Dimension Demon's Chat Group

Chapter 377 Undercurrents (Part 2)

Yun Ye shrugged and said, "That's exactly how it was written in the part of the script I received!"

"As for what other schemes are behind this, only Lao Fan and Chen Pingping know!"

Su Haoming complained, "To be honest, I really don't understand. Old Fan now has the power to govern a country by himself, so why does he still need to plot in secret? Why not just use violence to overthrow the regime?"

"How can it be so simple?"

He Jingfeng shook his head and said softly, "If Fan Xian only wants to avenge Ye Qingmei, then of course he can do it. But if he intends to protect his family and compete for the throne, then he needs to think it over carefully!"

"After all, it's easy to rule a country, but difficult to pacify the people's hearts!"

Su Haoming thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "That's true. Although Emperor Qing is tyrannical and self-destructive, he is still considered a wise ruler by most people, and his prestige is extremely high, making him difficult to overthrow..."

"What the hell is this!"

Hearing their conversation, Yun Ye couldn't help but roll his eyes and said irritably:
"Stop guessing. To tell you the truth, Lao Fan only started planning this and never expected to become this strong now."

"Although he now has the power to overturn the table, the plan has been in place for half a year, so he might as well bite the bullet and continue. It's not as complicated as you think!"

Su Haoming & He Jingfeng: "..."

After regaining his composure, Su Haoming coughed to ease the awkwardness and asked, "So, according to the script, what's the next step?"

Yun Ye laughed and said, "Of course, I'm going to Kyoto to see Dean Chen!"

Su Haoming's eyes lit up: "Together?"

Yun Ye laughed and said, "Sure, I have no objection!"

The four quickly reached a consensus and immediately used their respective methods to fly into the sky and head north.

After they left, dozens of urgent messengers also departed from the city.

The Censorate had the largest number of members, with the remainder consisting of important officials from various courts and powerful families.

The following morning, messengers arrived in Kyoto after several transfers, carrying badges from the four branches of the Censorate, and were about to enter the city to deliver the message.

The soldiers guarding the city saw the waist tag and dared not stop him. They immediately let him into the city and allowed him to ride his horse at full speed, galloping towards the Censorate.

Not long after, the messenger burst into the Overwatch Council.

A middle-aged man dressed in a purple official robe, with neat hair and beard, and an unsmiling demeanor, stood in the room, staring in horror at the exhausted messenger in front of him.

"What did you say?!"

"Another grandmaster has emerged in the world?!"

The messenger, forcing himself to stay awake, knelt on one knee and said in a strained voice, "My lord, yesterday's battle was witnessed by many people on the riverbank. When the two masters clashed, the river was turbulent, and there was absolutely no falsehood in it!"

The middle-aged man hurriedly asked, "And what was the result?"

The messenger swallowed hard, a trace of shock still lingering in his eyes.

"Master Ye...has been defeated!"

"And it was just one move!"

what? !

The middle-aged man was shocked again, as if he couldn't believe the news he had just heard.

The messenger took out a secret letter from his bosom, presented it with both hands, and said with his last breath:
"The details are all written in the letter, which you may read yourself..."

After saying this, the messenger collapsed to the ground and fell fast asleep.

The middle-aged man picked up the secret letter that had fallen to the ground, summoned his colleagues, and asked them to take the messenger to rest. Then he put away the secret letter, left the study, and walked deeper into the Censorate.

Before long, he arrived at a room at the deepest part of the Censorate.

Pushing open the door, an elderly man with a thin face, fine wrinkles around his eyes, and no beard came into view.

At this moment, he was sitting in a specially made black wheelchair, with a wool blanket covering his legs, raising his eyebrows as he looked at the middle-aged man who pushed open the door.

"...Ruohai?"

"What's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?"

The old man smiled and waved his hand behind him.

A mysterious man dressed in a black robe and wearing a black mask stepped forward, turned the wheelchair around, and faced Yan Ruohai, the host of the four-way meeting.

"Master Dean!"

