86: Chen Pingping secretly hides the Black Knight! Fan Xian assassinates Lin Gong at night!

Chapter 86: Chen Pingping's Secret Black Knights! Fan Xian Assassins Lin Gong at Night! (13, Please Subscribe!)

Li Chang'an never associated with court officials, and all the ministers knew that coming would only result in being turned away.

Although he and Fan Ruoruo were close, Fan Jian rarely came.

"Please, let them in."

Fan Jian and his son were led into the main hall, where Li Chang'an sat upright in his python robe.

Fan Jian wore a smile, but Fan Xian looked very uncomfortable, with a hint of wariness in his eyes.

"Your Highness Prince Yong, this official has come to thank you for saving my son's life."

Li Chang'an hadn't intentionally sent people to save Fan Xian, so he hadn't expected them to come and thank him.

Thinking back, Xing Yusen and Wang Qinian had each saved Fan Xian once.

Factually speaking, Prince Yong's Residence had indeed saved Fan Xian's life.

After Fan Jian finished speaking, he actually lifted his robes, intending to kneel, and the discomfort on Fan Xian's face became impossible to hide.

In truth, it was appropriate for him to come and thank Li Chang'an, and he had no psychological barrier to that.

But to come and then have to kneel, that truly made him feel awkward.

He had already knelt at the poetry gathering in front of so many people; not kneeling now would be inexcusable.

Li Chang'an gestured to Zhen Gang and Duan Shui, who were receiving the guests, and the two quickly helped Count Sinan up.

"Count Sinan is a pillar of the state; you may dispense with such a grand gesture."

Fan Xian watched as the two young eunuchs helped Fan Jian, with no intention of helping him, so he could only helplessly kneel down.

"This junior, Fan Xian, thanks Your Highness Prince Yong for saving his life."

Li Chang'an said with a smile, "Count Sinan and his son needn't be so polite. Just let Ruo Ruo come to visit more often in the future; there's no need for special thanks."

Fan Jian, who had just sat down, then realized that the person before him was still Li Chang'an, who had been trying to abduct his daughter for years.

The intention to abduct Fan Ruoruo hadn't changed, even after he traveled the Jianghu and took control of Dragon Guard Manor.

Fan Xian also instantly thought of the letters Li Chang'an had written to Fan Ruoruo when they were children. Now, Ruo Ruo wasn't close to Fan Xian, all because Li Chang'an had gotten a head start.

Fan Jian cupped his hands and said, "Ruo Ruo is a grown young lady now; it's not convenient for her to frequently visit Prince Yong's Residence."

Hearing Fan Jian's words, Li Chang'an said as if enlightened, "It is inconvenient. Now that Ruo Ruo has grown up, Your Majesty can be asked to bestow a marriage upon us."

"After we're married, she'll live in the Prince's Residence, so she won't have to keep running here from Sinan Count Manor. How inconvenient!"

Fan Jian's smile instantly froze on his face. Li Chang'an was truly straightforward.

In fact, Fan Jian knew that His Majesty trusted Li Chang'an precisely because of this.

Kneeling on the ground, Fan Xian heard Li Chang'an's words and felt that this Prince Yong was somewhat shameless, as if Ruo Ruo was born to be his Princess Consort.

Li Chang'an and Fan Jian chatted, while Fan Xian remained kneeling.

Fortunately, the two didn't discuss major court affairs, so they didn't have much to say. Soon, Fan Jian helped Fan Xian up, and they left.

As they left, Li Chang'an said with a smile, "Count Sinan and this nephew Xian, come visit more often in the future."

Li Chang'an's imperial concubine was a generation older than Liu Ruyu, so he always called Liu Ruyu 'Elder Sister.' Fan Sizhe even called Li Chang'an 'Uncle' when he was a child.

Li Chang'an's way of addressing them by seniority wasn't wrong, especially since Fan Xian was indeed Li Chang'an's actual nephew.

Fan Xian, however, didn't think so. Given Li Chang'an's intentions toward Fan Ruoruo, shouldn't he be the elder brother-in-law? How did his seniority become lower?

