Joy of Life: I'm really not a saint

Shen Zhong sighed and said, "You are so young, yet you have become the Director of the Southern Dynasty Supervisory Council. You are really young and capable! But there is one thing I don't know. Please enlighten me, Master Fan."

"Oh? Lord Shen, just speak frankly."

"Thank you very much, Lord Fan!" Shen Zhong considered his tone, even though this was a bit harsh for him, because he didn't need to be like this to too many people on weekdays. "I just don't understand. With Lord Fan's literary reputation, he could have taken over the financial power of the inner treasury smoothly one day. How could he enter the Southern Dynasty Supervisory Council and do the work of a sewer rat like us?"

In fact, what really confused him was what the old man in Chen Garden and the emperor in the palace were thinking.

Why would they agree to let this extremely young person hold two positions at the same time, two very important positions?

Fan Xian didn't understand what was going on, so he just responded casually, "I was forced to do so by the situation. I just wanted to make a living."

In fact, Shen Zhong had had his first encounter with Fan Xian when he returned to Kyoto. At that time, he learned about Fan Xian's background from the many people who accompanied him, and he did not think highly of this fellow from the Southern Dynasty.

However, shortly after arriving in Kyoto, he met with His Majesty and asked His Majesty to agree to release the people. I don’t know how he convinced him!

And today, he wanted to talk to me about smuggling.

He thought that since Chen Pingping, who even frightened him, had strongly recommended him, the person in front of him must have talents that he had not discovered.

He smiled and said, "Master Fan is so lucky! To be honest, although we are in the same business, I am full of envy for my colleagues in your country!"

Seeing that Fan Xian had some doubts, he then slowly began to explain: "In Northern Qi, the Jinyiwei were feared by all officials and were very powerful. But they were feared by the ministers and disliked by His Majesty. Naturally, there was not much trust in them!"

"And what about your country?"

"As far as I know, Chen Pingping is second only to the emperor. Although he is lame, he is very trusted by the emperor. Not to mention that you, Lord Fan, are so young and yet you hold such an important position!"

Although these words spoke well of Emperor Qing and were suspected of criticizing the Emperor of Northern Qi, everyone present was smart and did not expect anyone to leak them. He had already taken the lead in handing over the "handle", which was considered to be full of sincerity.

Hearing the sound of the piano, you can understand the elegant meaning.

Fan Xian chuckled and asked, "Who is this?"

Having said that, he turned his gaze to the figure that had been sitting behind Shen Zhong for a long time.

Shen Zhong waved his hand, and the two Jinyiwei standing in the room walked out one after another. These were masters who were protecting Shen Zhong, and they were all top figures among the Jinyiwei.

Shen Zhong raised his hand and introduced solemnly: "This is the second son of the Cui family in Jiangnan, Qing State - Cui Ye!"

Fan Xian's eyebrows were raised, holding back his anger, and asked angrily in a deep voice: "I wonder what your Excellency means?"

He looked at Shen Zhong, as if trying to discern something from his expression.

What? I asked you to come here today to discuss business, and you arranged your competitor here? What kind of starvation marketing is this?

"That's not what Lord Shen meant."

Cui Ye smiled gently and said slowly, "I have heard about Master Fan's elegance for a long time, but I have lived in Shangjing, Northern Qi, and have never had the chance to see him in person. Today, seeing this rare opportunity, I begged Master Shen to bring me along to participate in this grand event!"

Fan Xian laughed out of anger.

It doesn’t matter at all whether this little jerk named Cui asked to come here on his own initiative.

Shen Zhong should understand that the eldest princess is behind the Cui family, and he and the eldest princess are not on good terms. He knew this and did it, and now he is using this person as a bargaining chip to negotiate with him. It is self-evident what he is thinking.

Ignoring the smiling Cui Ye, Fan Xian stared at Shen Zhong angrily, waiting for his final explanation.

Seeing that he was ignored by Fan Xian, Cui Ye's face was also stiff. After all, he was young and not very cunning, so everything showed on his face.

Seeing that the situation was as expected, Shen Zhong no longer concealed it: "Tell the truth, I have already heard the Marquis's suggestion from Lord Fan. We all want to 'get rich', what conditions can Lord Fan offer? I am stuck in the middle, it is not easy to have it both ways, so why not let both of you come here and talk it out!"

Fan Xian no longer had any interest in talking, but he was still grateful for what he had gained from this trip.

He sneered: "Master Cui is indeed very capable!"

"Not even one tenth as good as Master Fan."

Cui Ye said modestly, but the following words made him even more embarrassed.

"We are both from Qing country, but you are willing to be a knife for others. I really admire you!" Fan Xian kept talking. Without waiting for Cui Ye to refute, he continued, "Perhaps you have forgotten my identity. I am the Director of the Supervisory Council. I am not afraid of your so-called aristocratic families! I will report today's events to His Majesty truthfully!"

