Fairy, I really am a villain!

"My friend, do you know what I mean by this?"

Meeting his gaze, Fang Xiwen pondered and said, "For the people of Jiangzhou, the Dajiang Gang must be eliminated, but not all of them. If they are completely defeated and return to a state of being leaderless, the ones who will suffer will still be the boat people and boat trackers who make a living on the water."

"clever."

Hu Churen smiled with relief and raised the teapot to pour tea for him, but the latter quickly put it down.

"So even though I am popular among the people as a governor, I am just making ends meet."

"Senior, you are too modest."

For a long time in the past, the imperial court was very tolerant, even indulgent, towards sects and gangs.

For example, Fang Qingxiao used to have a Sword Sect token, which allowed him to pass through the six local gates unhindered; and in Xingping, the Mie Tian Sect openly preached and exploited the local people.

It is rare for Jiangzhou to have such a kind official who is willing to fight against gangs and obey the emperor's orders for the people.

"Senior, what response did you get when you went to the palace to meet the emperor?" Thinking of this, Fang Xiwen asked another question.

Hu Churen sighed and shook his head, saying, "Although the sage lamented the hardships of the people's lives, he also said that the treasury was empty and needed goods from Jiangzhou. If the canal transportation was blocked, we could only build a ferry. Now we are in a dilemma.

That old dog Yang Mingyue accompanied him in talking, saying that the cabinet meeting would come up with a solution that would satisfy both sides, so that the saint would have no intention in the end.

I couldn't even present the petition in blood in my arms. I'm really incompetent."

"this..."

The emperor was determined to build the ferry. Was it for the money of trade, or did he want to use the rebellion as an excuse to suppress the bandits, or did he have other motives?

"In this case, Senior, you must be more careful during this period. The Yang Party may resort to any means necessary."

"I don't need to. At the next court meeting, even if I sacrifice my life, I will present the truth to the Saint."

Although the old man looked as if he was willing to sacrifice himself, Fang Xiwen still sighed in his heart.

The fate of this prefect Hu was either that he was "accidentally" killed during his stay in the capital, and the matter was left unresolved; or that he really presented the blood letter and the emperor pretended to be deaf and dumb, and the result was still the same.

As a local official sent to a remote place, he was against the local sect, so the Dajiang Gang wanted to kill him; in order to fight for a way to survive for the people, he tried to disobey the imperial order, but the people in the court also wanted to kill him.

"I have heard about what you did in the capital of the gods. It is true that young people are different." Hu Churen's eyes were bright, without any sign of stupidity. "You dare to speak for the Wang family. You are good."

"I just feel unfair."

"Oh, you haven't been in the officialdom for long, so you don't know a lot of things. Nowadays, there are countless ministers in the six ministries and officials outside the court who have received favors from the Wang family.

But now some have joined Yang’s party, some have returned home due to illness, some are still struggling to hold on... many more have died under persecution.”

Hu Churen stretched out his hand and gently pushed, "Like the cup of tea in front of me, once you leave, the tea will naturally get cold."

"...The younger generation knows."

"However, if someone could start a fire, the outcome might be different." The old man stood up, held his shoulders with both hands, and said forcefully, "Do a good job."

~~

Coming out of the inn, Fang Xiwen followed the address, dismissed several subordinates who were following and protecting him, and went to visit alone through the streets and alleys.

This is a large house with two entrances, front and back, and a grand structure. From the various stone carvings, it can be seen that the owner is quite prestigious. However, it has fallen into disrepair for many years, and it takes some effort to even push open the door, with dust falling on both sides.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw a shirtless man washing the floor in the yard. He was hunched over and had his trouser legs rolled up. He had a bronze body and smiled as soon as he saw him, "Here you are."

"Yeah. I see that Brother Wang hasn't changed in other aspects since his trip to the capital, but his skin color has become a lot darker. He used to look quite gentle and refined." Fang Xiwen also smiled, and went to the kitchen to get a basin of water and washed the floor with him.

"I just followed my heart the whole way and didn't care about these things," Wang Wenxuan pointed at him, "but you really should get a tan. You look too handsome and pretty now, and it's easy to attract bees and butterflies."

"Ha, just think of it as you praising me."

Soon the two of them washed themselves inside and out, sweated a little, and sat down in front of the lobby door.

Wang Wenxuan put the towel around his neck and asked, "Have you met Governor Hu?"

"Well, he said that the blood letter was not submitted, and no one from above has given any instructions on how to deal with the cabinet's proposal." Fang Xiwen shook his head, "I think it's a bad omen."

"Yeah."

"Brother Wang, did you anticipate this?"

"After learning the truth about the battle at Guihua Mountain, I have no hope for the imperial court or the saints anymore," Wang Wenxuan said calmly. "I would rather die than not deliver the blood letter. I believe that there are people like you who will fight for it."

"But my brother, if the higher-ups don't agree, it will be useless no matter how hard the people below fight. Even if the Yun family is willing to help us, I'm afraid they won't be able to change the emperor's mind, not to mention that the cabinet is now controlled by the Yang party."

"Yeah, now everyone has left and the tea has gotten cold."