As soon as they stepped out, Fan Ruoruo and Fan Sizhe ran in.

They had originally come together, but because Fan Jian and Fan Xian had serious matters to discuss, they had entered first.

Upon seeing Li Chang'an, Fan Sizhe executed a smooth slide-kneel, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Yong!"

Then, without waiting for Li Chang'an's greeting, Fan Sizhe stood up on his own.

Fan Xian grimaced. He would definitely not come to Prince Yong's Residence often!

If he came often, he would have to kneel often!

Fan Ruoruo said to Fan Jian and Fan Xian, "Father, Fan Xian, you two go back first. Sizhe and I will have dinner before going home."

Fan Xian looked at the sun. It was less than half an hour past noon, yet Fan Ruoruo spoke as if it were already evening.

As Fan Jian and Fan Xian left, they heard Fan Ruoruo's words from afar, "Your Highness, four years ago, I already felt that Si Lili had ill intentions, and now it's finally revealed!"

Li Chang'an said solemnly, "Si Lili is indeed a bad woman; she should be given a good beating!"

Outside the Prince's Residence, Fan Jian said somewhat strangely, "Xian'er, why didn't you speak just now? Why did you kneel for so long?"

Fan Xian was a bit surprised to hear this. "His Highness Prince Yong didn't tell me to get up. How could I speak while kneeling?"

Fan Jian widened his eyes and said, "If you don't speak, how would His Highness know you want to get up?"

"You kept silent, and I even thought you intended to kneel for a long time to show your gratitude."

Fan Xian was truly speechless. It seemed he hadn't knelt enough and didn't realize there was an art to kneeling.

"Father, you've misunderstood!"

"My legs just went numb, and I couldn't get up!"

In Prince Yong's Residence, Fan Sizhe eagerly followed Gao Wuniang, learning the art of accounting and business.

Gao Wuniang was one of the few women in the Shadow Guard. She had an eighth-grade martial arts talent and an eighth-grade business talent, making her talents extremely rare.

She was discovered by Shen Wansan, studied with him for four years, and then went to Langya Mountain to further her intelligence gathering skills.

After completing her studies, according to Li Chang'an's request, Zhao Gao sent her to the capital.

Gao Wuniang was responsible for managing the Shadow Guard's payroll to prevent some commanders from siphoning off funds.

Currently, Fan Ruoruo was not deeply involved in Fan Xian's affairs, so her main energy was focused on studying music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Especially after Lin Wan'er gained fame for her poetry and chess, Fan Ruoruo felt a strong sense of urgency.

After dinner, the Fan Ruoruo siblings were sent off, and Jing Ni continued to report the interrupted intelligence.

"Your Highness, Chen Pingping is still at the Black Knights' camp in the Suburbs of the Capital and can return to the capital at any time."

The Supervisory Council's Black Knights were elite soldiers who had fought countless battles, with two iron rules: their number must not exceed a thousand, and they must never enter the capital.

"Jing Ni, how many of our people have infiltrated Shijiacun?"

Shijiacun, located at the border of Northern Qi and Eastern Yi, was originally called Yejiacun.

Shijiacun was a base built by Chen Pingping. This time, when Chen Pingping returned home, he had secretly visited this place.

Jing Ni replied, "Not yet. It must be Chen Pingping's staunch loyalists within the Supervisory Council who have a chance to be sent there."

"After Chen Pingping left, your subordinate dispatched three Peak eighth-grade undercover experts from various regions to investigate the situation in Shijiacun."

"Even so, they dared not delve too deep because the defenses there are extremely tight, similar to the Net base in Langya Mountain."

The Supervisory Council's Shijiacun and Zhao Gao's Net base in Langya Mountain both concentrated various covert protection methods.

It could be said that if Li Chang'an hadn't had foreknowledge, it would have been very difficult to find this place.

"Are there Black Knights hidden in Shijiacun?"

Jing Ni said, "Preliminary estimates suggest there are over three thousand, and all of them are Black Knights capable of fighting ten men each!"

"It's truly unexpected that the Director of the Supervisory Council of Qing Kingdom would secretly raise a private army!"

