Chapter 96 – The Inner Treasury Strikes

The sound was brittle, not like the muffled sound of the court staffs falling on the imperial inspectors of the Duzhaoyuan Academy outside of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, but rather like whoever was playing the beat for a rhythmic piece of music.

The beat ended after only ten strokes, and the three masters of the workshop finally didn’t breathe in and out like Baoyu’s brother, nor did they faint like Fan Lao Er.

Fan Xian looked at the scene between the field with great interest, and couldn’t help but be a little surprised at the hardness of these three masters, after being beaten ten times, they actually didn’t even grunt a single sound, he was aware of the style of his subordinates, and since he called out for a beating, none of them dared to retain their strength.

The three master of ceremonies lying on the bench, shirt was lifted up, pants were also faded down, buttock back is all a line of red marks, look miserable. They were humiliated too much today, in front of Fan Xian, actually hard top did not let out the sound of begging for mercy, but the board fell on the body is always painful, especially the pain in addition to a hint of humiliation was stripped of their clothes, so that the eyes of these middle-aged men began to contain tears, woofing, and with hatred, like a poor puppy dog.

Fan Xian clapped his hands and said, “Fork them out.”

“Yes.” The subordinates answered in unison, so they helped the three principals up and headed out of the courthouse.

Behind these three principals who had long been painfully humiliated, Fan Xian hadn’t forgotten to shout like a businessman, “Three days, three days, don’t you forget!”

The yamen was quiet, the officials looked at Fan Xian’s gaze increased a trace of fear, the world knows Fan Xian’s reputation, but not the people in Kyoto, for Fan Xian’s clear name of the civil name contained within the chilling flavor, these officials do not have personal experience, not as much as the second prince of that faction of the civil official to the pain of clear.

But today we finally watched, in the secret fear, but also can not help but more than a few secret sneer, hit then hit, hit is the treasury, is not for us these officials to see, just how learned you Fan, for the internal library of the affairs is still a black eye, will be the three major workshops of the master offended, see how you end up later.

Fan Xian may not be aware of his subordinates these officials stored three days later to see the mind, perhaps he simply do not care about this, and casually said a few words, instructed the people within three days will be owed to fill back, there are not legal matters of their own first inspection, then let the officials out of the office.

He left that from the Ye family of the general, and his own close assistant transit division deputy envoy, three days later to do that thing, in many aspects, he still need the help of these two people.

I don’t know what he said to these two officials in the back garden, only to see their faces grow heavier and heavier, and finally finally nodded slowly, bowed respectfully to Fan Xian, and retreated.

“My lord.” Su Wenmao handed over the summary of the intelligence handed over by the Supervisory Bureau. Fan Xian smoothly took it over, nodding slightly as he looked at it, it seemed that the people around were still of some use, just that they had been pinched up and down by the Princess and the treasurers over the years, and did not have a chance to show their hand.

Su Wenmao watched him immersed in the dossier, thinking of the earlier scene, he couldn’t help but frown, bracing himself to say softly, “The master of those three great workshops killed it.”

Fan Xian looked up at him and couldn’t help but smile, “Of course I killed them, but killing isn’t cooking, if you can eat it, you can eat it, if you can kill it, you don’t have to be in a hurry to kill it.”

“Your honor was too gentle earlier.” Su Wenmao from the Supervisory Yuan a, for the rectification of officials has always been talking about ruthlessness, for Fan Xian’s previous disposition is really feel too merciful, area three master, kill will kill, since the establishment of the power will be a thunderbolt, which has said half a day, only hit ten board reason.

He said indignantly, “Your honor only hit them ten boards earlier, too light, I’m afraid it will let these people be unconvinced.”

Fan Xian waved the information summary of the Supervisory Office in his hand and calmly said, “According to the evidence in my hand, I’ll chop off those three heads with a single knife, and no one will dare to say anything.”

