648 An Opening

During the day, it briefly rained a number of times, stopping and starting periodically. After evening fell, there was even a small puddle on the streets and alleys of Jingdou. There was a wetness that made one feel an irritating stickiness. Inside the chaotic garden in Xinhuai Alley, the vegetation grew wildly like a man's great ambitions. It also collected a great deal of rainwater in the grassy hollows and blossoms of flowers like urns of alluring honey water.

He Zongwei stood silently with his back toward the study. He looked at the rain-washed garden. The viscous honey gradually dissolved in his heart. He knew that his plan was marvelous, but it was also very dangerous. Any slip up and there was no hope of reprieve.

Fan Xian was not easy to kill. What scared He Zongwei more was that during these six years of interaction with Fan Xian, he could always see a glimmer of cold enjoyment of murder in the young official's eyes.

As the Imperial Censor of the Left, as well as a scholar of the Hall of Governmental Affairs, without the Emperor's personal edict, the Overwatch Council could not touch him. Opposing Fan Xian in court had drawn countless officials to his door, but he appeared grand. Probably only he knew that he was actually walking toward death. His situation was truly precarious.

If the situation in court continued, He Zongwei's core would still lean toward the Imperial Censorate in using it to counterbalance the Overwatch Council. Once the Emperor was gone, could this situation be maintained?

Regardless of whether it was the Third Prince who sat on the throne of some other shocking change, it made no difference to He Zongwei. It would be a matter of being brought down sooner or later, as well as a difference in how much he would be beaten down.

He Zongwei had no solution for this situation. He could only endure step by step. Even if he endured it until he was the head scholar of the Hall of Governmental Affairs, the person he had to face was the person on the throne. What power could he have?

He had tried to find an opportunity to get close to the Third Prince in the depths of the palace, to seek out his greatest support for the second half of his life. Any attempt by him these three years had all been severed by an unknown power just as he was nearing the inner palace. It was these failures that made him discover with terror just how much power Fan Xian held in his hands. His influence in the Royal Palace was far more terrifying than anyone imagined.

Because he was afraid and knew his future was not very bright, there was all the more reason for He Zongwei to stand against Fan Xian. Particularly after the Emperor personally appointed a marriage in an attempt to warm the relationship between his two favorite officials, which was rejected by Fan Xian with unusual firmness, He Zongwei knew, despite his disappointment, there was no other path for him to take.

Perhaps the Emperor was just a bit angry, but He Zongwei was terrified from his core. Although the Emperor was Fan Xian's father, his understanding of Fan Xian was not as deep as He Zongwei's. An old saying said it well: Often the person who knew you best was not your family or friends. It was your enemy.

He Zongwei knew Fan Xian would not let him go. He would not be like the Emperor and truly think Fan Xian was a pure and isolated official who did everything with the interest of the Qing Kingdom in mind. In his opinion, Fan Xian was a strange man who would forever put his likes and dislikes first.

It had to be said, He Zongwei's judgment of Fan Xian was correct.

There was no bitter resentment in He Zongwei's eyes, there was only a faint self-mockery and iciness. He left the chaotic garden and returned to the study. The decorations in the study were relatively simple, but the bookshelves to either side were piled with many books and accounts.

He walked to the bookshelves and thought deeply for a moment before pulling out a slim volume from an unremarkable place. He then sat by the table and began to check it over intently.

This volume had been compiled after the Jingdou rebellion by the Board of Rites and internal court. It was a list of names of those who had died for their country during the Dong Mountain incident. He Zongwei managed the Imperial Censorate and had the Emperor's trust, so he had obtained this list a long time ago. He had read it countless times in his quiet study.

Page 3 and page 42 were the most worn through. It seemed these were the pages he flipped to the most often. Those two pages held the names of the 100 Tiger Guards who gave their life for their country, as well as those of the Overwatch Council who died at Dong Mountain, respectively. There were two names that stood out in particular: Gao Da and Wang Qinian.

Regardless of whether it was this small volume, the final list that was sealed by the Board of Rites, the request for recognition report filed by the Overwatch Council, or the final check by the internal court, they all determined these two people to be dead.

He Zongwei did not believe it. Even though he checked the collected bodies from Dong Mountain and confirmed that there were these two people, he still did not believe. These tricks could easily be achieved by the Overwatch Council.