Cui Ye's expression changed drastically after hearing these words, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't expect that Fan Xian would then overturn the table.

"One more thing. After I return to Qing Kingdom and take over the Imperial Merchants, even though your Cui family is far away in Jiangnan, you don't have to think about the business between the two countries anymore! As for other businesses, hehe."

Cui Ye then completely remembered the identity of the person in front of him:

The Supervisory Yuan is responsible for supervising the country.

He was appointed as the person in charge of the inner treasury's financial power and did business all over the world!

As for what Fan Xian didn't finish saying, it was obvious that he was in big trouble! This trip was his own idea. Even if the princess was not on good terms with Fan Xian, as his backer, she would not protect him at this special time.

Besides, Fan Xian is about to become the eldest princess' son-in-law!

Who knows what this family is thinking? Don't let them shake hands and make peace, love each other as a family, and I will become an outsider!

At that time, I and the Cui family could be abandoned immediately - because they are no longer valuable!

When Fan Xian left the room without stopping, the heavy sound of the door slamming was heard, which woke Cui Ye up from his thoughts.

The atmosphere was solemn at this time, with only the heartbeat remaining.

Shen Zhong was not surprised at Fan Xian's swift and decisive action; this was exactly the outcome he wanted.

"Mr. Cui, this Lord Fan is a little young and a little impatient. Compared to you, he is far inferior!"

Cui Ye's face was extremely ugly at this time!

His expression changed from gloomy to bright. The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Suddenly, he slammed the wooden table in front of him, making a loud bang that echoed in the slightly dim room.

The people outside were startled and tried to squeeze in with their knives drawn. As soon as they opened the door, they saw their masters waving at them to retreat, so they put away their knives and retreated.

Cui Ye looked at Shen Zhong with a look of resentment. His face turned pale and he screamed, "Shen Zhong, why did you hurt me like this!"

He looked at him in silence without making any response.

······

Chapter 151: Giving gifts is a science. (Updated)

After this unpleasant meeting, Fan Xian did not show much abnormality.

He didn't intend to settle everything at once.

Whenever I throw out bait, no matter it is water plants or broken shoes, I always hope to catch something.

Perhaps, this meeting seemed secretive, but in fact, it was all in the eyes of the young mother and son in the Northern Qi Palace. Shen Zhong naively thought that he had kept all of this a secret, but he didn't know that it would be difficult not to be noticed just by the long-term extravagant spending of the Marquis of Changning.

Perhaps, the Queen Mother was just watching and waiting.

Li An could not hide today's actions from others, and he would explain everything to the little emperor.

On the other hand, he also demonstrated his power. Whether it was the Supervisory Council in Qing or the soon-to-be-in-charge of the Internal Treasury, he was undoubtedly better than the Cui family in Jiangnan when it came to smuggling. Since the Cui family could be replaced and he was the best solution, the only person who needed to be replaced was Shen Zhong.

The ending was already determined when he brought Cui Ye to the scene!

What really made Fan Xian angry was the behavior of Cui Ye, who was also from Qing.

Smuggling was something that was not allowed to be discussed publicly. In order to suppress his opponent, he actually used himself as a bargaining chip and put a price tag on the things that were negotiated secretly. You know, they were all from Qing. No matter how they fought in the court, once they crossed the border, they all represented Qing. His actions only made outsiders laugh.

It is like a Chinese who started a company and tried every possible means to get investment from a Chinese who was living a good life, even selling all his core patents to suppress his competitors, just for that exclusive right. His company even engaged in illegal transactions.

This approach is very confusing.

But there is no doubt that in essence, this person is no different from a traitor!

The current situation is that the princess has been driven out of Kyoto, away from the core of power. Although she has followers who can control her secretly, it takes time for the information to be fed back, and the control is also discounted. And I will take over the Imperial Merchants of the Inner Treasury. Now that Shen Zhong has offended me, it is possible that a large amount of money will be cut off in Northern Qi. Here I am talking about the obvious.

"Qinian."

"What are your orders, sir?"

Wang Qinian jumped off the carriage and looked at Gaoda, who was traveling with the master, and what he got was a pair of wise eyes. He tried hard to suppress the roll of his eyes and prepared to do the job for the master.

He came out so quickly, something must be wrong.

"Drive back to the delegation first. Yan Bingyun needs to change the medicine today." Fan Xian jumped on the carriage, but did not enter the carriage. Instead, he sat at the shaft and waited for Wang Qinian to get up. "I need to trouble you with something later."

"Are you asking me to do it halfway?"

Wang Qinian also sat on the shaft of the carriage and asked softly.

