Chapter 7: Someone in the outhouse is playing assassination

Why come to Jiaozhou, why to deal with Jiaozhou sailors, in fact, the origin of all this is because of the island on the East China Sea, the island that was washed in blood.

The pirates on the island are the private army raised by the Ming family, in the court is being closely tracked down, but was all silenced, fortunately, a secret agent of the Supervisory Yuan is very difficult to survive, and will be informed of the scene of the blood bath that night.

It was the Jiaozhou sailors, it could only be the Jiaozhou sailors. In the months that followed, the Supervisory Yuan increased the investigation of the Jiaozhou side, although to this day, there is still no way to get hold of specific and handheld evidence, but the court of the upper echelon of the people in the know have conjectured that the Jiaozhou sailors are the hand behind the Ming family, the hand of the Junshan Association, the hand of the Princess raised.

The Qing Emperor, no matter how tolerant he was, could not tolerate this kind of thing, so he informed Fan Xian in a secret letter, ordering him to deal with this matter, but did not give a specific strategy on how to deal with it.

So Fan Xian is a headache, there is no evidence in hand, and to Jiaozhou sailors back to the court’s control, what should be done? The sailor is not the Ming family, not the Cui family, not the second prince …… each other is a real powerful force, an improper disposal, causing uproar, the sword, no matter whether the court can finally suppress down, they will also get into great trouble.

He is also clear, in the Ming family’s smuggling business, Jiaozhou sailors must play an extremely important role, especially the way to Dongyi City, if there is no Jiaozhou sailors escort, this more than ten years, it will not be so smooth.

Jiaozhou sailors in the sea smuggling routes play the role, exactly the same as Fan Xian’s Supervisory Yuan and Wei Hua’s Northern Qi Jin Yi Wei in the mainland smuggling routes play the same role.

It’s just that on that island, the sailors killed too many people ……

Hou Jichang had already gone to the birthday banquet, and Fan Xian was the only one left in the entire small courtyard after his disguise. Hou Jichang was ordered to come to investigate the smuggling of Jiaozhou sailors, but unfortunately there has been no progress, he has to do a lot of things in the dark, naturally, it is not convenient to invite too many subordinates, so the small courtyard is quiet.

There is no lighted lamp, Fan Xian is in this darkness calmly thinking, one by one to sort out his plan, thinking, thinking, can not help but bitterly smile, stay what you do is certainly politically naive, in terms of style is barbaric, just …… His Majesty, the Emperor, let himself have full authority to deal with this matter, it can be seen that His Holiness how much he cared for If one is forced to go to Jiaozhou, what can one do?

If in accordance with the normal way of investigation and separate inquiry …… sailors of the generals are not fools, naturally will not recognize this will be copied and destroyed the crime, and once the military and the Supervisory Yuan confrontation, the army is very easy to slide into the explosion of that direction to go, once the mutiny, tens of thousands of sailors officers and soldiers will be Jiaozhou city a siege, Fan Xian and his own men those How can they live?

So there is only risk.

It so happens that today is the big birthday of the governor of the navy, Chang Kun, all the senior generals of the navy are gathered in the city of Jiaozhou, and far away from the pawns under their control, although there are still 10,000 people in the navy of Jiaozhou, but only a few remaining generals are left, and once they start to fight, the connection between the inside and outside of the city is inconvenient, and the response of the navy will be slow for a few beats.

And Fan Xian can also take this opportunity to clean the net of a cadre of generals at the birthday banquet. His appetite had always been this big, except that even Hou Jichang was curious as to where exactly Fan Xian got his confidence.

There was only one of him.

Water Division Governor Chang Kun looked at the guests with a smile on his face, only this smile with a point of reserve, two points of arrogance. Smile because he is in a good mood today, life and more than forty years, smooth sailing, in a high position, which is full of officials inside and outside the city rich merchants have rushed to pat themselves on the back, and even far away in the Jiangnan big shots have also been sent gifts, this complacency, not a smile how to express?

The reason why you can not enjoy to laugh, is the status. As the highest military governor of Jiaozhou, nominal and actual emperor, his words and deeds affect hundreds of thousands of people, had to be careful, had to put on a dignified and solemn look.

Today, this banquet can collect about another hundred thousand taels of silver? Governor Lord in his heart playing a small plan, raised his glass to invite wine, below the full seat of power and wealth have stood up, raised his glass to welcome, mouth praise more than.

Chang Kun’s eyes glanced at the right hand side of the most corner of the seat, looking at the official face indifference Geng look, the heart will be great pain, the official to Jiaozhou has been some days, but not only did not come to honor their own, and even the nominal invitation to peace have not done!

But Changkun still tolerate, even today’s birthday banquet also invited each other over, all because that official’s background let him good scruples.