Su Wenmao was stunned, thinking, “If that’s the case, why did you let those three lawless guys off the hook?

Fan Xian smiled and explained, “Thunder and rain are all …… on the grace. If I previously punished hard, although the officials and those large and small treasurers will be unconvinced in their hearts, and even fear and cynicism, but they also only should be, and deterred by the sharpness of the killing knife, will be honest down, the three-day period ah …… is not even a day, the officials will make up for the deficits, and those who are the treasurer, it is even more will be crazy! The general came to send silver to the Yamen.”

“Isn’t this the situation that …… adults want to see?” Su Wenmao became more and more puzzled.

Fan Xian waved his hand, “Wrong, a momentary suppression, only killing the chiefs of the three major workshops, for the inner treasury, what fundamental change can there be? It’s like going up the mountain to hunt monkeys, if you were to kill the monkey king, those monkeys would scatter in all directions. As you know, it’s simply impossible for me to, and I’m not willing to, guard this part of the Inner Treasury for years. What if we leave in the future? Those monkeys will run out from the mountains again and come to steal our family’s corn to eat.”

Su Wenmao’s heart moved, understood something, the monkeys mentioned in the analogy of the Lord Tisi, naturally, is the large number of treasurers of the three major workshops, if the three major workshops are beheaded today, those treasurers will naturally and honestly spit back the silver, to pay back the arrears of the workers’ wages, but then, the Lord Tisi lacks the opportunity to lay down the butcher’s knife again, and so on the Lord Tisi later left the north of the Fujian Province, back to Hangzhou, those treasurers will not be able to return to their homes, but will be able to return to their homes. The mountains are high and the roads are far away, those treasurers are afraid that they will be active again, and the workers in the three major workshops are afraid that they will have to meet even more grievous retaliation.

“This is squeezing pus.” Fan Xian said with a smile, “You look at your face and it seems to be flattened, but in fact the pus is still inside, so instead of rushing to scrub it first, we need to open and expand the pores and squeeze out all the pus.”

Su Wenmao was stunned, obviously not having taken a cosmetology class, but having understood Fan Xian’s meaning well enough, he smiled and said, “The complexity of what Your Excellency is saying, isn’t it just luring the snake out of the hole?”

“Luring what? It’s called hitting the snake to scare it.” Fan Xian stroked his flat and smooth hair, realizing that his description didn’t seem very apt either, and couldn’t help but laugh, “Anyway, with a three-day period and the humiliation of ten boards from the three major workshops, I think that those treasurers who have been arrogant and accustomed to it won’t be able to tolerate it no matter what.”

“What if …… someone makes up the silver back?” Su Wenmao asked doubtfully, a little worried that after the reputation of Lord Tisch, so that those little monkeys don’t have the guts to jump out.

“Punish the former to prevent the latter and cure the sick.” Fan Xian said seriously, “The treasurer who has not violated the Qing law of criminal sparing, as long as the silver is returned cleanly, I will naturally give him a chance to do it all over again, I’m here to manage the inner treasury, not to break the inner treasury.”

“Understood.”

“For the enemy, we need to polarize from it, detach, treat them separately, and unite everything that can be united……. Look at who jumped out three days later, and you’ll know who is rejecting this official’s good intentions.” Fan Xian smiled and said, “Not only against the treasurers, I think the cronies that the Princess left in the inner treasury will not let go of such a great opportunity, in the view of the Xinyang side, if I offend the treasurers, the inner treasury is naturally going to fall into paralysis, and at this time of the year, they are also sure to jump out, you let the people around keep a close eye on some of them in the past two days, and finally draw up a list of all these destabilizing factors, I will clear away one by one.”

Su Wenmao finally all understand, the Lord of the Tisheshi want to do very thorough cleanup work, and to the previous conversation in the garden, said with a small intention, “Just …… Lord, the deputy ambassador is Ren Shao’an that clan of people, can be trusted, but Ye family?”

