Joy of Life: I'm really not a saint

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Marquis Changning.

He looked dejected, and said, "To be honest, my family can still maintain such extravagant expenses because of the profits from smuggling. For this reason, my brother and I kept it a secret from my sister. The Queen Mother, did the Queen Mother ask you to come to visit me today?"

There was tension in his expression, but more of it was fear.

When he thought of his tough sister, he could only pray in his heart that his parents in heaven would bless him.

"My Lord, you misunderstood." Fan Xian consoled him, "The matter did not come from me, but the Queen Mother did not say anything more after hearing the news. I am here at the behest of His Majesty."

Marquis Changning nodded, seeming relieved.

As long as the Queen Mother didn't get angry on the spot, even if she knew the whole story later, she would most likely not embarrass him. At that moment, he understood Fan Xian's intention and said whatever he wanted to say: "I am very happy that Master Fan came to visit me! It's getting late now, so you can stay in the house and have dinner!"

"As for what people say outside, I don't give a shit!"

After saying that, he asked the housekeeper to prepare the meal.

Indeed, if Fan Xian was using the excuse of questioning, it would be fine. But now they were staying to have dinner, so there was no point in pretending!

Fan Xian readily agreed and praised the Marquis for his majesty, but he lamented that if he had known this earlier, why would he have been so cautious?

After three rounds of drinks, everything was settled at the table.

It turns out that in the matter of smuggling, Changning Hou was only the apparent target. Although he had a share of the profits, he actually knew nothing about the various situations. The person who actually operated this matter was Jinyiwei Zhenfu Envoy Shen Zhong, and the person in charge of the connection on the Qing side was actually the Jiangnan Cui Family, which was as famous as the Fan Mansion of Qing!

The Cui family is located in the south of the Yangtze River. Over the years, they have established deep-rooted marriages with many people, and their network of relationships is complex and intricate. Behind this great Cui family is the eldest princess!

But what shocked Fan Xian was that smuggling was such a big thing, but there was no news about it in Qing Kingdom over the years. He also wondered if the person sitting in the Golden Palace knew about it, and whether he opposed it or acquiesced to it?

How much profit did the eldest princess make over the years, and where did she use such a large sum of money?

Marquis Changning said earnestly, "If Lord Fan wants to see the Jinyiwei pacification envoy, I can arrange it for him."

Fan Xian nodded when he heard this. It would be good to meet in private.

Neither of them mentioned that there was anything wrong with meeting the commander of another country's pacification department in the capacity of an envoy. In their status, there were some rules that could not restrict them.

"Thank you very much!"

Fan Xian stood up, clasped his fists, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty also knows my situation. As a foreign minister in a foreign country, it is not convenient for me to do many things." He sighed and lowered his voice, "To be honest, I was also targeted in the officialdom of Qing Kingdom. Your Majesty had no choice but to send me to Northern Qi as an envoy to avoid the limelight!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Marquis Changning suddenly felt a sense of empathy and said frankly that he would take care of the matter and that they might meet tomorrow!

Seeing that the purpose of this trip had been achieved, Fan Xian stood up and smiled: "In this case, thank you again, Lord. I will come to visit you again after the mission is completed. Today, I will take my leave first!"

Marquis Changning also stood up to see him off, "There's no need to wait until then. My sister's birthday will be here soon, and we can see each other then!"

Hearing this, Fan Xian remembered this matter and couldn't help but worry about the gift.

After a moment, they came to their senses, said goodbye, and followed Wang Qinian and Gaoda out of Changning Marquis Mansion and went to the inn.

Wang Qinian couldn't help laughing at this moment, and seeing Fan Xian's calm face, he said:

"This Marquis Changning is a wonderful man!"

Post one more chapter to make up for the progress.

I hope you all will support me!

On Friday, the editor saw that my grades had dropped so badly that he almost wanted to chop me with a knife!

Chapter 149 Everyone needs to eat.

When the carriage was halfway there, it was stopped by an oncoming team.

The man who came was Wei Hua, the eldest son of Marquis Changning.

Fan Xian opened the car curtain and looked at the sky. It was time for him to get off work.

I wanted to pull back and let him pass first, after all, he was going home, and it would be okay to give way since he was already at the door. But the man on the other side seemed to be in no hurry to go, and did not make any move.

After a while, the carriage finally stopped in front of them.

Through the car window, Wei Hua gritted his teeth and said, "I don't know what the envoy wants to do!"

Fan Xian laughed. This Wei Hua was indeed far worse than his father. Of course, that was only in terms of his mind.

"The Marquis and I are drinking buddies. Isn't it natural for me to visit you?"

Wei Hua was about to get angry, but then he remembered that there were many servants and passers-by around, so he lowered his voice and asked, "My father loves wine, and he has many drinking buddies! Sir Fan, if you have anything to say, you can come to me. If you have anything to say, just speak directly!"

