. The turmoil in the city will come to an end."

Wang Qinian had been paying attention to Fan Xian's expression. When he saw the latter's brows darken slightly as if he had guessed something, he bowed and added, "The general responsible for guarding Shazhou City was in close contact with the Second Prince in private, so the credit for killing the thief was naturally attributed to him. This man is called Wang Lin, and it is his job to cooperate with the government to catch the culprit. He has a sister who is the wife of the Qin family. Although she is from a side branch, this face should be given."

"This way, Wang Lin gets the credit, and the officials can clear up their past bad debts while the chaos is going on. He can give an explanation to His Majesty, and in the meantime, he can build a relationship with the Qin Mansion, and at the same time, he can appease the wealthy families and calm the people's fears. The Iron Judge is a ninth-rank expert, and dealing with him is the job of our Supervisory Council. The officials of Shazhou have suffered an unprovoked disaster, and with this villain present, the Supervisory Council will not cause trouble for them again. Everyone is happy!"

Everything is solved, except for the real iron judge...

Wang Qinian looked worried, and it was not difficult to guess that there must be an old cripple behind his actions.

Otherwise, even if he was given more courage, he would not dare to act so recklessly.

Fan Xian snorted and laughed, then said angrily, "What a good way to not seek merit but avoid mistakes, and to clear up the bad debts of the past. It really kills two birds with one stone! I'm afraid those officials are looking forward to having such an iron judge come to their territory! As long as the people who die are not themselves, it will be fine!"

He looked at Wang Qinian's face, clenched his right fist and slammed it hard on the tea table in front of him. The sound attracted the attention of the guests in the teahouse.

"Try to contact the Iron Judge, and then agree to let those officials do so. Is this what Dean Chen meant?"

"You are very observant and perceptive, isn't it?" Wang Qinian coughed and said, "The original intention of the dean was to recruit this man into the Supervisory Council. I believe you should be able to see that this iron judge killed the cancer in the court, the corrupt officials, and he did not touch any innocent people. Otherwise, he would not have made the final interrogation."

"In principle, he is like Teng Zijing, with great aspirations and a sense of justice."

In the final analysis, Chen Pingping's move was not only to help Wang Qinian clean up his mess, but also to keep the Supervisory Council out of the matter. At the same time, it also showed his importance to the Iron Judge. This person came from Northern Qi, and he became famous in the court after Queen An. It was hard not to guess what kind of connection there was between the two.

The fact that the Iron Judge left Northern Qi and entered Southern Qing could be explained as being due to his fear of Empress An's action, or it could be understood as being instructed by Empress An.

Absorbing him into the Supervisory Council, we can guard him from nearby and get more information about Queen An.
It was this kind of self-deceiving method that made Fan Xian feel somewhat disgusted.

"Is the dean so confident that he can recruit the Iron Judge into the Overwatch Council?"

At this time, people were coming and going outside the teahouse, and the breeze they brought blew the hem of Fan Xian's official uniform from the Ministry of Rites. He stood up and looked down at Wang Qinian.

"Back when I was in Danzhou, I read all the legal books of Qing. Are there really so many people who deserve to die in this world?" In Fan Xian's mind, the real evil ones are the upper echelons of power. If the Iron Judge really has the guts, why doesn't he kill the Queen of Northern Qi? If he really has the guts, why doesn't he kill the Crown Prince of Qing, the Second Prince, the Princess, and even His Majesty?

After all, isn't it just because of his nature to bully the weak and fear the strong?

Some lower-level officials are in such an environment. It is wrong for them to follow the crowd, but at least they cannot be killed without investigation? What if some people are not guilty of the death penalty?

Chen Pingping's action is also aiding and abetting the evil!
"Sir, please keep your voice down."

Wang Qinian looked around, lowered his body, and said in a deep voice: "The court needs stability now. The army has been defeated, the territory has been lost, and people's hearts are unsettled. If even the officials who maintain the operation of the court are not stable, the consequences are not what the dean and His Majesty want to see."

"There are many corrupt officials in this world. I don't know what the Iron Judge has been through, but from the fact that he is determined to go to Kyoto instead of going to the surrounding areas to kill people, it can be seen that this person has the possibility of being accepted into the Supervisory Council!"

"Since you want to kill someone, wouldn't it be more convenient and legitimate if you have a position in the Overwatch Council?"

"Besides, there have been no more tragedies in recent days. Maybe the other party has also noticed the signal released by the Supervisory Council."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows, no longer able to maintain his cold expression, and said, "You mean..."

Wang Qinian nodded slowly and responded very quickly:
"The Iron Judge has entered Kyoto City!"

(End of this chapter)