Fan Xian knew what he was worried about, according to the news coming from Kyoto, a few days after the marriage of the Grand Prince and the Grand Princess of Beiqi, Ye Ling’er also finally married the Second Prince, and the Second Prince also took this opportunity to be released from his mansion under house arrest by the Empress Dowager’s intervention.

“Don’t worry about anything, I didn’t say too much, I just told that Senator Ye to pay attention to the routes out of the treasury recently, I’m not so arrogant that I can subdue the Ye family with a few words.”

Fan Xian laughed, what he let Senator General Ye do was really just to prevent the treasurers from taking advantage of the location and secretly transporting out the silver that they had swallowed over the years, and although most of the stolen silver was definitely used to buy land, the deeds …… of the land were determined by the temperament of the treasurers and could only be placed in their own homes.

“And don’t be very casual about associating the Ye family with the Second Prince and the Eldest Princess.” Fan Xian said after thinking about it, “Ye Qin’s two families are known side by side in the world, it’s not as simple as the average person imagines, how could they unilaterally fall to a prince, that would be a bit too stupid. Even if there is some inclination, but before the situation is clear, he will always have to sell me a few points of face, for a group of treasurers and I flipped, unless Ye Chong really smacks that his majesty didn’t send him a little farther away.”

Su Wenmao was aghast, and without saying anything else, he led the way.

Fan Xian, however, sat in his chair and fell into silence for a long time before letting out a sigh, Ye Ling’er was married after all, what would happen to the second prince in the future? He is not a benevolent person, but in the tea store outside the Moon Embracing House, he also once said that the reason why he wants to knock the second prince down to the dust is that he wants to leave him alive, this is partly because of Ye Ling’er, on the other hand, it’s just that subconsciously he wants to fight with that emperor who preaches about irony and parenting, to see if you know how to play, or if I know how to play!

Over the past few months, the Ye family has been played by the Emperor, and had no choice but to get closer and closer to the Second Prince. Thinking about this matter, Fan Xian was in a state of rage, His Majesty the Emperor’s far-sightedness may be true, but his suspiciousness is even more so – it seems that people sitting in different positions have their own limitations, and the Emperor, whose limitations are to be found sitting on the dragon chair, is the same as the Emperor. The emperor, his limitations is too suspicious, to give the marriage test in the first, unjustified defense gradually rise, very shamelessly framed in the back, raw Ye family forced to the prince’s antagonism!

Crown Prince? Then why did the oldest three follow themselves out of the capital?

The emperor …… is really not eating thin rice, as much as to make some let people see not see the eyebrow means. Fan Xian was a bit distressed, then comforted himself, he this little bastard can not understand, perhaps the old bastard is also fighting a mess, they do not even see to understand.

As for why Fan Xian was extremely determined to refuse to reconcile with his mother-in-law, it wasn’t because of how much anger he had suffered from his son-in-law during the course of his relationship, and it wasn’t just because of the reason he had said to Haitang that he would “keep an eye on the family business”, but because the most real reason was that, if Fan Xian and the Princess really joined forces, the strength of the two sides would add up, and they would be powerful enough to shake the foundations of the Qing Empire. The most real reason was that if Fan Xian and the Princess really joined forces, the combined strength of both sides would be so powerful that it would be terrifying, powerful enough to shake the foundations of Qing.

This was something that Emperor Qing could not allow.

For Fan Xian, who did not hold the power of the world in his hands, the current policy was only one of great wisdom: whatever the emperor did not allow, he would never do, unless someone wanted to beat himself to death.

In the next two days, the first to the inner library of the Lord Fan Xian, with their own personal seven maids, flamboyant around the view check workshop, for the inner library of the process gradually familiar with up, for the year the Ye family’s power to add a touch of sensibility to the understanding of the inevitable will be in the river at the waterwheel to touch the wood sighing, not all the vicissitudes of life, and occasionally with the workers in the workshop to sit down to discuss the way of glass blowing, but pity him too poor craftsmanship, face Too beautiful, blowing is not successful, the glass texture is undoubtedly revealed.