"Good." As the carriage slowly started moving, Fan Xian took out his short dagger and started playing with it. Without even looking up, he said, "It's still a few days before the Northern Qi Queen Mother's birthday. We still need a gift, right? Think about it. What should we give her?"

Fan Xian did not send the gift as an envoy of the Kingdom of Qing, but wanted to send it as an individual.

I guess ordinary property should not be taken out, unless it can be carried on for a long time like smuggling, otherwise people will not take ordinary property seriously.

Since gifts of money and property are not an option, and I have announced to the public that I will no longer write poetry, it seems that the only thing I can do is give it to people!

Although he had an idea, Fan Xian still wanted to hear Wang Qinian's opinion.

"Master Yidao really asked the right person about this gift-giving!"

Wang Qinian smiled proudly. Although he loved money, he had plenty of experience in giving gifts to women.

He rolled his eyes and replied, "Ever since I went to the palace with its golden and jade tiles and dragon-carved pillars, I knew that it would be useless to give her any pearls or agates, unless the pearls were as big as a bowl! And the queen mother is not a warrior, so her magic weapons and martial arts principles are useless."

"Originally, it would be most appropriate to send you a birthday poem in honor of your literary talent, but now, I'm afraid that it will conflict with Mr. Li's."

Fan Xian was confused by what he heard, and looked a little surprised. He couldn't help but interrupt, "Why are you talking so much? Just tell me your conclusion!"

"Hey! Your Excellency, don't you understand yet?"

Wang Qinian smiled slyly and said, "After all, the Queen Mother of Northern Qi is a woman, a young, beautiful woman who has been widowed for many years! For a woman like her, the most lacking thing is a sense of security!"

Seeing that the words hit the point, Fan Xian nodded slightly and followed Wang Qinian's words and said, "Power!"

"I think you have figured out the key to this! Congratulations, sir! You are very smart!"

Wang Qinian did not take any credit for it and tried his best to pat Fan Xian's horse.

"Okay, okay!" Fan Xian combined the two people's ideas and came up with a solution.

The power of the Queen Mother and her son has reached the pinnacle, and their status can be said to be the most noble, but they still lack a sense of security. If it were an ordinary woman, she would lack a man to rely on, but for them, perhaps it is military power!

There was no other general in Northern Qi who could fight except Uesugi Tora.

But what is Uesugi Tiger's weakness?

Sean!

But now that Sean is in Li Ang's sight, what can he do?

Perhaps, as the eyes and ears of the court, the Jinyiwei, the lackeys and minions, is a worthy gift! Apart from Shen Zhong, whether it is smuggling or other things, it is a win-win result!

"I heard that Shen Zhong has a younger sister who is quite familiar with Yan Bingyun!"

"That's right!" Wang Qinian sorted out the intelligence he had recently received and responded, "When Lord Yan was still trapped in the enemy camp and seriously injured, it was thanks to the care of Miss Shen that he was able to survive until our arrival."

Fan Xian immediately had an idea. He ordered Wang Qinian to spread the news in the city, while he went back to the delegation to meet Yan Bingyun.

"Sir, I'll go do my work first!"

After Wang Qinian finished speaking, he disappeared from the carriage without making any move.

Fan Xian picked up the reins and returned to the inn at a leisurely pace.

He didn't see any officials from the diplomatic mission along the way, but there were still many people who came to challenge him. Fan Xian didn't stop, but walked to the room where Yan Bingyun was and knocked gently on the door.

"Please come in!"

A clear male voice was heard.

Fan Xian pushed the door open upon hearing the sound. Yan Bingyun in the room raised his eyebrows slightly upon seeing Fan Xian coming.

He sat on a chair in the middle hall, silently practicing Qigong to heal his wounds. His movements were very stiff, without any unnecessary movements.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "You and I are not outsiders. Why do you have to endure so much hardship in front of me?"

Yan Bingyun lived up to his name, without a trace of smile on his face. He was very clear about his position, that is, a subordinate. As Fan Xian's subordinate, there was naturally a hierarchy.

He said respectfully, "I am not feeling well right now, and I just want to recover as soon as possible so that I can help you finish the work. As for the slight pain, it's nothing!"

For the Qing people lurking behind enemy lines, the embassy's station was considered the territory of Qing, and it was like home. Therefore, Yan Bingyun had been unusually relaxed these days, but deep down in his heart, he still couldn't accept the court's move to exchange Xiao En for him!

He was touched, and later when he heard that Fan Xian had a secret mission, which was to kill Sean, he began to think about it.

How could such a heavy burden be borne by Fan Xian alone?

Chapter 152 I Want to Be a Good Person! (Second Update)

"The fact that I was able to come back alive was an accident, and more importantly, a mistake made by the government!"