Hou Jichang, the Jiaozhou official and state magistrate, but a small official from the seventh grade.

Just Hou Jichang’s background is too deep, the world is known, this person is one of the four sons of Fanmen, last year after the spring exam case in the third, even if Changkun as a military officer from the first grade, but also still have to sell the Fan family a face.

What’s more, because of the things in Jiangnan, Chang Kun has always been wary of the Supervisory Yuan, the deep-seated fear can never be eliminated, he is not clear, why the little Lord Fan would arrange his own disciple to this remote Jiaozhou – could the Supervisory Yuan really be suspicious of the Jiaozhou naval division? But the Ming family side should not leak the news, and the old Taijun has died, no one can get the evidence is.

Then in his birthday banquet, Chang Kun end of the wine glass, thoughts but drifted to other places …… that island did not leave a living mouth, out of the people are also their own beloved generals, those soldiers every day shut in the tent, there should not be any problem.

Looking at the governor of the Lord end of the wine glass dazed, below the seat of the guests look at each other, do not know what happened.

Changkun woke up and smiled to himself, his own several wives and children are in Kyoto, I do not know how they live, as for the things in Jiaozhou, even if the court heard some wind, and how can take their own? The Supervisory Yuan has no real evidence, simply do not dare to move themselves this military big brother.

Think clearly about the causes and consequences, re-judged the situation, confirmed their own safety, has been pressed in the heart of chang kun that side of the boulder finally lighter, he nodded to the side of the people, agreed to call the dancers to come in to help the idea of fun.

However, looking at the calm Hou Jichang below the banquet table, Chang Kun was still a bit uncomfortable, he gently coughed twice, felt a bit bulging in his abdomen, said to his subordinates twice, and went to the outhouse at the back of the courtyard.

Fan Xian left Hou Jichang’s home and walked outside the back wall of the bustling Governor’s Mansion, carefully hiding his figure. Just like the high wall of the palace has always been very few soldiers patrolling the general, this governor’s residence as high as two feet outside the back wall, there is no one staring. With the cover of summer night clouds, Fan Xian lightly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, his body’s true qi flowed, and his hands steadily stuck to the gray-painted wall, slightly exerting force, confirming that the thin layer of true qi flowing out of the edge of his palm was still able to play the same role that it had played on the cliffs of Tanya State.

After the overbearing zhenqi exploded inside his body, fortunately, he had Haitang to help heal his wounds, but he was still a little worried that his best Spider-Man skills would be lost with the subtle changes in the zhenqi operation method inside his body.

Fortunately, it was still there.

Like a ghost, Fan Xian silently climbed over the high wall of the Governor’s Mansion and slipped into the grass in the courtyard, easily nudging down the two guards at his back before walking outside the kitchen, taking out the special poison injection tool of the Inspectorate from his pocket, and by virtue of the sharp needle attached to the front of the hose, he poured the prepared psychedelic drug into the sealed wine urn.

Next to an open wine urn, Fan Xian thought, first scooped a mouthful of drink, felt that the taste of the wine is really good, the enjoyment of the Jiaozhou sailors really do not rely on the military pay can support.

Before leaving, he threw a pill in by hand.

Fan Xian stood in the night, looking at the several soldiers outside that square house from afar, and couldn’t help but smile, Chang Kun that guy was really afraid of death, going to the toilet also had to be guarded by someone outside.

He climbed up to the roof from the rear, somewhat annoyed, grabbed his nose and jumped down. The toes landed on the ground, silently. He looked at this thatched room and realized that the thatched room of the governor’s mansion was also this luxurious, even inside and outside, but unfortunately there was no toilet in the outer room, Fan Xian unzipped his pants and began to urinate.

The sound of water ticking, and then in the cubicle squatting toilet that water division Governor Lord was startled.

Changkun this time pants fade to half, is sitting on the chair, chair hollow, below resting on a toilet, appearance although some woe, but his eyes have appeared as a falcon general fierce color.

There is someone outside!

When knowing that someone was able to pass through the layers of defense of the governor’s residence, came to the side of his own side, Changkun’s heart felt a chill, his first reaction was to shout: “There are assassins!”

But he is a smart person, so immediately dead shut his mouth, if the coming person is a killer, then will not deliberately make some noise to alarm themselves, and that person since has the ability to silently to their side, then even if they call out to the guards, I’m afraid that can’t block the other side of the assassination.

So he didn’t send out a word, but just waited nervously, wanting to know the intention of that expert outside.

A very cold one voice came from outside the compartment.

“You had a birthday banquet, why didn’t you invite me as well?”

A hint of ruthlessness flashed across Chang Kun’s face, then he smiled and said, “I don’t know the name of the strong man, where can I send my invitation?”