Then so shook two days, from the government office closer to most of the workshop know the new adult what exactly is the appearance of the legend of the small Fan adults, although not dare to look at, but the bitter hahaha is also a small intention to steal a lot of eyes, they say that the noble gentleman was born really good-looking, that is, the hands and feet of the stupid a little bit, people are also goodwill, around the seven maids were born like a flower like jade, but there is a maid is really not very good, act Walking in the countryside wind, where is like a big family out of the girl.

On the other hand, the military and the Supervisory Yuan composed of four lines of defense suddenly stepped up the inspection work. The inspection of the inner library is the world’s strictest place, suddenly stepped up, suddenly searched out some prohibited things, although it is not the inner library of the technical secrets, but it is also some heavy things.

Although it is not the technical secrets of the inner treasury, it is also something heavy. It is a light and fluffy piece of paper, but it is a heavy land deed.

As Fan Xian expected, the first reaction of the treasurers and related officials, including the three major workshop chiefs, after the three-day order was issued was to find a way to transport the most valuable things around them out to their friends and relatives outside the inner treasury.

But after encountering a rigorous search, the officials and treasurers finally despaired, knowing that the new Lord Qinzhi will not allow themselves these people to transfer property, and these paper property to stay around …… days, three days later if they do not make up the shortfall, is not it going to be plagiarized? And where these people’s bodies will be clean, if the Lord of the Qinzhi to pull their own faults, left and right are a word of death!

Shan Da and Lin work obviously effective, from the second day onwards, there is no one to try to transfer the family property, and a cloudy wind, began to within the library of the various mansions and between the three major workshops blew up, as for blowing the wind of the source is who, naturally, there are spilled out of the nails in the quiet inquiring.

It was the night when heavy rain fell from the sky in Min land and the river surged, although there was no problem due to the dyke square really, but the atmosphere of that kind of cloudy wind and turbid waves discharging into the air had already begun to make many people feel something strange.

Feeling the strong danger of the treasurers began to collude, the upper middle and lower, a total of more than two hundred treasurers, in the face of the “three days order” have their own plans, some conscience is still alive, ready to return the stolen silver, a new life, some afraid of Fan Xian power, began to secretly prepare to report the unlawful things of their colleagues, to seek a clean body for themselves! Some people who were afraid of Fan Xian’s power began to secretly report the wrongdoings of their colleagues, seeking a clean slate for themselves, while more people began to gather in the mansions of the heads of the three major workshops, discussing privately how to deal with this matter.

The three masters of the three major workshops could only lie on their beds after being beaten, although they were in three places, but the hatred towards Fan Xian and the resentment in their eyes were quite emotional and sentimental, in short, they refused to bow down to Fan Xian because they had done too many bad things, and even if they bowed down, they were afraid that they wouldn’t be able to escape from a death in the future.

And in the string of these treasurers, the Xinyang side stayed in the treasury of the heart, also played a very bad role, using the name of the far away in Kyoto princess, to assure the treasurers, the court is still concerned first of all about the inner treasury’s output and profits, rather than these small pieces of silver you covet.

What about one chopstick? What about ten chopsticks? Anyway, the majority of the treasurers finally formed a tight group and began to smash like bowling balls at Lord Fan, who seemed to know nothing but traveling with his beauty.

On the last day of the three-day order, Fan Xian followed the rules of the previous two days and stayed at the government office in the morning to discuss the matter. In the past two days, although the treasurers had not taken the initiative to hand over the stolen goods and confessed to their crimes, many of the officials had already refunded some of the silver, and as for whether they had refunded the money or not, it was a matter for the future, so naturally the matter would be discussed later, at least this superficial deference had been made out.

There are also some treasurer secretly confessed, take the initiative to climb to the Supervisory Yuan to be a tainted witness, Fan Xian is naturally a smile, it seems that the other side really is not a piece of iron plate, within the library of the casting process is indeed not pass.