He Zongwei understood Fan Xian better than the Emperor. It was some minute details throughout these years that made him develop this suspicion. Gao Da and Wang Qinian were definitely Fan Xian's close confidants. They shouldn't have died so silently. In the Emperor's eyes, these were two unremarkable figures. In He Zongwei's opinion, they had their importance.

He had also been secretly keeping an eye on Fan Xian, watching his every move. This included Fan Xian taking Fan Ruoruo and officials of the Overwatch Council to the graves a few days ago. Shortly after this, he heard about it and personally made a visit to investigate.

Fan Xian went to the memorial garden and was just as calm as usual. Most importantly, Fan Xian did not purposely stop or burn paper money in front of the graves with the names Wang Qinian and Gao Da.

Fan Xian was an official who protected his own and looked after his subordinates. Particularly for these deceased trusted aides, logically speaking, they should not be treated like this.

The last reason that caused He Zongwei to make up his mind and decide that these two had not time was another small detail. After he began to grow suspicious, he used the power of the Imperial Censorate to quietly investigate the matter of compensation. Gao Da never married nor had children. Death ended everything for him. Wang Qinian, the head of the Overwatch Council stationed in Northern Qi, had a wife, daughter, and family. Each year, the Overwatch Council paid out the compensation, but no one knew who collected it. After Wang Qinian's death, his entire family was said to have moved back to their hometown. However, no one could find the whereabouts of his family in his hometown.

If Wang Qinian had truly died, Fan Xian would certainly take responsibility for his family. Given his personality, he would not allow Wang Qinian's widow and daughter to drift about in hardship.

Wang Qinian didn't die so naturally. Gao Da also didn't die. Why would the bodies of two people who didn't die be at Dong Mountain? Why was the Overwatch Council helping them hide this? On Dong Mountain, a hundred Tiger Guards spilled their hot blood to block sharp swords. Gao Da was among them, so why didn't he die? Perhaps he escaped during it? Before the incident, Wang Qinian was at the summit by the Emperor's side. If he didn't die, why was there no trace of him afterward? Perhaps he had already run away when the Emperor sank into danger?

He Zongwei slowly put down the volume. A small smile rose to the corners of his lips. The subordinates Fan Xian trained were quite incredible and did indeed have his style at crucial moments. They ran faster than anyone at vital moments and considered themselves more important than anyone else.

This was a great crime of lying to one's Emperor. This crime was punishable by death by a thousand cuts. He Zongwei understood the Emperor's personality well. As long as someone betrayed him, or if an official put their life ahead of the Emperor's safety, he would fly into a thunderous rage with anger carved deep into his heart.

There were many people lying to the Emperor. If Wang Qinian and Gao Da were captured and brought back, they could not escape death. What about the Overwatch Council? What about Fan Xian?

He Zongwei took a deep breath. His young but tired face immediately appeared angrier with an air of harshness.

When it came to Fan Xian, there was nowhere he could find to strike. He could only wait for that miserable day in the future unless he could provoke the relationship between the Emperor and Fan Xian before the Emperor died.

In order to shake the relationship between a father and son, one needed to use intentions. This rather illusory and intangible method, and the crime of lying to an Emperor, was a devastating thing.

When all was said and done, this was probably Fan Xian's only weakness. He was too overly sentimental. If he had killed Gao Da and Wang Qinian, the matters now would not exist. He Zongwei thought of this and involuntarily shook his head with a smile. Immediately after, he lowered his head and gently knocked on the teacup on the table, making a clinking sound.

Before long, two people walked in. One of them was about 30 years old and wore a respectful expression on his face. Looking at this man's features, he bore some resemblance to He Zongwei. The other's person's age was almost at half a century, yet he still wore the clothing of a scholar.

"Wang Qinian. Gao Da," He Zongwei said directly without anything extra. "You've investigated these two people for over a year, have you or have you not found anything."

The man who looked somewhat like He Zongwei was actually one of his distant cousins. His voice was a bit raspy as he replied, "There were some faint leads. With the Overwatch Council, even if they let you scent something, you won't be able to catch up. Everything stopped three years ago. Even if these two people still communicate secretly with the Overwatch Council, it's probably somewhere we can't touch."

