Joy of Life

“Torrential river water? A flooding Yellow River?”

“Rise, you are now the true master of the Ming family. You don’t have to be so careful in front of me.”

Fan Xian took his measure of Ming Qingda with an amused gaze, and then picked up his bowl to slurp up more noodles to eat.

Ming Qingda had secretly come to Xinfeng Restaurant. He had been very careful to avoid the eyes and ears of everyone, and he also felt a bit nervous. After all, a sorrowful and angry atmosphere was building in Suzhou. All ten thousand of the Ming clan were watching this master. If others knew that he had come secretly to see the imperial envoy, he probably wouldn’t be the master for much longer.

However, although they had met today, the imperial envoy would still not say anything clearly. Ming Qingda found this to be a bit peculiar.

Fan Xian put down the bowl and thought for a bit before speaking. “There is no need to talk about anything else. I will only ask you, the Mr. Zhou you promised to give me, where is he now?”

Ming Qingda felt the chill and imposing force in the imperial envoy’s words and unconsciously lowered his head to explain himself.

“That person...I was not able to control him and let him out of the garden. This is my mistake. Please punish me.”

“Punish?” Fan Xian smiled self-mockingly. “Now that you’ve done this, how can I punish you?”

Ming Qingda sighed and said, “By this point, do you still not believe my sincerity?”

Fan Xian shook his head and said, “Last time in the courtyard of the palace treasury I already said you must hold the blow like a dragon spitting pearls, to reach with chopsticks like a phoenix bending its head, to eat until mostly full, and to pack away what is not finished...being a person is like eating a meal; the pose must be beautiful and you must know your limits.”

He stared at Ming Qingda’s eyes. “In our agreement, you sell the person to me and respond as necessary to the situation, but it did not involve the later content...you did not tell me about this matter and did it yourself. The current situation puts me in a very difficult position.”

Ming Qingda was quiet for a moment and then said quietly, “Matters are already like this. In order for the Ming family not to dissolve into smoke in my hands, some of the people obstructing ahead need to rest. I trust you will be able to understand.”

“Understanding is one matter. You acting on your own without my receiving my permission is another matter.” Fan Xian scolded. “Don’t think you can use the opportunity of my subordinates entering the garden to do as you wish and that this matter will be completely hidden. You have to know, I have paid too high a price for this matter. Right now, the entire Jiangnan is watching me...have a think about how you can fix this situation.”

Ming Qingda was silent. A moment later, he said, “This is my fault, I will think of a solution.”

Fan Xian nodded his head, but he actually did not particularly trust this ruthless and cunning old fox.

Ming Qingda saw that the imperial envoy’s expression had cleared a bit. Only then did he gather his courage to speak. “Sir...there were people in Ming Garden who surrounded and attacked the Overwatch Council officials, this matter has to be investigated.”

Hearing these words, Fan Xian couldn’t help but smile. Not only was this Ming master ruthless, but the thickness of his skin was actually comparable to his own. He sighed and said, “If these words were heard by outsiders, who knows how shocked they would be. The Master of the Ming family is actually urging the Overwatch Council to investigate Ming Garden.”

Ming Qingda smiled slightly and said, “If I don’t do so, how can I have you trust me?”

“Relax.” Fan Xian calmed down. “My identity and position are not the same as yours. You are unable to hand me Mr. Zhou, but I will still do what I promised you. I will deal with Sixth Ming; you won’t need to worry.”

“However...” he stared at Ming Qingda’s eyes and said in an imposing manner, “as I said earlier, you played me this time, and now everyone in Jiangnan wishes they could devour me. You have to think of a way to handle this matter, otherwise, you know the consequences.”

Ming Qingda bowed sincerely and accepted the order, then he carefully asked, “What about Fourth?”

Fan Xian was silent and did not answer his question.

Ming Qingda’s sighed and knew that the imperial envoy had to hold some information to use against him to feel at ease with allowing him to sit in the position as the head of the Ming family. Concerning the matter of the Fourth master being broken out of jail, the Overwatch Council had witnesses. They could throw it out any moment to have him killed.

