Chapter 388: Well-deserved reputation (two in one)
Fan Xian glanced at her with contempt.
"Are you deaf or do you not understand what people are saying? You have the nerve to ask me, but I am too lazy to answer. Lord Shen said before that you are an old man in the palace. In my opinion, you are not. You are just a shameless old man in the palace!"
Shen Zhong groaned and frowned. If Fan Xian had only scolded the nanny, he would not care. But his words implied that he did not take the reputation of the Northern Qi royal family seriously, which was a bit arrogant. However, he still did not say anything, because the old hag did not give him a chance. Never mind, it was not obvious anyway, so he pretended that he did not hear anything. Thinking of this, Shen Zhong silently put his hand down.
"you!!!"
The old lady was so angry that she was about to explode. In all these years, she had never been humiliated so bluntly. She was so angry that her voice trembled.
"How can we allow a southern barbarian like you to act so recklessly on our territory?"
This old fish-eyed man relied on his seniority in the palace and only knew the depth of the Houhai Sea, but had no idea of the depth of the world. He gritted his old worm teeth, puffed up his old cheeks, and waved his old withered tree palms, and actually slapped Fan Xian in the face!
With a snap, Fan Xian accurately grasped the old woman's wrist, exerted a little force to make it difficult for her to move, and tilted his head to look at her coldly.
"Let go! Let go!"
The old woman felt frightened by Fan Xian's look, but she still stubbornly shouted and struggled hard to pull her wrist back.
Fan Xian naturally refused to give in, and the two sides remained in a stalemate.
Shen Zhong first looked at the nanny and scolded her softly.
"Mommy!"
Then he forced a smile and looked at Fan Xian.
"Master Fan, look at this..."
Fan Xian glanced at him coldly and snorted. When the old woman tried to pull back his wrist again, he suddenly let go of it. His wrist was freed, but the old woman had used too much force and had no time to stop. She slipped, screamed, and fell to the ground on the yellow earth of the official road with a thud.
The women who were forced to stop behind her couldn't help but exclaim, but no one dared to step forward.
"For the sake of Lord Shen, I will not bother with you this time. If you dare to speak nonsense again, I will make sure you break your old teeth and cut off your tongue!"
Shen Zhong looked at Fan Xian speechlessly, then quickly bent down to help the old lady on the ground.
Mei Cheng'an turned her head to glance at Si Lili. When the old lady fell down, she subconsciously opened her mouth and a trace of worry flashed in her eyes. Mei Cheng'an glanced at the old lady and gave Si Lili a look. Do you know her?
Si Lili noticed his gaze, hesitated for a moment, and nodded slightly.
It turned out that this old maid was indeed an elderly person with great qualifications and status in the Northern Qi Palace. When Si Lili lived in the Northern Qi Shangjing Palace as a child, she had been served by her for a long time. This time, the young Northern Qi emperor felt sorry for her suffering in Nanqing, and was afraid that she would suffer too much grievances from Nanqing officials along the way, so he ordered the old maid to rush to the border to pick her up, hoping that Si Lili would recuperate well.
A hint of realization flashed across Mei Cheng'an's eyes. No wonder this old lady looked down on everyone except Si Lili, showing care and protection. It turned out that she was half one of his own. It would be bad to let this old lady be dealt with by Shen Zhong like that. Even if she didn't know anything, at least she was kind to Si Lili. However, the plot had changed a lot from before, and that scene might not happen again. Thinking of this, he nodded to Si Lili imperceptibly and gave her a reassuring look.
The two exchanged glances without expression, and Shen Zhong helped the old lady up. The old lady was frightened by Fan Xian's cold threat and dared not bark at him anymore. She vented her anger at Shen Zhong who helped her up, and suddenly threw her sleeves to break free from his support, roaring in grief and anger.
"Just watch..."
As she spoke, she wanted to point her finger at Fan Xian, but she paused halfway and then put it down, continuing to look at Shen Zhong's wailing.
"Is it not possible for this villain to commit crimes openly in our territory?"
Shen Zhong raised his hand to comfort him, but Fan Xian snorted.
"Is humiliating the chief envoy of the diplomatic corps humiliating the Qing Kingdom? If the war breaks out again, will you, an old hag, be held responsible?"
"you you!"
The old lady was so angry that she couldn't speak.
It was not easy for Shen Zhong to say something, so he took this opportunity to wave to the middle-aged maids brought by the old nanny behind him.
"Hurry up!"
A maid stepped forward immediately, patted the old nanny's arm, which was pointed at Fan Xian in the air, and whispered advice.
"Mammy, calm down, calm down, help Mammy away quickly."
The maid responded by supporting the old lady's arm and walked away. The old lady did not insist on staying. No matter how stupid she was, she could see that no one would stand up for her in this place, and she had to endure this grievance whether she wanted to or not.
The old lady pointed her finger at Fan Xian repeatedly and muttered intermittently as she was dragged away.