The cloth curtain in the compartment was lifted, and Fan Xian grabbed his nose with one hand and frowned, looking at the old general’s outgoing demeanor, saying, “You are Chang Kun?”

Chang Kun was very embarrassed and angry, as a first-ranking member of the Qing Kingdom, when had he ever been asked a question in such a situation, not to mention the other party’s tone of questioning was still that condescending and frivolous.

But he knows that now is not the time to be tough, he can clearly feel the danger of this young man on the opposite side, his eyes slightly narrowed and said, “The old man is Chang Kun …… This strong man, can you allow me to wash my hands and then talk?”

“Want to scream?” Fan Xian said with a smile, “It’s useless for you to scream your throat out today.”

Chang Kun frowned tightly and asked, “Who exactly are you?”

“I am Fan Xian.” Fan Xian lowered the curtain and responded through it.

Chang Kun’s heart shook so much that his hands began to tremble …… Fan Xian? How could the hallowed lord of the Supervisory Court’s Tisan, how could he have suddenly come to Jiaozhou, how could he have appeared at his own birthday banquet, how could he …… have appeared in his own family’s outhouse?

Is it really that young killing star outside? Changkun handled it haphazardly on one side, tied the waistband of his pants on the other, and said, “Who on earth are you?”

Knowing the identity of the person who came, Chang Kun knew that today this matter is in trouble, and even he has begun to smell the breath of defeat, forced to calm his mind, one side stalling, one side in the heart of the calculation.

“Meeting in the outhouse is naturally not very comfortable.” Fan Xian outside the curtain said softly, “But for the sake of being invisible, it can only be so.”

Hiding people’s ears? That’s naturally another way of putting it, Chang Kun’s heart felt a bit more at ease, but he didn’t dare to lift the curtain and go out, took a deep breath, and said, “If it’s really Fan Tiji, I wonder what is so important that you’ve come here today?”

“And you talk about a deal.”

“What deal?”

“The deal on the nameless island in the East China Sea.”

The voice outside the curtain gently Yang Yin seepage came in, often Kun such as a lightning strike, dry lips, even the room’s stench can not be smelled, breathing sharply, only one idea in the brain – the court really know, the Supervisory Yuan to do their own!

But after all, he was not a fool, and hearing the slight reversal of meaning in Fan Xian’s words, he gritted his teeth and said, “What you said, this official doesn’t understand.”

“You collude with the Ming family, secretly indulge in pirates to rob the inner treasury merchant ships, and secretly preside over the smuggling …… all the way north toward Dongyi City What I’m going to say is this matter.”

“Hugh to bloody mouth.” Chang Kun, his body in the pit and his heart like a stone in the pit, snapped, deliberately raising his own voice a little to secretly notify the personal guards outside.

Fan Xian didn’t seem to have detected his small mind, and scoffed, “You yourself know clearly if you’re a bloodthirsty person.”

Chang Kun snapped, “Take the evidence to, you Supervisory Yuan will not want to frame into the crime …… old man is not what kind of good men and women, I Jiaozhou sailor is not the Kyoto pussy officials, if there is no real evidence to want to fool around, beware of making a mess of the bad end.”

Although Fan Xian was notorious, but Chang Kun’s men, who were over ten thousand iron blooded soldiers, were indeed not very afraid of him.

“It doesn’t matter whether I believe in your charges or not, and it doesn’t matter whether the people’s officials in this world believe in them or not,” Fan Xian’s voice outside the curtain took on a hint of indifference, “the key is that His Majesty believes in your charges, or else why would he let me come to Jiaozhou to handle the case.”

Chang Kun’s heart beat violently, struck down by Fan Xian’s words. As long as His Majesty believed in the problems of the Jiaozhou sailors, then with His Majesty’s methods, even if he didn’t use the rule of law of the state to rule himself, there were still ways to make his life worse than death. Chang Kun was also a veteran general who had accompanied the Qing Emperor on his three northern expeditions back then, and the admiration and fear of the Qing Emperor could never be brushed away from his heart.

Fan Xian outside the curtain continued his attack, “In this world, there are not many people …… who can save you …… except me.”

Chang Kun sat back on his chair with his butt, his eyes narrowed slightly, his eyes turning rapidly, and only after a long time did he sigh and say, “What exactly does the Governor …… want?”

Chang Kun is the water division governor, from the first grade of the official, Fan Xian, although the authority of the world does not think of the second person, but the Supervisory College is a grade without grade, so the beginning of the cottage conversation, Chang Kun always pinch this point, refused to fall in the momentum of half a point of the wind, but at this time began to call Fan Xian for the Division of the Lord, since it is the heart of the defense began to loosen up.