Chen Pingping secretly kept Black Knights, and Fan Jian raised assassins among the Tiger Guards. These two truly had skill, using Emperor Qing's money and grain to cultivate their own forces.

None of Fan Xian's fathers were easy to deal with; all were very capable.

Li Chang'an said with a smile, "Enough about Chen Pingping. How many troops does Zhao Gao currently control?"

Jing Ni replied, "The fifty thousand troops of Western Qin have all been brought under Master Zhao's control.

With the Wanshan Merchant Guild's funds and provisions, their combat strength is also gradually increasing."

"In fact, with the financial resources of the Wanshan Merchant Guild, Master Zhao could expand his army by at least three to five times, but that would definitely attract the attention of Northern Qi."

Without a Great Grandmaster, Western Qin could only be a vassal state of Northern Qi. Only countries with a Great Grandmaster could dominate a region.

"Let Zhao Gao and Shen Wansan first accumulate funds and provisions. Once this King breaks through to the Great Grandmaster realm, Western Qin can begin its rise."

Shen Wansan's wealth was growing increasingly abundant, and he might be targeted by Southern Qing or Northern Qi someday. Wealth in an imperial era, without the protection of power, was like a tree without roots.

Therefore, the headquarters of the Wanshan Merchant Guild had already moved to Western Qin, and Western Qin's military strength was the strongest protection for the guild.

Although Zhao Gao was brilliant in strategizing, he was not an expert in leading and raising troops.

When the System's next settlement comes, Li Chang'an plans to summon a renowned general from history to command Western Qin's army.

To secure a place in this world, power and wealth are only supplementary; martial arts are the foundation.

Therefore, breaking through to the Great Grandmaster realm was Li Chang'an's most urgent goal... Fan Xian, upon leaving Prince Yong's Residence, headed straight for the Supervisory Council.

Fan Xian received the support of Yan Ruohai, and the Supervisory Council quickly cleared a hall for him, which served as his office.

Fan Xian and Zong Zhui sat opposite each other. Zong Zhui was the person Fan Xian trusted most after Old Zhang and Old Zhao.

"Sir, Ruo Wei revealed Lin Gong's name, but she absolutely refuses to publicly identify Lin Gong?"

Lin Gong was the Crown Prince's retainer, which was known throughout the capital's officialdom.

The Crown Prince and The Eldest Princess's faction wielded immense power, and anyone who exposed Lin Gong could have their entire family wiped out—an event that almost happened.

Fan Xian truly didn't want to see Fang Daren's entire household massacred, so he transferred the risk of confessing Lin Gong to Ruo Wei.

Comparatively, Ruo Wei, in the Supervisory Council's dungeon, was much safer than Fang Daren, and Fan Xian could use his power to protect her.

"Yes, and Ruo Wei is a Northern Qi spy. Her testimony alone cannot bring Lin Gong to justice."

"Lin Gong is backed by the Crown Prince and The Eldest Princess. Even if Lin Gong confesses, can he receive the punishment he deserves?"

Zong Zhui asked tentatively, "Sir, have you ever considered that Lin Gong was also acting on someone else's orders, and the true mastermind behind your Assassination is someone else?"

As an old hand in the capital, Zong Zhui had seen too many Assassinations. The Second Prince had even attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince several times.

But how could such matters be thoroughly investigated? Once they reached a certain point, someone would always step in to obstruct them.

Trying to bring the true culprit to justice through overt legal means was simply several times harder than ascending to heaven.

Upon hearing Lin Gong's name, Fan Xian's expression turned resentful. "Even investigating to Lin Gong is so difficult now, let alone investigating further up."

"Cheng Jushu, who directly assassinated me, is already dead. Now that we've traced it to Lin Gong, Lin Gong must die!"

Zong Zhui then raised another concern, "Lin Gong and Princess Yichen have a close relationship; he has looked after her since childhood..."

"Once you kill Lin Gong, those behind Lin Gong will definitely tell Prime Minister Lin and Princess Yichen that you are the murderer."

Hearing of Princess Yichen, Fan Xian couldn't help but hesitate. If he personally killed Lin Gong, then he and Lin Wan'er would have no future together.