Fan Xian gave him a not-quite-there smile. How could he bring out such a piece as the Fourth master right now? If they didn’t follow up the jailbreak matter, then there would be little use of for the Fourth master. If they did follow up with is, the Fourth master would only die, would it not be a waste for him to die like this?

“Right now, the emotions are still running high in your family. Don’t rush the matter of cleaning out the old matriarch’s trusted aides,” Fan Xian advised. He suddenly smiled and said, “In these matters, you are more experienced than me, my words are extra.”

Ming Qingda quickly replied respectfully, “It’s all thanks to your advice along the way.”

“Don’t lie.” The corner of Fan Xian’s mouth quirked up and he stopped him speaking. “The ferocity of the last method was not something I could have thought of.”

“Besides,” Fan Xian said in a quiet voice, “after the matter has cooled down, you need to arrange for the matter of Xia Qifei returning to the family.”

Ming Qingda suddenly raised his head. He looked at Fan Xian with a calm but complicated gaze. A moment later he faintly said, “You still don’t trust me.”

“In the future, don’t say so many pompous things,” Fan Xian said. “You know, and I also know, you don’t trust, so, I also don’t trust you. Xia Qifei is someone that I can truly trust. Each day that he doesn’t enter Ming Garden to discuss the matter, the agreement between us will not be considered made.”

The furrow between Ming Qingda’s brows appeared to grow even deeper. He took a deep breath and said, “When Qingcheng was young, he and I had disagreements. I’m afraid he hates me to the bone right now, but, I will follow your orders. I am willing to back down. However, the old matriarch just passed away...right now the emotions are high. Everyone knows that Qingcheng is your trusted aide. If I let him return home, I’m afraid I won’t be able to suppress the backlash of the tens of thousands of people in the clan.”

Fan Xian shook his head and said straightforwardly, “Look at the situation. Everyone in Jiangnan hates me. Do you think I care about the backlash from the tens of thousands of people from your clan? You created this situation, so you will have to settle the backlash. I only ask for results. As for the process, that is something for you to worry about.”

Ming Qingda’s face darkened slightly. “This matter...is truly rather difficult.”

“There is nothing difficult.” Fan Xian smiled mockingly and looked at him. “I have always had an appreciation for your methods. The old matriarch is about to be buried, and the Overwatch Council has no authority to investigate anything. However, I will have the grave constantly watched. It is better for it to be difficult for you than for it to be difficult for me. If I am truly put in a difficult situation that is impossible to endure, then you should face difficulties for your entire life.”

The Overwatch Council already had enough information to use against Ming Qingda. If he got any ideas again, before Fan Xian’s good days came to an end, Ming Qingda would have first died of a thousand wounds. With the situation as it was, Ming Qingda understood that although his crafty plan had allowed him to be the true Master of the Ming family, he had sat down right in a volcano, particularly that last move which he had hidden from the imperial envoy. Although it meant that the Overwatch Council would no longer be able to threaten the Ming family, it had also truly angered Fan Xian.

Toward this kind of naked threat, Ming Qingda knew he could only wholly accept it. He had done such an unfilial thing. Unexpectedly, in the end, it had all completely benefited the other party. He raised his head and looked at the imperial envoy, “Sir, that’s very calculating.”

Fan Xian was not angry at all and laughed heartily. “You like to calculate others, and now you think you have been calculated by me, so you feel unhappy. However, don’t think too highly of me. In this regard, I truly do not have much talent.”

His voice became cold. “Resilience comes from an absence of desire. You want too much, so you give me too many opportunities. As for things like calculation, I have always believed such things like schemes are never as straightforwardly terrifying as power. The calculation goes back and forth, and wastes precious life...Master Ming, in the future, you should do things more honestly and sincerely.”

Ming Qingda became silent.

“Go back now, there are still many things for you to deal with, such as the hatred the people in your clan feel for me that need to be comforted,” Fan Xian laughed coldly and said. “If there are plans in the future, I will send someone to inform you.”

