Joy of Life: I'm really not a saint

Chapter 197 The Past of Xihu.

In order to overcome the harsh natural living environment, the nomadic people outside the Great Wall developed a folk custom of being brave and courageous and respecting the strong.

For example, the original country similar to "Turkic" was divided into many tribes of different sizes, but no matter who the Khan was, they all worshipped Yelu Xuan as a god and regarded him as the highest heroic leader!

Because they had never seen a person with such great power!

The wind and snow all over the sky were like his servants, and the sky above the dome was no longer out of reach!

A similar situation also occurred within the Tiekele tribe, and the person who received this honor was none other than Qu Han, who was known as the Flying Eagle!

six years ago.

The Tiekele tribe is a relatively weak tribe. In order to survive, the young man Qu Han became a horse thief, wandering around and looting!

Qu Han has a strong sense of territory. He will never cross the border to other places except his own territory, because this is his hometown and the place he is most familiar with. Because of this, in the eyes of outsiders, Qu Kang is rampant on the grassland!

But today, he finally met his nemesis.

There was actually a master hiding in the intercepted caravan, hiding his face and blending in with them.

The wind carrying sand was lifted by the horse's hooves, revealing the curtain hanging on his head, so that people could see his true appearance. His appearance was somewhat similar to that of the monks in ancient India. His bald head was unforgettable whether in the Central Plains or in this Western Hu desert.

His martial arts skills are unfathomable, but it is difficult to judge his age from his appearance. He has the characteristics of old, young and young at the same time. It is truly amazing!

The monk single-handedly wiped out over a hundred horse bandits. His skills were so high that they reached an extraordinary and horrifying level!

"What kind of monster is this? Could it be that he is the messenger sent by the Eternal Heaven to the lower world?"

Qu Han lay on the ground, wiped the grass debris from the corner of his mouth, and stared at the god in front of him with wide eyes.

Qu Han was lucky enough to be injured but not killed. Seeing this man still ruthlessly slaughtering his former subordinates and brothers, his fear of the monk in front of him gradually turned into admiration.

Regardless of his injuries, Qu Han followed the monk for seven days and seven nights, begging him to accept him as his disciple.

Even when he was almost exhausted and collapsed, Qu Han refused to give up. He continued to crawl and follow the man for help. His will was terrifying!

"This person has a strong mind and a solid foundation. It would be a great thing if I could recruit him to serve me!"

The monk had his back to the crawling Qu Han, and did not look back, but it seemed that he could see everything that was happening behind him.

The monk was finally moved by Qu Han's sincerity and agreed to teach him a method of practicing true qi, but he had to swear to work for him all his life.

The true Qi of this monk is very different from the martial arts in the Central Plains. It focuses on cultivating the acupoints in the human body that serve as the hubs of the meridians and the source of the true Qi. It is extremely difficult!

If this skill is not assisted by a teacher, even if someone has obtained it, they would not dare to practice it easily. If they practice it carelessly, they may break their meridians and explode before they can achieve success!

Seeing that Qu Han agreed to his request, the monk found a slope away from the wind and dug a big hole. Then he entered the hole and sat cross-legged, with his right hand raised high and his left hand hanging low. When his palms were facing each other, there was a visible true energy stirring the space, which appeared in his two palms and kept circling.

"If you can master this technique, your Qi will be endless and powerful!"

The two of them stayed here for several months. Qu Han lived in seclusion and practiced hard. With his extraordinary talent, he finally succeeded in practicing eight acupoints in the winter of that year and was promoted to the ninth level!

Qu Han was not satisfied with this. With his ability, it might take him several years or even more than ten years to practice one more acupoint, but this meant that he still had the possibility to go further!

Just when he wanted to continue living like this, the monk stopped him.

"You grew up in this area, do you have any relatives at home? Now that I have taught you the skills, it is time for you to leave this place."

"Teacher, I am from the Tiekele tribe here. I have a wife and children at home. I was forced to make a living, so I concealed my identity and claimed to be robbing for the Eagle. All the gains, except for the supplies needed by the team, were returned to the tribe."

The monk nodded and said, "It may take a long time to come back this time. Let's go to the group where your family is first, and arrange everything as soon as possible, then follow me!"