"I'm so angry, this thief is too arrogant..."
Fan Xian folded his arms and looked at her calmly. He had already said everything he needed to say, and it would be cheap to argue with her any further.
As soon as the old nanny left, the group of women surrounding Si Lili at the back naturally started to move forward again. Fan Xian and Shen Zhong, who were in the middle of the road, took a step back and made room. Mei Chengan followed a step later and stood aside, quietly watching Si Lili walk past him with a dignified manner, walk away, and finally enter the pass and disappear.
Sniffing the fragrance left by the beautiful woman as she passed by, Mei Cheng'an squinted his eyes and looked at the pass, a little dazed.
Suddenly a heavy voice sounded from the side, waking him up.
"Master Fan, Master Mei?"
Mei Chengan came back to his senses and turned to look at him.
Fan Xian looked at Shen Zhong and asked.
"What's wrong, Lord Shen? It's time for us to set off."
Shen Zhong paused, then smiled and nodded.
"Yes, yes, it's time to set off. His Majesty is anxious to see you two."
Hearing this, Fan Xian was startled and subconsciously glanced at his fellow villager.
Mei Cheng'an shrugged at him, indicating that he didn't understand either.
Fan Xian stretched out his fingers and drew a line in front of himself and Mei Cheng'an, then turned to Shen Zhong and asked in a puzzled tone.
"In a hurry to see us? Why?"
Shen Zhong didn't mean to say more and smiled slightly.
"You will know when you arrive in Shangjing."
Seeing that he didn't want to talk, Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and didn't ask any more questions.
Shen Zhong glanced at the two of them and suddenly let out a sound.
"By the way, Master Fan, how is Dean Chen these days?"
Fan Xian replied calmly.
"It's okay."
"Ow..."
Shen Zhong's face showed realization. After a brief thought, he raised his hand and gently pulled Fan Xian's arm. At the same time, he glanced at Mei Cheng'an and said softly.
"Come on, my two lords, let's talk for a moment."
Fan Xian did not resist, and Mei Cheng'an followed quietly. Shen Zhong led the two of them directly to a corner outside the fence and stopped.
"Does Dean Chen have any instructions for you two to come this time?"
Fan Xian was stunned for a moment, glanced at his fellow villager who was standing beside him with his hands behind his back, then pulled a finger out from his arm and pointed in the direction of Shangjing.
"Go to Yan Bingyun, Lord Shen doesn't know this?"
Shen Zhong gave him a reproachful look.
"Of course I know this, but... nothing else?"
There was a tentative look in his eyes, and the only target was Fan Xian. No matter what question Mei Cheng'an heard, his eyes were exceptionally calm. Compared to him, Fan Xian was a little easier to see through, after all, he was the one who had the main say between the two of them.
Fan Xian grinned and looked at him with a smile.
"What else could there be?"
Hearing this, Shen Zhong slowly leaned back. Judging from his body language, he was a little disappointed. He stared at Fan Xian. After thinking for a moment, he smiled again and glanced at Mei Chengan.
"Ah, then I'll make a bold guess. If I guess wrong, Master Fan and Master Mei please don't laugh at me."
Fan Xian smiled slightly but said nothing.
Mei Chengan smiled and stretched out his hand to signal him that he could start. The two people's indifferent reactions made the smile on Shen Zhong's face fade a little. These two young people were not simple, but he was very good at adjusting his mentality. He adjusted it in just a moment, and his smile became bright again. He waved his right hand and gestured and talked freely.
"First of all, of course, we have to take Yan Bingyun back. Then, when Master Xiao returns, Dean Chen will naturally be worried and may secretly order the two of you to find a chance to kill Master Xiao..."
As he spoke, his eyes kept scanning Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian's eyes, hoping to see shock or surprise in them.
However, Mei Cheng'an's eyes remained as calm as the clear blue water of a pond, and even revealed a hint of teasing and smile.
Upon hearing this, Fan Xian couldn't help but recall the scene where Emperor Qing told him to secretly kill Sean. His heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it at all. He smiled slightly and tilted his head.
"continue."
Suspicion flashed across Shen Zhong's eyes. He was not sure whether these two young men were too experienced or he really had made a wrong prediction. However, he would only keep this question in his heart and continue to act out the play as usual.
"Si Lili was personally nominated by His Majesty to be brought back, so this is a good opportunity for us to do something. I will have to arrange for someone to investigate thoroughly on the way back to see if there is anything wrong with Si Lili."
Mei Cheng'an smiled but remained silent.
Fan Xian shrugged, his tone very casual.
"Any more?"
Shen Zhong looked at the two of them and frowned slightly, but because the smile on his face had not diminished, it was not very obvious.
After a moment of drooping eyes, Shen Zhong continued to speak.
"Oh, yes, Yan Bingyun was arrested, but the Supervisory Council has more than one spy in Northern Qi. Could it be that Dean Chen wants the two adults to reorganize the spy network in Shangjing City?"