He thought a bit and then advised, “I know you are afraid of that Junshang Conference...however, don’t fall out with them yet. I need the Ming family to have a position in it.”

Ming Qingda knew he had no other options; he could only agree to this for now. Rising, he went downstairs. His retreating figure became bent, revealing his age.

...

...

After Ming Qingda left, the leader of the Qinian Unit of the Overwatch Council, Deng Zi Yue, came out from behind the curtain. There was no way the shock could be hidden on his face. It was not until today that he learned the commissioner actually had so many secret agreements with the Master of the Ming family.

Following Fan Xian’s orders, he sat. Deng Zi Yue opened his mouth wide and was dazed for a while before he organized his thoughts clearly to say, “Unbelievable, truly unbelievable.”

Fan Xian couldn’t stop himself shaking his head. “What is unbelievable? Ming Qingda is a clever man. He knew this was the court’s intention. He could not hope to stand against the court. He only hoped to use a relatively peaceful method to protect some livelihood for the tens of thousands of people in the Ming family...and on this point, he and his mother had some irreconcilable differences. Under such circumstances, if he didn’t come to me, who else could he go to?”

“Of course, I still underestimated him.” Fan Xian sighed. “I didn’t expect his last move. In this way, the Jiangnan people are all watching us, and Xue Qing is also greatly shocked. Regardless of which way the court is leaning, there is no way we can continue with our coercion of the Ming family.”

“On one hand, he colluded with me to stabilize his position as the Master of the Ming family. On the other hand, he secretly acted ruthlessly and incited the emotions of the people under heaven to temporarily protect the Ming family’s interests. Ming Qingda indeed did not let me down.”

“However...there is one thing he didn’t account for...he uses me, but I also use him. The problem is that my confidence is much stronger than his, so in the end, he could still only be used by me.”

“Everyone miscalculated one thing,” Fan Xian explained seriously. “Including the things I said to Xue Qing, in reality, it was all to scare him...you all think I can sweep aside the Ming family at any time, but actually, this is impossible to do. Thus, I need to use Ming Qingda.”

Deng Zi Yue looked at the thoughtful commissioner in shock.

Fan Xian closed his eyes and then opened them a while later. He slowly said, “If the Ming family truly rebelled, what can I do? Actually mobilize the Black Knights to Suzhou to massacre the garden? True, that would wipe out all six branches of the Ming family and make the blood run like rivers and cover the wilderness in corpses, but...what good would that do for me?”

He smiled and shook his head. “After a period of solemnity, relying on the court’s power, we can claim Ming Garden was rebelling. Within half a year, it will make the entire Jiangnan region keep quiet out of fear. Not one person will dare to say anything. The court will successfully take over the Ming family’s enormous property and everything will be as the Emperor planned.”

His face became cold. “But, what good is that to me?”

Deng Zi Yue was silent, the commissioner had repeated twice “what good is that for me.” The commissioner unconsciously placed his plan and the Emperor’s plan against each other. This sent a slight chill through Deng Zi Yue’s heart, but he didn’t dare say anything.

He understood that if Ming Garden was massacred, it would create a horrifying crisis. Although the Emperor would acknowledge the Ming family’s framed rebellion, in order to pacify the hearts of the Jiangnan people, the Overwatch Council would certainly be severely punished and the commissioner would suffer harsh consequences.

To bring the Ming family into the national treasury on behalf of the court required him to give up his own interests...Fan Xian would not do such a stupid thing.

...

...

“This is why I wanted to find Xia Qifei at the start, then the Fourth master, and then finally Ming Qingda,” Fan Xian explained evenly. “The situation in Jiangnan appears to be very muddy, but it is actually clear. Xue Qing is the Emperor’s confidante and watching from the side, so I had make the waters a bit muddier.”

“To bring in the Ming family, it could only be done peacefully...” Fan Xian slightly lowered his eyelids. “If I am too aggressive, the Emperor could throw me out at any moment. You should understand this reasoning.”