Qu Han nodded in agreement and took the monk back to the Tiekele tribe. However, all this became the beginning of Qu Han's tragedy.

The two of them had no horses, and when a figure just appeared in Qu Han's sight, the monk walking beside him moved. His movements were as fast as lightning, and his methods were even more brutal and cruel than when the two of them first met. He no longer had the easy-going nature of the past!

Only half an hour had passed, and the Tiekele tribe had become part of Xihu's history, as if this tribe had never existed.

Even Qu Han's wife and son could not escape this disaster!

He tried to resist, he tried to struggle, and after seeing his wife and son being killed, he even tried to commit suicide, but the monks failed to do so.

"Okay, now that the problem has been solved, we can travel and do things with peace of mind."

Seeing Qu Han still standing there with a dull look in his eyes, the monk couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly. Two streams of cold and hurtful true qi burst out of his body and hit Qu Han's knees, causing him to kneel on the ground involuntarily, letting out a roar that was not like a human shout.

It hurts, it hurts too much!

"Do you still remember your promise to me? Now is the time for you to repay me!" He grabbed one of Qu Han's legs and dragged him to the tribe's domesticated horse like dragging a dead dog, and threw him on the horse's back. The monk himself rode on another horse and said, "Look at what you have done! They are just women and children. With your current cultivation, when you are in power, what kind of women will you not have? You used to be a horse bandit, so you must not lose your courage!"

The monk received only lifeless silence in response.

"If your cultivation exceeds mine, you can take revenge on me at any time. Why, you don't want revenge?" Seeing Qu Han still like this, the monk showed a bloodthirsty smile and said provocatively: "I really look forward to that day!"

Qu Han gradually became angry. Driven by hatred, he sat up straight on the horse's back and said expressionlessly: "Master, what you are teaching me is true. May I ask what kind of martial arts you used before? If you have time, please teach me!"

"Yes, let's go!"

The two men disappeared on the blood-stained grassland, and the tragic scene behind them would only be gradually buried with the passage of time.

This is a good deal for the wild wolves in this area.

This monk was none other than Yelu Xuan, the new master who was now famous all over the world and shocked all the nations. And Qu Han was none other than his second disciple.

In the following years, Qu Han followed Yelu Xuan and joined a force, constantly devouring the surrounding tribes to grow stronger. This led to the miraculous rise of the Great Khan of Western Hu.

During the fighting over the years, Qu Han displayed terrifying cruelty, and all those who were hostile to him were torn to pieces like rags. His reputation for cruelty was also well-known and respected in the army.

A few years later, when Qu Han's martial arts reached his peak, his self-confidence also reached its peak. He finally thought of challenging Yelu Xuan again, replacing him, and then killing him!

But the fight between the two of them later decided the winner in an instant.

It was not until this day that Qu Han understood what the Grandmaster realm was.

Yelu Xuan did not kill him. He remained as easy-going as usual and did not even hide his martial arts skills.

When time returns to the story line, Xihu is ready for war again.

Chapter 198: Take action against Li Yunrui.

"Master, news has come from Northern Qi that the families that previously traded with us have been wiped out by the Imperial Guards. Not only salt and iron, but all the materials we need, no one dares to sell them anymore!"

Qu Han spoke in a calm and deep voice, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Yelu Xuan returned after making a secret diplomatic mission to Northern Qi in advance. No one knew what he had agreed on in Northern Qi or what plans he had.

He had never expected that Li An would join Northern Qi. Thinking of Li An, his brows furrowed slightly.

As the saying goes, it is impolite not to reciprocate. Since Li Ang took the lead in cutting off his own path, how could he not return the favor?

"Write a letter to inform the Khan to cut off all warhorse supply to Northern Qi. Do it now!"

"Yes, master."

After seeing Qu Han leave, Yelu Xuan slowly walked out of the court tent and looked at the vast grassland. His eyes were like lightning and he sneered. He quickly got rid of the unfavorable things he had just heard and his expression returned to normal. It seemed that he did not take Li Ang's method to heart.