He sipped his tea, looking at the rain outside the hall out of mind, the heart leisurely thought of last night’s rain, this year, the country will not be flooded again, right? It seems that we have to hurry up some time, or father’s side of the silver is afraid that it is too late to transport to the river coast, the embankment will collapse again.

“My lord!”

A terrified voice exploded like a muffled thunderbolt, waking Fan Xian up from his saintly thoughts.

Fan Xian took a bewildered look, only to see a bunch of officials with their official uniforms all wet running in, these officials were the characters who had gone to the various workshops today to publicize the deadline for the three day order, why were they all running back?

The leader is the number two person of the inner treasury, the vice envoy of the Transit Department, Ma Kai, only to see him with a shocked face, pulling his front, ignoring the sewage on the ground and wet shoes, he barged in with fear and urgency.

“Lord Ma, what’s the matter with such panic?” Fan Xian looked at the other party and frowned slightly, putting on his Cao Cao face.

“My lord, it’s not good!” Although Ma Kai had known that the treasurers would definitely rebound against the three-day order, he couldn’t help but panic when he suddenly heard about this today and hurriedly came to report to Fan Xian.

“The three major workshops …… are on strike!”

Fan Xian was slightly stunned, standing dumbfounded on top of the stone steps.

Ma Kai thought that Lord Qinzai was also shocked by the sudden bad news, and wiping a handful of rainwater from his face, he said with a bitter smile, “This is good, this is good.”

The three major workshops are on strike? This was something that had never happened since Qing had collected and transported the inner treasury! In fact, Fan Xian did not kill anyone, and the means he used was not as bloody as the Princess’s, but the problem was that Fan Xian had issued a three-day order, and had the power of secret spies at hand that the Princess did not have, and then blocked the treasurers’ attempts to transfer their family assets, which amounted to a solid preparation to swallow the silver money that the treasurers had withheld for the past few years.

What is silver money? Silver money is the life of the majority of the world, so the treasurers dared to use such a shocking move as striking to fight with Fan Xian!

Fan Xian was only slightly stunned, and immediately snapped out of it, a faint smile floating at the corner of his lips. In fact, he wasn’t shocked that the treasurers reacted as violently as they did, he was just thinking, “So this world also has labor tides…”……

“My lord, what should we do? How about withdrawing the three-day order first?” Ma Kai said with a hopeful face. He was very disapproving of Fan Xian’s three day order, now that the treasurers were really on strike, how much silver would the court lose if the three major workshops of the inner treasury stopped working for a day? Who could afford such a great offense? Even if you Fan Xian’s family history is different from the norm and you are not afraid of the world’s opinions,……, His Majesty will not let you off lightly!

Out of the expectation of Richard Ma and all the officials, Fan Xian caressed the smooth hair on his head, moved his neck, and showed a hint of hidden excitement on his face: “I really didn’t let this official down, and made a big commotion out of it. …… So it’s good to wait for me to catch up with them, and kill them dry…. … net ah net!”

“Ah?”

The officials stood dumbfounded amidst the drizzle, and a pair of swallows fluttered gently on the wooden beams of the yamen.

In the midst of the rain, Fan Xian, dressed in his black Supervisory Yuan Lotus Clothes, led the officials of the Transit Department, totaling more than twenty people, and hurriedly rushed to the place outside of A Fang, where the first one had called for a strike. The officials stood outside the workshop and realized that they could not hear the sound of the fireplace sizzling, and there was no black smoke coming out of the workshop, a dead silence, so all of them could not help but cast their eyes on Fan Xian and wondered how his honor was going to deal with this silent protest.

No one knew that the Qienian group and the six division swordsmen who had followed Fan Xian down to Jiangnan were already cloaked in raincoats and had silently arrived not far from the large workshop waiting for orders.