Although Lin Wan'er had explicitly said she was unwilling to marry him, His Majesty's intention to bestow the marriage still stood, and Fan Xian still had some confidence in himself.

However, the trouble caused by the bestowed marriage could not compare to the hatred for his two deceased guard brothers!

Lin Gong must be killed!

"Zong Zhui, if I kill Lin Gong and then flee the capital overnight, what would happen?"

Seeing Fan Xian's expression shift between light and shadow, Zong Zhui spoke from the heart, "I guess the Director and Count Sinan would definitely help you!"

"It's hard for you to seek revenge by killing Lin Gong through legal means, and it's equally hard for Prime Minister Lin to use legal means to capture and kill you!"

Hearing this, and thinking of Fan Jian's care for him over the past month, Fan Xian suddenly understood.

"Zong Zhui, I think... I also have quite a strong background."

Seeing Fan Xian catch on, Zong Zhui continued, "You are the Commissioner of the Supervisory Council. If you wait for the Director to return and cultivate you for a year or two, the power in your hands will be terrifyingly immense!"

"By then, even if you kill Lin Gong, you can still throw dirt on him and completely clear your own name!"

Fan Xian also knew that the Supervisory Council wielded immense power, and it was not impossible to seek revenge using such power.

"Zong Zhui, I'm impatient. I won't wait!"

In the Prime Minister's Residence.

Before the Niulan Street Assassination, Lin Wan'er had already left the Prime Minister's Residence and returned to the imperial villa.

After all, her identity was special, and the time she could spend visiting Lin Ruofu and her two brothers could not be too long.

Late at night, Fan Xian secretly arrived outside the Prime Minister's Residence.

His night-traveling attire concealed a large quantity of poison, a hidden crossbow was strapped to his wrist, and the dagger in his hand was coated with a lethal poison that sealed the throat upon drawing blood.

Fan Xian's Assassination skills and poison mastery were almost maxed out. He had replenished quite a bit at the Third Bureau in recent days, and stealth Assassination was his current strongest ability.

Fan Xian had already retrieved the structural blueprints of the Prime Minister's Residence from the Supervisory Council, so he was quite confident in this Assassination.

Fan Xian leaped into the courtyard from the back, then evaded the night patrol guards' sight, slowly making his way to the front courtyard.

He knew Lin Gong's room. He first swallowed an antidote pill, then threw a lit poison sachet through Lin Gong's window.

Afterward, he used his Overbearing True Qi to climb the wall, removed a roof tile, and peered inside.

Relying on his specially trained assassin's night vision, Fan Xian saw the situation in the room: more than a dozen people were sleeping in one room.

Lin Gong was sleeping on the bed, surrounded by guards sleeping on the floor.

It seemed Lin Gong had learned that Fan Xian's continuous interrogation of the courtesan might reveal the mastermind behind the plot.

Therefore, the strongest experts in the Prime Minister's Residence were not protecting Lin Ruofu, but rather Lin Gong.

Fan Xian saw that the two guards on duty near the outside had already been poisoned and incapacitated, completely knocked out.

As the poisonous smoke spread through the room, the two guards closest to Lin Gong's bed suddenly sat up.

"Not good, there's poisonous smoke! Protect Young Master!"

These two guards were both eighth-grade, so their True Qi was strong, and they had a strong resistance to poison.

The two of them sat up, only managing to wake three other guards nearby; everyone else was completely poisoned unconscious!

Lin Gong, with only a seventh-grade cultivation, was also unconscious at this moment.

The five guards quickly grabbed their weapons. One carried Lin Gong, two guarded the surroundings, and the other two had already started shouting loudly!

"Someone has infiltrated!"

"Catch the assassin!"

Within the Prime Minister's Residence, dozens of experts, all seventh-grade or above, instantly darted out!

Lin Gong did have some capable subordinates, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to subdue Cheng Jushu.

As the guards carried Lin Gong and rushed towards the door, a gleaming black crossbow bolt suddenly shot down from the rooftop!

It looked as if the poisoned arrow was about to strike Lin Gong's face!