Now the Western Hu no longer have any land to expand, and the Northern Barbarian territory is really useless. Although their situation is somewhat similar to that of the Western Hu, their land is vast and sparsely populated, and the production is poor.

But now, for the sake of the iron ore and salt lake of the Northern Barbarians, the Western Hu also have to expand towards the Northern Barbarians. But all this cannot be done openly, but secretly.

After the Northern Barbarians can no longer hold out, perhaps they have already accumulated strength to send troops to Northern Qi!

Maybe, we can cooperate with Emperor Qing first?

······

Qing Kingdom, Kyoto.

When Fan Xian returned to the mansion, Ye Ling'er and another little princess had already returned.

He returned to the room, sent the maid away, and took advantage of the time when only he and his wife were in the room to ask softly, "Has there been any rumors in the palace recently?"

"What do you mean?"

Although Lin Wan'er answered the question, her hands did not slow down at all. She sat by the window, embroidering something in the sunlight, but her eyes were slightly narrowed because she was not skilled enough.

"Don't embroider if the light is not bright enough. It will hurt your eyes." Seeing that the delicate Lin Wan'er was still doing what she wanted, Fan Xian could not persuade her anymore. He continued, "Have you seen the Queen Mother?"

"After entering the palace, I naturally had to pay my respects to the Queen Mother. We just chatted about daily life and didn't say anything in particular." Lin Wan'er's expression darkened. She stopped sewing and gently placed her hand on the back of Fan Xian's hand. She said, "My husband, I can sense some changes in people and things. I feel very confused and uneasy."

Fan Xian understood what Lin Wan'er was worried about.

The Queen Mother in the palace was really a scheming person! It was strange that he had never seen the Queen Mother in the several visits to the palace. Even after marrying Lin Wan'er, the Queen Mother claimed to be sick and refused to see him. It was obvious that the Queen Mother might have noticed something and was deliberately distancing herself from Fan Xian!

Given how much she loves Lin Wan'er, how could she refuse to even return home?

As his mind raced, Fan Xian revealed a hint of sneer on his face, which made Lin Wan'er even more worried.

She looked into Fan Xian's eyes and asked softly, "Husband, answer me truthfully, are you going to investigate the Second Emperor?" The person she was talking about was Li Chengze.

Lin Wan'er was very clear about what was going on, so Fan Xian didn't plan to hide it any longer, lest he worry his wife. He told Lin Wan'er the truth about his investigation into the Second Prince, saying, "The Second Prince has no chance. He is just blinded by power and can't see that His Majesty is determined to protect the Crown Prince. Recently, I discovered that he has some connection with Chang Niang. As you know, your uncle has ordered me to manage the First Division of the Supervisory Council, so I have made some discoveries."

"Yes, yes, I understand, my Lord Tisi!"

After spending a few moments of tenderness with his wife, he was driven out by her. Lin Wan'er had to continue learning embroidery.

After sitting in the courtyard for a while, Yan Bingyun arrived as promised.

Fan Xian took the file handed over by Yan Bingyun and began to look through it carefully. After a long time, he raised his head and rubbed his temples vigorously to relieve the soreness from overusing his brain.

"The First Division found an excuse to arrest two officials. Although these two officials were not high-ranking officials, they were vaguely connected to the Second Prince and the First Princess. However, they did not find out anything."

Young Master Xiaoyan's expression and tone were still cold. He showed no urgency nor regret for not doing something well. He seemed like a robot like Wuzhu.

"No!" Fan Xian shook his head and said, "In fact, we have already found out. The smuggling activities between Xinyang and Beiqi and Dongyi City are so rampant every year that no news has been leaked. Moreover, the amount is so huge that I don't believe it if there is no interest chain to cover it up! Don't look at the deficit of the bad debt in the inner treasury. These are all caused by the prince and can only be regarded as small money. The really huge amount is missing. It is very likely that the person behind the second prince is the eldest princess."

Fan Xian smiled and affirmed, "If one of my retainers and subordinates was arrested by the Overwatch Council, it would be strange if they did not ask a single question. They are clearly fearless."

Yan Bingyun said coldly: "But we have no evidence."

"Who handed the Second Prince's silver to him?"