Fan Xian smiled without saying anything, but he was feeling emotional in his heart. No wonder Chen Pingping told him to be careful of Shen Zhong, this guy really has some ideas.
Mei Cheng'an showed his emotions this time, with a hint of surprise and a smile in his eyes, and glanced at Fan Xian.
"Yan Bingyun has been arrested for a long time, right?"
Fan Xian understood the meaning of the words and said with a smile.
"Two months younger."
Mei Cheng'an looked at Shen Zhong and asked with a surprised tone and a smile.
"It's been so long, hasn't Lord Shen managed to pry out the list of the spy network from Yan Bingyun? How long did it take us to pry out the Beiqi's spy network in our capital?"
The latter question was directed at Fan Xian.
Fan Xian grinned.
"About one night. No, to be exact, it should be less than half an hour. I talked to her for that long."
Mei Cheng'an said "oh", looked at Shenzhong with a smile whose face had gradually changed from stiff to gloomy, shook his head and clicked his tongue.
"From the decisiveness and cruelty of Lord Shen's attack on Sean, there is nothing wrong with Lord Shen's torture methods. It's just that there are some minor problems with the interrogation method. When trying people, you can't just use torture brute force. You should attack their hearts first."
As he spoke, he ignored the darkening face and tried to interrupt Shen Zhong several times, but turned his head to look at Fan Xian.
"We are all in the same industry, so it is necessary to exchange experiences with each other. Later, you can take some time to teach Lord Shen your interrogation skills and learn from him how to be ruthless to your family members. We don't have to use them, but we can't learn how to do it. Only by helping each other can our industry flourish."
Fan Xian burst out laughing.
"Okay, okay. I won't hesitate to ask you questions when the time comes. I hope you can give me some advice."
Mei Chengan clicked his tongue.
"Do you know how to use words? If you don't know how to use them, don't use them randomly."
After pretending to scold, he turned his head and looked at Shen Zhong.
"Master Shen, please forgive me. He has this problem. Sometimes he likes to use the wrong words. Anyway, it's okay as long as you understand what he means."
Shen Zhong looked at the two grinning people with a dark face, clenched his fists tightly with his hands behind his back, took a deep breath, forced a smile on his face, and spoke with a double entendre.
"Understood. No matter what you two want to do in Shangjing, I will accompany you and ensure that you two enjoy it."
Fan Xian chuckled.
"That's a good feeling."
Mei Chengan smiled and said nothing.
Shen Zhong no longer had the mood to continue talking.
"Let's get going. The delegation is right behind us."
After saying that, he raised his foot and walked away.
"Hey, Mr. Shen."
Mei Chengan called him.
He paused and looked back at him.
"Master Mei, do you have anything else to say?"
Mei Chengan smiled.
"We handed over Sean so readily, I'm sure that when we get to Shangjing, Lord Shen will immediately exchange Yan Bingyun to us, right?"
Shen Zhong opened his mouth and was about to say something, but Fan Xian suddenly took over and responded for him.
"Is there any need to say more? We are so cooperative. How can a man like Lord Shen be like a woman and dawdle and hold back? Your question is unnecessary, right, Lord Shen?"
Shen Zhong's face darkened even more, and after forcing out a smile, he flicked his sleeves.
"Let's talk about it when we get to Shangjing!"
Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian watched him leave with a smile on their faces. After he and the Jinyiwei following closely behind him walked a little further away, the smile on Mei Cheng'an's face immediately faded a little, and Fan Xian even put away all his smiles. The two looked at each other.
"This guy surprised me a little. He actually guessed all our missions in Northern Qi almost exactly. He lives up to his reputation!"
Fan Xian's expression became a little serious.
Mei Chengan shrugged.
"The one who can make Chen Pingping specifically remind him is definitely not someone who can be easily dealt with. Let's take it one step at a time. When we get to Shangjing, we will act according to the circumstances and deal with each move as it comes."
Fan Xian thought about it and nodded.
"That's all."
After a pause, he suddenly grinned.
"To be honest, I'm a little excited and looking forward to it."
Mei Cheng'an glanced at him with a smile, shook his head, and walked towards the convoy behind him, and waved to Wang Qinian who was about to meet him.
"Don't wait any longer, just go ahead."
Fan Xian chuckled, looked back at Sean's car which was slowly driving into the pass, put down his arms and shrugged, retracted his gaze, and quickly caught up.
"Let's take the first bus together. It's boring to be alone."
Now that Si Lili is gone, Mei Chengan has no problem with it.
"Right on my mind."
……
Kyoto, Taiping Villa, a small building by the lake.
Emperor Qing, who was leaning on the couch reading a book, suddenly put down the book in his hand, turned his head to look at the old man in the wheelchair below and exclaimed.
"What did you say? Uesugi Tiger is seriously injured?"
(End of this chapter)