Deng Zi Yue felt a chill in his heart. He was increasingly confused as to why the commissioner had to mention the Emperor repeatedly in front of him. He didn’t understand why the commissioner was telling him all these tabooed things.Was he testing him?

“The old Ming matriarch has always been one of the important figures in the Junshang Conference,” Fan Xian continued to say. “Each day she stays in position is another day for it to be impossible for the Ming family to be taken down peacefully by me. So her death, although it has brought me some trouble, speaking as a whole...I am willing to accept this result.”

Fan Xian gazed into Deng Zi Yue’s eyes and said quietly, “You’ve been beside me the whole time, of course you know...it has not been easy for me.”

Deng Zi Yue sighed in his heart and saluted wordlessly.

Fan Xian walked to the railing at the top floor of the restaurant. He narrowed his eyes and watched the pedestrians below wearing mourning and the incense shop in the distance working against the clock. He knew Suzhou was busy in the wake of that old woman’s death. Who knew how many noble and powerful figures had already gathered here waiting to worship in the mourning hall.

Deng Zi Yue followed behind him and looked at the scene below. He sighed and said, “There are too many ways to defeat the Ming family, the current situation...does not seem like the most optimal.”

Fan Xian replied calmly, “That is why we will have to get Ming Qingda back later for that trick he played on me.”

In today’s Jiangnan, with the strange death of the old Ming matriarch and Ming Qingda’s secret collusion with Fan Xian, the Ming family and Xinyang perhaps could still promise something on the surface, but in secret, they were very different from last year. While Fan Xian controlled Jiangnan, opening his hands, the palace treasury smuggling business was about to start with great fanfare. Without the Ming family holding them back, it would go much more smoothly.

In the end, the price that Fan Xian paid was nothing more than his illusory reputation. However, in his view, forcing the death of the old Ming matriarch and creating a slight disturbance in the people’s hearts, the Emperor was certain to find some reason to thoroughly scold him, but he was happy with this kind of reaping what is sown.

In reality, there was a lot of inside information that affected Fan Xian’s decision-making that he did not tell Deng Zi Yue. For example, he couldn’t mobilize the Black Knights because he feared the Emperor would throw him out.

Fan Xian clearly understood that it was already an anomaly to be such a young official as him that held such great power. Although the Emperor still very much trusted him right now, who knew when the Emperor would suddenly change his mind? Judging from the Emperor’s actions these years, he was a highly suspicious person, so he had always kept a severe gaze on him and strictly prevented him from having any relation to the military side.

Mobilize the Black Knights? Fan Xian smiled self-mockingly. He knew how many would be scared if he took such a ferocious action.

From the recent disturbance with the Ministry of Revenue in the capital, Fan Xian could see even more clearly that before the Emperor had made up his mind to clean out the Eldest Princess’ force. He had already begun to be vigilant about the existence of the Fan family. In Jingdou, the Emperor did not manage to use the matter of the Ministry of Revenue’s deficits to force his father down. If the Ming family matter became more troublesome, who knew whether or not the Emperor would take away his power?

The word “power” looked simple, but it was like a drug. Once consumed, it was difficult to break away from. Although Fan Xian was aware, he could not stand for the power in his hands to be decreased in any way. He was used to the benefits of power, but, for self-protection and to protect others, he needed the power he held.

To advance through retreat, he had to let his reputation take a hit for now

...

...

Deng Zi Yue followed beside him and lowered his voice. “The situation recently is rather tense. The Eight Bureau suggests perhaps you should go over with a few sticks of incense.”

Given Fan Xian’s identity as the imperial envoy, if he were to pay his respects to the old matriarch, it would clearly lighten the current situation.

But...Fan Xian only shook his head with a cold expression and said, “No need.”

Deng Zi Yue was slightly startled and did not understand why.

Fan Xian extended his hand and pointed to the city people with sorrow on their faces and said in a quiet voice, “In reality, the people’s hearts are not scary. What is scary are those who stand above the people and can use the people’s hearts...as long as I satisfy those people, what the people think will not impact the big picture.”