"The Jiangnan Ming family, the one that married into the Cui family."

Fan Xian frowned. It seemed that the money had gone through a long process before it finally reached the Second Prince's hands and was used to win over the ministers in the court. However, it would be difficult for him to find evidence.

"The situation is very complicated. Sir, do you still want to do it?"

Fan Xian did not answer Yan Bingyun's question, but asked in return: "Although this matter is secret, it was discovered so easily by one department. Do you think it is because the dean could not find out or because the palace did not know about it?"

"The palace may just not have enough evidence, but they must be on guard." Yan Bingyun thought as he spoke, his train of thought gradually becoming clearer. "The deceased head of a place, Lord Zhuge, was the eldest princess's man. Now, it is unknown how many people in Kyoto are under the command of the eldest princess. The current situation is that if the Lord really wants to continue investigating, a series of people will be implicated, and Kyoto may be in chaos."

It was obvious that Yan Bingyun's words meant to make Fan Xian stop.

"It's thanks to your ability that we were able to find out these things so quickly."

Fan Xian was very calm at this time, with a cold look on his slightly raised lips. "It's just that there's one thing you haven't figured out: His Majesty asked me to be the chief investigator, and this matter was discovered by us by chance. The palace was very quiet during this process, and the dean didn't stop us. So let me ask you, does His Majesty want us to continue investigating or not?"

Yan Bingyun dissuaded Fan Xian at first only because he and Fan Xian were in a cooperative relationship. There was only one person he was truly loyal to, and that was Emperor Qing! Now that Fan Xian had analyzed it, he also understood the thoughts of the adults and Emperor Qing, and immediately asked:

"What do you plan to do, sir?"

Fan Xian glanced at him and said, "Fire it up, and then confiscate the property!"

Yan Bingyun shook his head and said, "It's not that I don't want to, I just want to remind you, sir, that if you do this, your wife will be the one who suffers the most!"

"She will understand me!"

Fan Xian was determined to be a powerful official. What was a powerful official? It meant that no matter whether it was power or force, he would not allow Emperor Qing to threaten him or his family in the slightest. That was his ideal powerful official!

He would not slow down his pace because of his wife's difficulties, because the ultimate goal of all this was just to protect her.

Seeing Yan Bingyun's strange expression, Fan Xian raised two fingers and explained, "There are two reasons why I insist on doing this."

Chapter 199 Secret Letter.

"First, the court is short of money right now. Very short of money!"

Fan Xian stood up and walked to the open space in the courtyard, as if a map of the entire Qing Kingdom was drawn here. His tone was a little vague, and he said: "Now the canal in the south has been in disrepair for a long time. This year, the dam collapsed and flooded. Brother, have you ever seen what it looks like when someone is soaked in water and turns white?"

He deliberately teased like this because he understood that Yan Bingyun was a person who put the world and the people, Emperor Qing and the Supervisory Council first. The rest were not worth mentioning.

"If you want to control the flood and keep the people safe, you have to spend money, but where does the money come from?" Fan Xian pointed at the blank space on the ground. His finger had moved from the southern corner to the north. "Don't forget, there is a Da Qi in the north. I know how powerful Li An is. To put it bluntly, the biggest mistake your majesty made was to force Li An to go to Northern Qi!"

"My Lord, be careful with your words!"

"I will not tell anyone about this matter. I will just assume that you were just excited for a moment!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I made a slip of the tongue." Fan Xian was also a little emotional. "I just want to let you know that Qing has been waging war against Northern Qi for a long time, and the financial expenditure is horrible. In addition, there is a letter from Northern Qi saying that Ye Liuyun may have to give back the county he just gained. This means that the efforts of the past few years have gone to waste."

"My father is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Oh no, he was just promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue these two days. In short, he is in charge of Qing Kingdom's finances. You have come to the mansion so many times and he has a sad face these days. It's not like you haven't seen it."

"The country is short of money!" Fan Xian tried hard to get Yan Bingyun to join him, "The reason why Qing Kingdom has remained strong over the years is due to the legacy left by the former mistress of the inner treasury! But no matter how rich we are, we can't resist the eldest princess's tricks!"