Chapter 27 Snowy Night Encounter with Green Streamers

On a winter day in the sixth year of the Qingli calendar, the dismal sun at twilight penetrated from the distant side of the Cangshan Mountains, the weather was very cold, and the people’s houses in the four wildernesses were all white, it was snow.

The clouds gradually thickened, swallowing the dismal sun directly into the gloom, and the wind gradually grew stronger, swirling the snow on the ground and flying in the air. Another snow fell from the sky, snowflakes from different places and different colors tangled together by virtue of the power of the wind, twisting their heads crookedly in the oppressive air, displaying different levels of whiteness and coldness.

As the wind and snow rose again, those who were rushing on the road suffered and looked for the nearest village house or inn to rest. There was no flooding in Qing this year, but the snowfall was not small, thanks to the summer, the relief of the counties in the south of the Yangtze River went exceptionally well, and the people affected by the disaster had a shelter, and the likelihood of freezing to death was much smaller.

Here is Yingzhou, is the state that suffered the most severe flooding, but also after the disaster is the most fierce banditry place.

However, since Lord Fan Xian, the imperial official, went down to the south of the Yangtze River, the bandits in Yingzhou, either fearing the might of heaven, or perhaps afraid of the legendary small Lord Fan’s methods, have become much more honest, and have already disappeared for a very long time.

It is precisely because of this, in this snowy day, only those travelers dare to walk on the road. But now the human disaster has gone, this God is too not to give face, although the river is not closed, but not many people are willing to go in the direction of Kyoto in the cold.

Except for that team of all-black carriages.

Carriage windows and the lower edge are sealed with glue extremely well, no trace of cold air can penetrate in, just the front of the thick cotton curtains front against the attack of the wind and snow, from time to time issued a few muffled wail.

There was a furnace in the car, and a hot air was spreading and steaming along with the scent, making the inside of the compartment as warm as spring, which was in sharp contrast to the cold outside the car.

Fan Xian felt a little hot, two fingers of his right hand to the neck, the fur coat buttons loosened some, revealing the neck, deep breath two mouths, then put down the hand scrolls, squinting to the car outside to look.

Just see the car outside a white earth is really clean, Cangshan village houses, winter fields and small ponds are covered in snow, frozen into ice mirrors, the year when passing through this place when looking at the floods robbed the rest of the scene has been invisible, those who died in the floods of the people have also long been buried.

White bones may be trembling in the snowy depths.

In the distance is a row of some simple housing, you can see that the materials used in the building is not very strong, also not very cold. But looking at the firelight and warmth inside, Fan Xian nodded with satisfaction, as long as there was firewood for the stove, the people’s lives were bitter, but they were also able to survive, and a little bit of warmth would be able to protect them through this harsh winter.

“Find a place to rest.” Fan Xian looked at the snow flakes on the horseman of the Inspectorate outside the car and couldn’t help but frown, “Although it’s important to hurry, don’t freeze and get sick.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The caravan slowly turned a corner and drove along the widest of the rows of fields towards the neighboring villages.

Fan Xian was returning to Kyoto to report on his duties this time, and the court had set a return date there. Who knew that the biggest snowstorm in several years would hit him on the way, and he was delayed for a few days in Shazhou, which made the time suddenly tight, so the subordinates of the Supervisory Yuan would follow his wishes, change their carriages in Shazhou City, and travel along the land road in the wind and snow.

Into the village, there are local Li Zheng shivering rushed over to meet, this Li Zheng hands in the thick cotton goblin, curiosity and fear to look at this black caravan, the heart guessed which is a big man will be in this snowy and windy day to rush the road.

Naturally, there were officials from the Supervisory Court to deal with him, and Fan Xian didn’t want to disturb the place too much, so he was sneaking along the whole way. When he got off the carriage, he felt snowflakes pouring into his collar along with the cold wind, and subconsciously tightened the fastenings, wearing the silver-white fox-skin cloak as he walked towards the village.

Hong Changqing led a few Sixth Division swordsmen to follow behind him in silence.

Fan Xian glanced at him in the afterglow and thought of Wan’er, who remained busy in Jiangnan. His Third Highness had already returned to the capital a month early, so in order to ensure his wife’s safety, he had left all seven of Gouda’s tiger guards in Hangzhou.

It was early fall when he left Tanyuzhou, and Fan Xian and his party returned to Hangzhou first. The last few months had been spent on cleaning up the remnants of the Junshan Society in Jiangnan, as well as on other matters.

The matter that had been agreed upon in Tanyu, after a nod from the palace, had been taken up by Wan’er. The development of things unexpectedly smooth, Lingnan Xiong family, Quanzhou Sun family are to that will be injected a large sum of silver, even has such as the western mountain thin Ming family are meaning a bit, just Wan Er has not been thought of the name of the organization and the real utility, so first took a Hangzhou will be the name will be used.