And even further away, Senator Ye sank his face, clenched his fists, and spoke apprehensively with Su Wenmao beside him, but his thoughts were all in the middle of today’s striking Da Fang, and behind the two, a battalion of officers and soldiers with swords and spears in hand were waiting.

The strikers of the A-fang factory had gathered in the workshop, which was still hot from last night’s strike, and this was the place responsible for refining glass.

Fan Xian walked into the workshop at a steady pace, looked up at the high roof, and exclaimed in admiration, “The rainproofing is well done.”

The workers were cowering at the very back in twos and threes, their faces covered in fear, these lower level workers naturally didn’t know why work was suddenly stopped today, and were scared to death as they looked at the newly arrived Lord Chinaman.

And in front of the workshop, a dozen or so treasurers wearing green-colored clothing, forced themselves to be calm and saluted Fan Xian.

“Why hasn’t work begun?”

“So as to teach His Excellency to know.” The A-Fang’s Master Minister Xiao, who was still wounded behind him, gave Fan Xian a look with a tinge of resentment, “The rain was too heavy last night, dousing the furnace and washing out the molds, so there was no way to start work.”

The master and treasurer were not stupid, of course they knew that they couldn’t explicitly say that they were on strike, or else in case Fan Xian really went crazy and killed all of them with his sword, he could reasonably say so, so they could only find some reasons, but in reality, they were still threatening the other party with a strike.

This, perhaps, was the so-called art of negotiation.

In terms of poetry and literature, Fan Xian could be said to be an artist, but in his line of work, he was often destroying art without any sense of beauty, and he said with a sullen face: ”The molds are ruined, the furnaces are wet, and what about the B-fang? Does the scalding steel congeal too? Can the spinning machine also rust?”

Not waiting for that Master Xiao to reply, he narrowed his eyes and said, “I think you treasurers are really rusty in the head!”

There was no such thing as a negotiation, Fan Xian just needed someone to cause trouble, and as the replacement of the technical director of the inner treasury was inevitable, how could he miss this opportunity?

“Someone come, cut off this Master Xiao’s head and warm the furnace with his blood.” Fan Xian clapped his hands together and said in a harmonious voice.

That Master Minister Xiao froze, seemingly not understanding what Lord Qin’s words meant.

As soon as Fan Xian’s words fell, the officials of the Supervisory Yuan wearing rain coats had already walked into the workshop, and one of his subordinates carried a chair for Fan Xian to sit down, while a few others had already cleanly kicked Master Xiao to the ground and pulled him over to the furnace, which was about five feet away from Fan Xian.

Fan Xian waved his hand.

The officials of the Running Division behind him were in an uproar, and Vice-Admiral Ma Kai, in a rush of fire, cried out in fear, “My lord, please don’t!”

And the master Xiao who was pushed to the mouth of the furnace finally woke up at this time, and knew that Lord Qinzai really wanted to kill himself …… really dared to kill himself! He began to struggle desperately, his feet stomped on the floating soil on the ground, rustling, with a crying voice shouted, “Spare your life, adults spare your life!”

The world is full of fools who can’t see through the world, and it’s too late to beg for mercy when they want to lose their lives.

The treasurers who were good friends with Master Xiao had their eyes cracking and rushed forward, wanting to save Master Xiao.

With a clamor, a snow-white blade light flashed by!

A head with a dark-colored face rolled into the furnace with a bone-crushing thud, and blood puffed out, striking the furnace wall.

Numerous shrieks erupted in the large workshop, everyone was shocked by the bloody scene in front of their eyes, the small treasurers howled in pain and horror, and in a flash of lightning simultaneously stopped their forward steps, the instinct to survive finally overcoming their inner fervor at this moment.

Fan Xian glanced at the corpse at the mouth of the furnace, and then looked at the workers behind the workshop, who had gathered about hundreds of fearful faces, and calmly said, “When this official kills someone, he naturally has an original reason for doing so.”