There is no silence for a long time, Fan Xian asked softly outside the curtain: “I have always had a great suspicion …… that your relationship with the Ye family is not as deep as this, and Yan Xiaoyi’s relationship is not good, and even in the past history, and Her Highness the Princess can not be involved in the relationship, although your status is high, and although the strength is strong …… but in the Junshan Society, you can still only be a part timer’s role, so I am very curious as to who your true master is …… who would authorize you to mobilize the court’s army to help the Ming family and to secretly communicate with Dongyi City.”

Chang Kun closed his mouth, a sinister face, dead refused to answer, Fan Xian said these words, indeed these years Jiaozhou sailors have done things, just no matter what, he will not answer, these charges once the truth, not to mention Fan Xian, even if it is the Empress Dowager’s horse, it is impossible to save the lives of their own full family.

“I won’t say anything to the top.” Fan Xian smiled, “In this situation, you can only trust me …… I’m really just curious, whether you die or not, and whether your entire family will be buried with you or not, it doesn’t do me any good.”

Chang Kun still can not say, he sneered and gritted his teeth and said, “Am I a fool …… Titus Lord, what is the relationship between these things and our family’s Jiaozhou sailor? If you have evidence, you can take the sword of the son of heaven in the tent to capture me on the spot, the water division 10,000 officers and soldiers fart do not dare to put a …… but if you do not have evidence, do not block me in this smelly place to chat again.”

He said grimly, “Little Fan Ta-Jen, today Lao Fu birthday banquet, if you are willing to give mercy, the banquet can drink two cups, as for chatting or just, when, you Supervisory Yuan to get the evidence, and then come back to Lao Fu is not late.”

Fan Xian sighed outside the curtain.

Chang Kun squinted a bit inside the curtain.

Fan Xian sighed and said, “Yes, Jun is a first grade officer, even the Supervisory Yuan can’t claim you for questioning without a special decree……. As for evidence, you guys killed cleanly, even if there are one or two survivors, you can’t be lifted off this big military man… …As for the Ming family, Ming Lao Taijun, who knew about your relationship with them, also coincidentally died …… You’re right, looking at it, I really don’t have any evidence in my hands.”

His voice looked a little sad: “His Majesty definitely does not want you to stay in the Jiaozhou Marine Division any longer, but there is too much resistance from the imperial court to mobilize you …… The Supervisory Court does not have any evidence …… You said, how can I make you disappear in Jiaozhou? ”

Chang Kun was stunned, suddenly feeling an extremely absurd sense of danger, and at the same time shocked as to why the proctors outside hadn’t rushed in yet.

Fan Xian finally sighed, “Since you refuse to accept this deal, then I have no choice …… I have to choose the most direct, and also the most absurd one.”

After saying these words, the pupils of Chang Kun’s eyes shrunk, staring at the cloth curtain in front of him like he was seeing a very strange sight.

The green colored cloth curtain was like a piece of flat soil, but suddenly a bamboo shoot was born, the embroidered shoot was not green but black, arching the green colored cloth curtain towards his chest.

Changkun panicked, angry, stupid, but could not move, had to watch the scene, watched the tip of the black dagger tore through the green curtain of the soft block, hissed in front of his face, poof deeply into his chest!

In the moment before death, Chang Kun died and opened those eyes, his heart flashed through countless questions and incomprehension, why the true qi in his body suddenly flowed so unsmooth, why his limbs are numb and soft, why …… the Supervisory Yuan dared to assassinate himself!

He was the governor of Jiaozhou’s navy! Himself is the local emperor of Jiaozhou! Himself has ten thousand officials and soldiers under him! Your own death will cause the world to be shocked, and will cause the ministry pawns to riot!

He is a first-ranking official of the court, how dare the Supervisory Yuan assassinate him!

In the official politics of the Qing Dynasty, although the Supervisory Yuan is good at assassination, but under the strong suppression of the Qing Dynasty Emperor, it never dares to use this kind of tactic on the bodies of high-ranking officials, because the Qing Dynasty Emperor is clear that, once the precedent is set, the whole country will be plunged into chaos!

So Chang Kun earlier in the middle of the hut remained calm and not very afraid, he expected Fan Xian could not just kill himself without a head, he did not dare!

But …… Chang Kun looked down at the black dagger on his chest, and the corner of his lips pulled up a miserable smile.

Fan Xian retrieved the dagger, very simply wiped the blood stains on the green curtain, inserted it back into his boot, looked at the blood-covered Governor Chang Kun on the chair inside the curtain, and couldn’t help but shake his head. Not bad, even the Emperor of Qing would not dare to assassinate a military grand old man without any proof, but …… he himself is not the Emperor, he has to rush back to Tanyuzhou to see his grandmother, where is the time to spend in this shitty place in Jiaozhou.