There is silver backing, and Fan Xian’s relationship, Hangzhou will be able to easily advance the procurement of food in Northern Qi, can easily and unparalleled access to the joints of the counties, without worrying about the government to look for trouble, coupled with the Fan Liu Lin three relationships throughout the world, as well as the summer Qifei Jiangnan cottage in-depth civil channels, Hangzhou will be the rapid development of the whole of Jiangnan’s relief work in the imperial court outside of this channel, and more than one incredibly smooth and fast channel. The entire Jiangnan disaster relief work in addition to the imperial court this channel, and an incomparably more smooth and swift channel.

Just Fan Xian and Wan Er have been hidden behind the scenes, not many people know this couple in Hangzhou will play a role, all thought that this thing is Kyoto side of the palace in the presidency of the nobility, and the internal treasury transfer division Yamen is a tool.

This winter Jiangnan and snow, I do not know how many people will be cut off at home, I do not know how many farmhouses will be crushed, I do not know how many people will be frozen to death, Lin Wan’er is bound to stay in Hangzhou for a period of time, at least to help the people of the south of the Yangtze River to get through the days, or the old saying, even if you can’t help too much, but there is, it’s better than nothing.

Lin Wan’er was busy in this matter, and her strategic talent, which had been helplessly suppressed, finally showed a corner. Fan Xian did not put too much effort into this matter, just his wife alone with letters to manipulate all aspects, either coldly or majestically or gently riding this beast, carefully let it plow the fields for the world, but not so much as to make the government this horseman feel unhappy.

Just this thing some hard work, that kind of proportion and trivial, even Fan Xian are a little afraid of like a tiger. Wan Er finally found a thing that could prove herself, where willing to let go easily, so she went out of her way to do it. When Fan Xian left Hangzhou, he was worried that she wouldn’t be able to take care of herself, and since the daughter-in-law of the family of Fuji was a servant who feared the young grandma, he simply left Si Si there as well.

Fan Xian thought on the one hand, and walked quickly towards the village on the other. The carriage had already been placed, leaving the guards behind, and all of his subordinates, totaling more than thirty people, followed him into the village and into the clan school that would be vacated.

Rizheng carefully followed behind, he didn’t dare to ask who this big person wearing expensive fox fur was, but just kept guessing in his heart.

When they entered the empty school, someone had already built a fireplace, and after the ginger-sugar water was boiled, the village women were busy distributing it into bowls and handing it over respectfully to these officials and lords.

Fan Xian picked it up and took a sip, not saying anything, those clear and godly eyes just gazing at the row of houses outside the gate in a daze. He suddenly opened his mouth and asked, “If the snow gets any heavier, will these houses stand up to the pressure?”

This village still belonged to Yingzhou, and it was also a poor place that was flooded last year, and this row of houses was gradually repaired over the last year, looking thin, so Fan Xian was a bit worried.

That Rizheng froze, not knowing if this lord was asking himself. Hong Changqing coughed and gave him a wink.

Only then did the lizheng wake up, leaning two steps toward Fan Xian with a half-heavy body, and respectfully returned, “Your lordship, the snow will build up thicker in the next two days, so it’s really not clear whether or not we’ll be able to withstand it.”

Fan Xian glanced at him with some surprise, thinking that it was rare for a Rizheng to not talk big, and said with a gentle smile, “Then won’t you have to patrol every day?”

Rizheng laughed and said, “Your lordship said this, this big snow, small person as Rizheng, of course is to see more every day.” He then proudly said, “But I think it shouldn’t be a problem, don’t look at these houses as inconspicuous, but they were designed by the great master craftsmen of the inner treasury, and I heard that the three major workshops over there are all living in this kind of house, so it should be fine for this snow to press down on them.”

Fan Xian laughed, and the subordinates behind him also laughed. Rizheng was a bit confused, thinking to himself, “What’s so funny about this?

After slightly asking a few more questions about whether there was enough firewood and briquettes or something like that, Fan Xian ended his conversation with Rizheng, and couldn’t help but feel a hint of complexity welling up in his heart. Qing’s national strength is indeed powerful, as long as the operation is done properly, there is still no problem to keep these people a normal day, and he …… seems to gradually begin to get used to the feeling of a minister of power, although this is just passing by, but also can not help but to ask a few more words.

Powerful minister ah?

Fan Xian sighed and walked to the door of the clan school, squinting at the darkening sky outside, the cold wind, the snow, and the deepening cold, but his mind drifted elsewhere. The first time he thought that he should be a powerful official in this life, he said it to his father, but the second time he said it to Haitang after drinking in the capital of Northern Qi.

Haitang was gone.