It’s no wonder he thought too much, there is no intersection between the two.

Now that a farce has just happened outside the palace, he has a clear goal to go to his own home instead of the victim's Chang'an Marquis Mansion. If it weren't for that incident, it would be a ghost! Wei Hua, feeling guilty, looked nervous, thinking that at worst he could back down and solve the problem privately with the foreign envoy.

"This is not okay!"

Fan Xian shook his head. If someone said that Wei Hua, as a son, didn't know about smuggling, Fan Xian would be the first one to disbelieve it. But whether to do it or not, and how to do it? It was not something that Wei Hua, as the Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple, could decide!

"This matter will not harm you. I will give you what I deserve! It's not for anything else, just to make things easier and avoid obstacles. Besides, this matter is not something you can decide!"

Fan Xian finished his words here, his eyes were filled with indifference. Although the old marquis had been pouring wine for him during the banquet, it did not affect him much. Now that the wine had worn off, his words became even colder: "Have you forgotten? I went to the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple to look for you a few days ago, but you just avoided me! Don't say too much, or a good thing will turn into a bad thing!"

"Are you talking about Yan Bingyun?" Wei Hua looked unconvinced, and then said, "But hasn't that person been taken away by His Majesty and returned to the delegation?"

Seeing that Wei Hua was still talking about something else, Fan Xian lost his patience. He waved his hand and ordered Gao Da to clear the way. Suddenly there was chaos again.

Wei Hua returned to the mansion with an annoyed look on his face, without stopping, and he didn't have a good face to the servants in the house.

Seeing his drunken father still sipping the wine, he was furious! Although he was furious, he still performed the etiquette at a very fast speed and then said loudly: "Father! Don't you understand the situation you and Second Uncle are in now? Fan Xian is an envoy from an enemy country, how can you let him into the mansion so openly? Don't even think about it! Tomorrow the whole court will be filled with impeachment memorials against us!"

Marquis Changning, who was enjoying himself and being gentle just now, now became angry!

"What's wrong? What's wrong with me having a drink with my drinking buddies? You don't let me do this or that, so I'm not your father anymore. I think you are my father!"

Unexpectedly, the louder the voice of Marquis Changning was, the louder the voice of Wei Hua became.

"Dad! What nonsense are you talking about!" Wei Hua was furious, and his tone was getting more and more out of control. "If it was just an ordinary drinking buddy, when would I have stopped you? But who is Fan Xian? He is an envoy representing Nanqing! Even if it's not for yourself, for the sake of this family and everyone in the mansion, you can't act so willfully!"

He did not mention the smuggling issue. The matter had already been discussed and settled, and it would be inappropriate for him to hastily persuade his father to change it. The quarrel now was more of a venting of dissatisfaction.

It would have been fine if Wei Hua didn't scold him, but when he spoke in a harsh tone, the old marquis started to cry: "What do you mean by willful or not? Ever since the day your aunt became the Queen Mother, I have no more fun! They said that for the sake of the royal family's reputation, everything must be done in accordance with the rules and set an example for the ministers. I no longer have freedom!"

"Look at this mansion!" His body softened, but he still held the wine glass tightly. "In all these years, who has ever come to visit me? Finally, my brother Fan came, and you are still here to talk nonsense. Why don't you just let me go down and compensate your mother!"

This series of words made Wei Hua's face turn as black as charcoal.

Good fellow! With just a few words, he gave Fan Xian a very high status!

After his anger subsided, he was helpless. His father was indeed useless because of his status. Although he was the Queen Mother's brother, he could not serve as an official in the court. He was depressed and could not vent his anger. He could understand that. Now he even brought up his deceased mother. What else could he say?

He sighed and asked, "Have you decided to change people regarding the smuggling matter?"

The Marquis of Changning was no longer soft-hearted, and quickly responded, "I heard that it was the intention of His Majesty in the palace!"

Wei Hua was shocked. What does His Majesty mean? Does that mean the Queen Mother also knows?

Seeing that there was nothing unusual about my father, I thought that he would not pursue the matter too much, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, what should we do with Uncle Shen?"

Facing his son's questioning, the old marquis showed a rare shrewd look: "What Uncle Shen! Now you have to call him Shen Zhong!"

He lowered his voice and said, "If he is smart, he will give up the Cui family and cooperate with Fan Xian! Regardless of whether Fan Xian wins or loses the battle with the Princess's forces when he returns to Nanqing Kyoto, he will not be able to make any other choices as long as he follows the wishes of our court!"

"I heard that the one who is in charge of all this is the new national master!" He looked around and said mysteriously.

Wei Hua sighed again and understood.

Based on his understanding of Uncle Shen and Shen Zhong, if it is beneficial to the country, he will do whatever he wants, which makes outsiders think he is very arrogant.