He Zongwei furrowed his brows and nodded. He knew that given the Overwatch Council's power, regardless of whether it was Director Chen who personally arranged for it or Fan Xian, these officials of the court would have no chance of lifting up that piece of metal. Unless, he secretly ordered the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court to spread their nets across the world. But, this matter had to be done secretly. There were spies of the Overwatch Council hidden in the Ministry of Justice and Supreme Court.

If his actions alerted Fan Xian and he blocked up this opening or acted ruthlessly out of a sinister anger, neither were things He Zongwei wanted to see.

"Sir, we can't find out anything about this alone. The bodies on Dong Mountain had been checked. Although we don't know how the Overwatch Council did it, the number of people and the names match perfectly. Furthermore, there was a fire on the mountain at the time. With the faces so burned, it is impossible to point out any problems."

The slightly older scholar still did not speak. The person speaking was still He Zongwei's distant cousin. He had only started working with He Zongwei recently. His personality and actions were both cautious. He was already He Zongwei's trusted aide and confidant, which was why he had been given the task of investigating this important matter. He also spoke straightforwardly.

"During the Jingdou rebellion, the Northern Expedition Army just happened to surround the mountain. At least a few thousand people died in that one move. It would not be difficult for the Overwatch Council to do a little trickery and move two bodies." He Zongwei lowered his head and furrowed his brows. "Even if there was a fire on the mountain paths, what about the summit? Although the might of the Grandmasters' battle was great, not many people died in front of the ancient temple. Didn't Official Ren and the official of the Board of Rights survive just fine? Why did Wang Qinian die? Did he die at the summit or on the road down the mountain? If his body had not been burned, something strange can certainly be found."

"But it's already been three years. The bodies and bones have long turned to dust. They say the person buried in the grave is Wang Qinian, then we must admit that it is Wang Qinian." The moment the scholar spoke, he went for the jugular. "Continuing to investigate what happened a few years ago is too difficult. A problem will never be found. If you really want to open up a path from this direction, I think it is more important to the living Wang Qinian and Gao Da."

He Zongwei sank into silence. He knew that his strategist's suggestion was correct. If Gao Da and Wang Qinian were hiding in Dongyi or Northern Qi under different names, who could dig out these two living people?

"You can leave." He Zongwei raised his head and said evenly to his cousin. "This matter concerns the face of the court. Do everything carefully."

He had already made a place for himself for three years in the backbone of the court and gathered some power in his hands. In particular, the Emperor, who helped him in secret. Compared to Fan Xian, he was still inferior. This cousin of his was the foremost choice for helping He Zongwei do things that could not see the light of day.

It was not untrue that the He manor was honest and uncorrupted. For He Zongwei to make a place for himself in court, to keep his large group of subordinates who followed him loyally, he still needed silver. His cousin was the person who handled these matters.

There were just He Zongwei and the elderly strategist left in the study. It seemed rather quiet. After a moment of silence, He Zongwei said, "If we can actually bring back the living Wang Qinian and Gao Da back to Jingdou, what do you think will happen?"

"Sir Fan junior will want to protect them." The strategist lowered his head. "Given the Emperor's personality, if the matter does not blow up, he might give Sir Fan junior this face and sweep everything under the rug."

"You mean… Even if these two people have committed the crime of lying to an Emperor, the Emperor would still let them off?" He Zongwei asked in a cold voice. An icy light appeared in his eyes as a complicated emotion rose in his heart. If the Emperor was so generous as to be willing to let go of those two people, then what was the purpose of him busily doing all this?

"Most importantly, it depends what price Sir Fan junior is willing to pay for these two subordinates," the strategist said with a bitter smile. "Everyone knows Sir Fan junior treats his subordinates well. If he truly turns face and insists on protecting these two, what will the Emperor do? Will he kill him? Sir, don't forget, Sir Fan junior is, in the end, the Emperor's own son."

"Own son?" He Zongwei closed his eyes slowly. "The Crown Prince and the Second Prince were both the Emperor's own sons."

"That's true. However, the Crown Prince and Second Prince did not help the Emperor take down Dongyi without a single soldier or a drop of blood." When the strategist spoke of the Second Prince, his voice trembled. Immediately after, he said quietly, "The Emperor is generous enough to exchange a piece of territory for the lives of two subordinates."