He looked at the somewhat empty courtyard and said, "My father told me that when we were still in the capital, the threshold of the Wang family's house would be trampled every time there was a festival. Boxes of gifts were sent over, and after much flattery, we would send people to transport them back.

Those officials enjoyed it very much, as if the Wang family had made an agreement with them.

Moreover, whenever there is something going on, they will discuss it with us first and then bring it up at the court meeting...To be honest, it is not much different from the current Yang Party."

Hearing this, Fang Xiwen sighed, "The source of the disaster."

"That's right. Now that I think about it, perhaps the Saint had doubts about us a long time ago, but we thought we were loyal and didn't realize it, and it gradually accumulated to cause the disaster of the Emperor's Sword."

"But it's not the Wang family's fault. Besides, which family doesn't the emperor suspect? The monarch regards his subjects as enemies, but the subjects should reflect on their own shortcomings. This doesn't make sense."

"Hahaha, Xiwen, you are the one who sees things clearly."

Wang Wenxuan stood up and brushed off the dust on the side of the hall, then asked, "What are you going to do about the wedding banquet?"

"Brother Wang, please come with me. Yang Tianxiu will definitely force the remaining families to take sides. This is our last chance."

"it is good."

Seeing that he agreed, Fang Xiwen said a few more words. When he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, brother Wang, aren't you going to help protect Governor Hu? He is in a dangerous situation now."

"It doesn't matter. Uncle has a place to go now."

Seeing his nonchalant look, Fang Xiwen was startled at first, then paused before saying, "...Prince Rui?"

"Shh!"

Understanding the signal, he turned around and left without further ado.

Now that the Yang Party’s affairs have not been resolved, he no longer has the energy to get involved in a possible dispute over the crown prince. He can only hope that the Second Prince himself will be more careful.

~~

In the next few days, in the eyes of outsiders, Fang Xiwen and the people in the Fang Mansion and the Liushenmen Yamen all calmed down completely.

No longer stirring up trouble, living a peaceful life, it seems like they are paying tribute to the saint and preparing for the upcoming wedding banquet of Princess Chaoyang.

In fact, anyone with a discerning eye knows that this is a sign of impending storm, and the temporary sunshine is just an illusion.

Fang Mansion, morning.

"Fang Qingxiao, get up. Do you think it's comfortable to sleep on someone else all day?"

He struggled for a few times, but the pair of arms seemed to be glued to his neck. He pretended to be fast asleep, but in fact, he didn't know how strong the strength of his arms was.

"Pretending to sleep, eh? Okay, don't blame me."

After giving a warning and seeing that it didn't work, Fang Xiwen unceremoniously pulled off the belt around her waist.

The wide nightgown opened to the sides, revealing the fair skin. He reached his hand in, skillfully found the acupuncture points and started to tickle them.

One, two, three times... Seeing Fang Qingxiao's breathing becoming more and more rapid, her feet arched. After hugging him tightly for a while, she finally opened her eyes, revealing a pair of bright and moist eyes.

The two looked at each other up and down, and the woman's eyes flickered.

"Get off."

"I do not want."

"When did you fall to this level?!" Fang Xiwen tied the straps for her, looking distressed. "It's already this late, shouldn't you be practicing sword skills in the training room? Don't you think your ambition is enough for the outdoor scene?"

"I've had it in my mind."

"Can this still happen?!"

"I practice the way of sword intent, and I follow my heart and move at will," Fang Qingxiao pinched his face, "You don't understand."

"...Okay, then you can lie down wherever you want, but don't prevent me from getting up."

As he spoke, he struggled a little and was about to push her away, but was pushed back forcefully.

"What do you want to do?"

"It's not me who thinks, it's you who thinks," Fang Qingxiao said seriously with her eyes wide open, "You just hurt me."

"...No."

"You want to practice like this?"

As if she already knew where his weak spot was, Fang Qingxiao blew gently into his ear, then licked it with her tongue.

"!!!"

"Admit your mistake, and I'll help you. Am I wrong?"

"Wrong, wrong."

So Fang Qingxiao pulled off the drawstring and threw it under the bed. The clothes in front of her loosened and she asked again, "Will you dare to contradict me again in the future?"

"Don't dare."

"Very good." There was a sound of silk rubbing against each other, and the white clothes slowly fell from the edge of the bed, covering the drawstrings. "Where do you want to use it today?"

~~

When he sat in the yard sighing and hastily ate breakfast, he found that it was already half an hour later than usual.

If this happens every day, how much time will be wasted in a month?

"Absolutely not!"

Fang Xiwen slammed the table and was about to protest to the overbearing elder sister, but when he had walked halfway along the corridor, a servant came to find him and said that someone wanted to see him.

"Take the man to the outer house. I'll be there shortly."

"Replying to Third Young Master, that person asked you to meet him, and he also handed me a note."

Having said that, the servant handed the note to him.

When I unfolded it, I saw the words: "Today at 11:00 pm, I will go to Mingyuezhai in the south of the city alone."

Fang Xiwen frowned and crumpled the note into a ball.

The divorce banquet was only a day or two away, but the other party came to him at this time. What was his intention?