In fact, no one gained much from that smuggling operation.

The biggest benefit was given to the Princess of Nanqing. His mind was also very easy to understand. He wanted to secretly develop the Princes to whom the Princess of Qing belonged and who cooperated with her. This force might be able to destroy Qing from within in the future!

Emperor Qing's princes are no better than he is. If Northern Qi had chosen a different opponent, instead of having to face the terrifying Emperor Qing, I believe everyone would applaud!

This is also the reason why I did not report it to the Queen Mother and His Majesty - because there is not much money to be handed over. If this matter is raised by the court, this series of people will also be charged with corruption and aiding the enemy.

"So Master Li An is interested in this money?"

Marquis Changning silently picked up the wine glass and started drinking by himself. This was how it seemed to him.

Who doesn't know that he loves money the most? Now he doesn't do divination or fortune-telling, but he has set his sights on smuggling!

"Everyone has to eat!"

······

On the second day, Fan Xian, who was still in the delegation, received the letter.

Shen Zhong agreed to meet with Fan Xian in private to discuss the smuggling issue. He didn't know that the two people in the palace already knew about it and were thinking of making something of it.

Besides, what if the palace knew about it?

I have no shame in being in the presence of heaven and earth!

The time for the two to meet was set for today...

Chapter 150: The escapade in the backyard of the brothel! (K word)

Chapter 150: The escapades in the backyard of the brothel! (3.1K words)

The wages of avarice is death.

Fan Xian was not involved. All he wanted was to severely damage the financial power of the eldest princess and the prince behind her.

In the carriage, Wang Qinian looked thoughtfully at the dozing Lord Fan Xian, and could not help but marvel at him. Not to mention that Lord Fan Xian knew so much at such a young age, he was born into a wealthy family, and he has been doing well in Beijing for only two years. Now he is even here in Qi State as an envoy to "gild himself", and now he has even arranged for smuggling!

Fortunately, I saw that the adults were kind-hearted and gave a lot, so I stood on this side in time.

Aren’t the good days in the future coming?

Now let’s see what the woman at home has to say!

"How long are you going to watch?" Fan Xian opened his eyes, stretched lazily in the carriage, and secretly sighed that the wine he brought to Changning Marquis Mansion yesterday had a really strong aftertaste!

It must be around 50 degrees!

I'm still dizzy now! Fortunately, the place we're going to is a teahouse.

Only then did Wang Qinian look away and smile awkwardly.

"How long until we arrive?"

"Don't worry, sir. We still have half an incense stick of time to go."

Fan Xian was full of boredom, and said, "It's strange that you are so serious. To discuss these things, you don't find a hidden place, but go to a teahouse in the center of the city to discuss it! Not to mention going to the suburbs, even if it's in his own house, it's fine!"

"Your Excellency is right!" Wang Qinian was also surprised and could only agree with Fan Xian's words.

Yesterday's visit to Changning Hou had already been filed with the delegation. As for what the people in Kyoto thought, that was not something Fan Xian could decide. In his opinion, the people in the court at home just thought that there was some other deeper meaning behind his visit.

"What should I do next? Do you want to find some help?"

Fan Xian waved his hand. Wang Qinian didn't know the inside story yet, and he didn't intend to let him get too involved in this matter.

Of course, he also understood who the people Wang Qinian was referring to were.

"You just need to stand guard outside later." He twisted his stiff neck and said, "As for those secret agents, there's no need to bother them. Otherwise, they will be exposed because of these trivial matters."

Wang Qinian agreed, then got out of the carriage, changed the coachman, and drove the carriage himself.

The previous coachman let him go back to the delegation first.

In the center of the city, in a courtyard room.

The sun was shining in, illuminating the face of this commander whom I met for the second time. I don't know what he has been through during this period, his face looks even more vicissitudes.

Today he was dressed like a rich man, and looked like a wealthy man in the city. Although he didn't look very detailed, his expressions and movements were so lifelike that he could fool countless people in the city.

The Jinyiwei who was in charge of leading the way retreated. Fan Xian also waved his hand, and Gaoda clasped his fists and retreated to guard outside the private room.

"Master Shen, we meet again!"

Fan Xian's ears twitched slightly and he said, "This isn't the teahouse we agreed on. From the sound, it must be the backyard of a brothel!"

When the carriage was about to arrive at the teahouse, the Jinyiwei appeared on the shaft of the carriage and turned around to come here. Obviously, this was not a sudden decision, but a long-term plan.

"Master Fan, please don't be angry." Shen Zhong laughed without any apology. "This is also for your consideration. It can be regarded as my occupational disease. It's better to be careful!"

The smile on Fan Xian's face froze. The disguise and the change of location made him, as the Commissioner of the Supervisory Council, seem unprofessional!

"Seeing you again, Master Fan, today really makes me sigh that time never spares anyone."