Tonight was destined to be sleepless for many people. Some conversed under lamplight, while others were dragged from their beds and shivered in the wind of the uncertain season between warmth and cold. Fan Shiyuan had always had a temper. Stimulated by this cold wind, he felt goosebumps erupting all over his body. He backhanded a slap across the face of the messenger, watching as the beautiful woman in bed hastily threw on her undergarments in panic. His expression toward the messenger grew increasingly hostile: “You’d better have an extremely urgent matter, otherwise you won’t be leaving through this door today!” He spoke through gritted teeth, without the slightest hint of joking.
But the messenger wasn’t frightened into wetting himself. Instead, he told him with a trace of anxiety and urgency, “My lord, something’s happened! Ma Yuantong and Master Ma have all been captured by Lai Chenglong!”
Fan Shiyuan’s intention to climb back into bed and embrace his beauty was instantly extinguished. He turned his head to look at the messenger and repeated suspiciously, “What did you say?”
The place where Ma Yuantong was hiding had been pointed out by him. It wasn’t at the copper mine or the iron mine—there was only a small coal mine standing there, on the north side of the mountain, where steep cliffs rose everywhere with thousands upon thousands of venomous snakes serving as natural barriers. Unless one was led by an old mountain dweller who had lived in these deep mountain forests for ten or twenty years, there was no way to enter. How did Lai Chenglong get there?
Fan San bent his waist and coughed a few times, then told Fan Shiyuan about how the rumor that the Crown Grandson was about to be cured of his poison had been overheard by Ma Yuantong’s people and reported to Ma Yuantong. At the end, he sighed again: “It’s also because their experience was limited—they just drilled into someone else’s trap like this. Yesterday, Master Ma took people through the secret passage to the county yamen, thinking to eliminate the threat once and for all, but he was caught red-handed. When the Imperial Guards use their methods on this rabble, how could they not be effective? They immediately revealed Ma Yuantong’s hiding place. Only then did Lai Chenglong take people up the mountain and capture Ma Yuantong. Now they say the Crown Grandson’s poison has truly been cured.”
Idiots! Idiots! Fan Shiyuan paced furiously around the room several times and finally couldn’t suppress his anger. With a crash, he overturned the teacup on the table. He turned around viciously and glared at Fan San: “That fellow surnamed Ma isn’t a tough one. Just like you said, this rabble isn’t worth anything in the Imperial Guards’ hands. Who knows if he’ll implicate us?” He thought for a moment, then gave Fan San a meaningful look. The two of them strolled outside: “If that fellow surnamed Ma really says something and the Imperial Guards become aware, then Her Ladyship Liangdi will…”
At this point, he appeared quite agitated. His younger sister had always trusted his elder brother more and had never asked him to do something this significant before. This was the first time he was running errands for his sister. If he didn’t accomplish the task and even dragged his sister down…
Fan San’s head lowered even further. In his heart, he was truly alarmed by his master’s stupidity. Her Ladyship Liangdi had repeatedly instructed in her letter not to have Second Master Fan come, probably because she felt he couldn’t handle major affairs. But Madam Fan had to be sentimental and emotional. Otherwise, wouldn’t the Third Master, though born of a concubine, have been so much better? He could be ruthless and had methods—how could such a blunder have occurred? But though he complained in his heart, he didn’t dare to quit. He still had to smooth things over first. He hastily spoke to console Second Master Fan: “Second Master, don’t worry. Among the Imperial Guards who went along this time, we also have our people. Master Ma has already died—he died before he could reveal those secrets. Only he alone knew. Even Ma Yuantong didn’t know why he insisted the Crown Grandson must die. Don’t panic yourself.”
Right, right. Fortunately, his sister had thought things through and arranged people around the Crown Grandson early on. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to learn of the Crown Grandson’s movements, and that poisoned arrow wouldn’t have been shot so accurately. But that adviser who came from the Secretariat of the Crown Prince had already been rooted out and killed by the Imperial Guards. Now after this incident, Lai Chenglong would definitely watch even more closely.
Second Master Fan felt his brain wasn’t quite adequate. He turned back to look at Fan San and asked him, “Then what do we do now? Although Master Ma won’t expose us, the Crown Grandson’s poison has already been cured. The Imperial Guards will definitely guard more strictly. Won’t we have lost our opportunity to act?”
His sister had said it—Zhou Weizhao absolutely couldn’t be allowed to return to the capital alive to receive rewards. If he let Zhou Weizhao return, how could he expect his sister to value him from then on and arrange an official position for him?
Whenever something happens, all he knows is to ask what to do. Fan San stood to the side with hands hanging down, complaining in his heart, but not daring to show it on his face. He still had to smooth his master’s feathers and think of solutions: “Second Master, don’t be anxious either. Her Ladyship Liangdi not only has people in the Imperial Guards—isn’t there still a nail planted beside the Prince Consort?”
Only then did Fan Shiyuan vaguely remember this matter. He impatiently flicked his sleeves: “Since that’s the case, quickly have him think of a way! Otherwise, if we just let the Crown Grandson recover like this, how will we answer to Her Ladyship when we return, how will we answer to my parents?”
These people always said he was useless compared to his eldest and third brothers. If he couldn’t handle this matter well, who knew how he’d be ridiculed when he returned. Being ridiculed and mocked was secondary—if he couldn’t accomplish this task, he’d probably be in trouble. Just thinking about his elder brother’s gaze and his sister Fan Liangdi’s methods made him shiver involuntarily.
Fan San resignedly lowered his head. He really couldn’t describe what he felt about this master of his. He could only remind him plainly: “When you came, didn’t Madam give you a brocade pouch, saying it was from Her Ladyship Liangdi? Now that things have reached this point, it’s time to use it.”
Oh, there really was such a thing. When he set out, Madam Fan had indeed given him a brocade pouch, saying that if the first plan failed, he should open it and look. He couldn’t wait to rush back to his room and rummage through his bundle, finally finding that somewhat excessively exquisite brocade pouch and pulling out a slip of paper from inside.
Before he finished reading, his face was still full of confusion. After reading, only joy remained. With an expression of accomplished contentment, he beckoned to Fan San and handed him the slip of paper: “You go, find the person mentioned on here. After that, there’ll be no need for us to act ourselves.”
Fan San had far more cunning than him. He reached out to take it and look, then couldn’t help but gasp. No wonder everyone said Her Ladyship Liangdi was ruthless and vicious—wasn’t she truly ruthless and vicious? Having mobilized this group of people, whether the Crown Grandson’s poison was cured or not didn’t matter anymore.