When Wolf Peach arrived in Suzhou City with the Beiqi delegation, Fan Xian was clear that Haitang would definitely return to Beiqi along with her eldest senior brother, on the one hand, it was the will of the Empress Dowager of Beiqi, and on the other hand, it was …… Haitang who could not find any excuses to persuade herself to stay She is the Holy Maiden of Beiqi, not the Princess of Nanqing, so what right does she have to live in the middle of the Fan’s Huayuan every day? What’s more, the most important task for her to go south was to monitor Fan Xian’s fulfillment of the secret agreement on behalf of the Emperor of Beiqi, but now, with her relationship with Fan Xian, it seemed that the young Emperor of Beiqi also had some headaches, and naturally, she would go along with the Empress Dowager’s wishes to recall this little sister-in-law.

Fan Xian did not see that scene with his own eyes, but it seemed that he could always see that scene in his mind, that flowery cloth dress, that village maiden, shaking her body and carrying a basket, leaving Suzhou in a very dashing manner, without even looking back.

But although Haitang was gone, Fan Xian’s agreement with Northern Qi was still going on steadily all the time. The smuggling of the north road in the north and south of Fan Si Zhe and Xia Qufei’s concerted efforts, has stepped into a stable stage, the two sides of the channel has been opened, the goods produced in the inner library of a steady stream of goods to the territory of the state of Beiqi imported, the price of the natural cheaper than on the market a lot of the court within the country of Qing because of Fan Xian’s covertly make a bad thing lost a lot of silver …… but Hangzhou will be but much more The Hangzhou Association has lost a lot of silver because of Fan Xian’s underhanded maneuvering.

It’s all the people’s silver, so why care about who’s holding it and who’s using it?

And the Ming family has really reached a stalemate under Fan Xian’s blows. Although the Ming family still had tens of millions of taels of silver in their hands, but assets were not running water, and the Ming family couldn’t afford to sell off those fields and properties to keep their business alive, so they had to borrow from outside and turnover.

The problem is that the old lady Ming was hanged by Ming Qingda, the master of the Ming family did not have time to fully accept the status of the old lady in the Junshan Association, Dongyi City, although the Taiping Chancery is still in support of the Ming family, but obviously the strength of the family to be much weaker.

So Ming Qingda only went to the …… Merchants Money Bank that had lent a helping hand at the time of his great difficulty. Fan Xian stood in the doorway with his head bowed thinking, the more he borrows, the better, he wants to follow his majesty s wishes to get all of the Ming family without bloodshed, that s why he has dragged his feet for so long.

He raised his head and looked at the snow in front of him, his heart filled with contentment and pride, he had been self reserved for so many years, but he was able to take care of Jiangnan, he had to allow himself a chance to be proud.

Right at this moment, the pupils of his eyes shrunk violently.

In the middle of the snow, a black line broke through the wind, like a black lightning, seemed to have crossed the interval of time and space, borrowing the wind and snow to cover the sound of breaking air, in an instant, came in front of him!

It was an arrow, a black arrow.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, not flickering, not avoiding, his body’s overbearing true qi steeply lifted, his left hand led, the longsword at his waist swung up, and the tip of the sword chopped straight through!

There was a muffled sound.

Fan Xian’s seemingly simple, but actually fierce sword chopped in the air.

In front of him, a green streamer appeared steeply, and underneath it was a green-clothed man, who had a green-colored cloth belt tied around his hair.

That branch of Soul Devouring One Arrow was shot on the pole right in the middle of that streamer, and the arrow feather trembled without stopping.

Only two big words were written on the streamer.

“Iron Phase”.

The secret agents of the Procuratorate had long since reacted, and six swordsmen with hard crossbows in their hands surrounded the green-clothed man in the center, while a few other Sixth Division swordsmen had already followed the snowflakes in the darkness of the night and felt their way to the location where the arrow had been sent, disappearing into the darkness.

Fan Xian looked at the green-clothed man with a calm gaze, not knowing what he was thinking, and suddenly opened his mouth and said, “Return.”

With a simple word, all of the six division swordsmen who had dived out and were preparing to chase down the archer retreated back as ordered, and stood silently on top of the snowy apron in front of the clan school, surrounding the green-clothed man in the center.

Fan Xian raised his head to look at the man in green, and suddenly spoke, “Fortune-teller, you calculated that someone would come to assassinate this official?”

The green-clothed man had his head lowered, so he couldn’t see his face clearly, only to hear him smile and say, “A mere small arrow, how could it possibly hurt little Lord Fan.”

Fan Xian calmly said, “That’s why this official doesn’t understand, the big arrow isn’t moving, so how come the small arrow is coming.”

The man in green said gently, “Little Arrow is young and has a strong temperament, and is always a bit impulsive.”

Fan Xian was silent.

The man in green continued, “I am also not a fortune teller ……,” he merged two fingers and pointed obliquely at the two words on the green streamer he was holding, saying, “My surname is Tie Xiang.”