"Of course," the strategist said lightly as he glanced at the disappointed He Zongwei, "even if we cannot force the Emperor to turn against Sir Fan junior, we can at least plant a thorn in the Emperor's heart."

He Zongwei shook his head. He opened his eyes and stared fixedly at the strategist in front of him. "Fan Wujiu, you were once one of the Second Prince's eight generals. Your hair turned white in one night because of the Second Prince's death and only then turned to me. The two of us have the same goal. You know that if Fan Xian does not die, then I will die. If you want to avenge the Second Prince, you have to understand that a single thorn is far from enough."

During the Second Prince and Fan Xian's chaotic battle in Jingdou, the eight generals were practically all killed and injured. However, Fan Wujiu had seen Fan Xian could not be stopped long ago. After pleading with the Second Prince to no avail, he had sadly gone far away.

Unexpectedly, after many years, the Second Prince committed suicide through poison. Fan Wujiu had returned to Jingdou again and pledged himself to He Zongwei, focused single-mindedly on avenging the Second Prince.

Fan Wujiu was silent for a long time. He then said, "If we are to make a big deal out of this, we cannot act secretly. We must do it so that everyone in court knows about it. The Emperor is someone who values face greatly. No matter how much power Sir Fan junior has, he will still be unable to hold back the killing knife in the Emperor's hand."

"If the Emperor actually killed Wang Qinian and Gao Da this time, I am very curious as to what Fan Xian would do,'" He Zongwei said with a slight smile. "Other than the Emperor and internal court, I cannot think of anyone else who would be able to find these two people under the Overwatch Council's protection in the ocean of humanity."

"There is another problem." Fan Wujiu calmly looked into He Zongwei's eyes. "If you want to secretly report to the Emperor, you will probably be taking a great risk."

"Oh, why's that?" He Zongwei asked indifferently, without any trace of panic.

"You don't have any true evidence at hand. You only have some guesses and analysis. Of course, such guesses and analysis should be enough to have the Emperor begin to suspect…" Fan Wujiu glanced at him again. "The Emperor should begin to suspect Sir Fan junior, but he will also begin to suspect you."

"I am wholly loyal to the court and Emperor. Why would the Emperor suspect me?" He Zongwei pressed his lips together tightly and asked quietly.

"The Emperor will suspect that you are personally provoking the father and son relationship between him and Sir Fan junior."

After a long silence, He Zongwei quietly said, "If the Emperor really does suspect me and no longer protects me, how do you think things will end for me?"

"If the Emperor does not like a person, there are many ways for him to deal with it. I think that in three years, the Emperor will find an excuse and have you leave the court in Jingdou and be sent to a faraway place to take up a position there. For the rest of your life, you will fade into obscurity," Fan Wujiu said calmly.

He Zongwei smiled bitterly and sighed. His eyes were filled with a calm determination. "If I take action, I face the possibility of falling into obscurity. If I don't take action, I will die a horrible death. Which would you choose?"

He gazed at Fan Wujiu with a slight smile and said, "I choose the former because I can at least live on. If Fan Xian truly turns against the Emperor, it will be very difficult for him to survive."

Fan Wujiu blinked. His white hair appeared particularly dazzling in the dark study. Faintly, he said, "You seem to feel resentment against the Emperor in your heart."

He Zongwei's expression did not change, but the emotions in his heart were in turmoil. He felt boundless gratitude toward the Emperor but also boundless hatred. If the Emperor had not raised him to contend against Fan Xian, he would not be constantly living in a precarious state and worried about meeting a tragic end.

"Back then, the Second Prince was actually in a similar position as you are now," Fan Wujiu consoled him quietly with a dim smile. "You must learn from the Second Prince and maintain a loyal heart to the Emperor. If Wang Qinian and Gao Da are actually found, perhaps the Emperor will not suspect you, and it will be Fan Xian who is met with an unfortunate end."

"I have always been wholly loyal to the Emperor," He Zongwei replied calmly. He lightly swept a gaze over Fan Wujiu. He knew what he was probing for. In order to avenge the Second Prince, Fan Xian was one of Fan Wujiu's targets. That heartless and cold-blooded Emperor also could not escape Fan Wujiu's eyes.

He Zongwei mockingly said, "A person must know where their strengths lie. Defeating Fan Xian is almost beyond our abilities. As for those lofty figures above the clouds, it is best to not even think about it. That will end in deaths."