Yan Ruohai first bowed respectfully, then quickly stepped forward, took out the secret letter from his pocket, and handed it to Chen Pingping, the world-renowned director of the Supervisory Yuan, who was in a wheelchair.

As Chen Pingping reached out to take it, Yan Ruohai spoke quickly and succinctly: "Jiangnan has come to inquire that another grandmaster has emerged in the world, and yesterday on Qujiang River, he defeated Ye Liuyun, who is also a grandmaster."

"..."

Chen Pingping frowned slightly, glanced at Yan Ruohai expressionlessly, then lowered his head, quickly opened the secret letter, and began to read it at a glance.

He quickly finished reading the secret letter and let out a soft breath.

"A grandmaster who defeated Ye Liuyun in one move..."

"This news cannot be hidden, nor can it be hidden any longer!"

"Ruohai, put aside all the work for now. Immediately reseal this secret letter and hand it to His Majesty. Tell him it's firsthand information from Jiangnan, and only the two of us have seen it."

"Yes!"

Yan Ruohai respectfully accepted the order, immediately put away the secret letter, and turned to leave.

After Yan Ruohai's figure disappeared into the corridor outside the room, Chen Pingping smiled and immediately turned to the black-robed man behind him, saying:
"Young Master Yun truly lives up to his title as a divine ruler of the heavens. Even the four grandmasters who have dominated the world for decades are no match for him!"

"You flatter me, Dean!"

The man in the black robe smiled, raised his hand, and removed his mask, revealing a handsome face.

"A mere Grandmaster? Let alone Brother Fan, who has already embarked on the path of immortality, even the experts under Brother Fan's command could probably defeat him easily, right?"

"Young master, you are mistaken!"

Chen Pingping smiled and shook his head, saying, "Their current fortune is all due to the celestial destiny of Baiyujing. How can they be compared to a true divine lord like you, young master?"

As he spoke, he braced himself on the armrests and stood up directly from the wheelchair, looking at his perfectly intact legs with a complex and emotional expression:

"Even my old bones owe a great debt to Bai Yujing, which allowed me to stand up and be a person again!"

That's right. Back when the Treasure Pavilion developed the Super Serum, Fan Xian bought one for Chen Pingping, and it was a version with enhanced physical healing abilities.

Thanks to the super serum, Chen Pingping not only recovered from her leg injury, but also her precious child, which she had lost in her childhood, regenerated under the power of self-healing.

Without a doubt, Chen Pingping was extremely excited when he first discovered that his limbs had recovered.

Humans are such creatures that physical defects are often reflected in their inner selves.

No matter how strong one's will is, or how indifferent one may seem on the surface, there will still be a deep-seated sense of inferiority about one's own imperfections.

Until the serum was injected, Chen Pingping's body healed itself, his limbs recovered, and his entire demeanor changed. He even couldn't help but proudly say to Fan Xian—

"I'm a man now!"

Such a drastic change left Fan Xian at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

However, seeing Chen Pingping so excited, he was genuinely happy for this elder.

Getting back to the point, seeing Chen Pingping stand up from her wheelchair, Yun Ye casually placed the mask on the table, leaned back against the edge, and asked with a smile, "What do you want me to do next?"

"Not in a hurry!"

Chen Pingping chuckled, "The Overwatch Council is already building momentum for Fan Xian. Young Master, please wait in the capital for a few days. Once rumors spread and the people are discussing it, I will find an opportunity for you..."

"What about us?"

Before he finished speaking, Su Haoming and the other two emerged from the shadows of the secret room.

Chen Pingping's gaze swept over the three deities who also hailed from Baiyujing, and he smiled slightly:

Don't worry, everything will be alright!

……

……

Rewind a little, and just as Yun Ye and Ye Liuyun were drinking together in the middle of the river, a rumor that had been brewing for many days finally broke out throughout the capital.

In a teahouse on Tianhe Street, the storyteller on stage was still telling his story with great enthusiasm.

The crowd below the stage were whispering amongst themselves, their expressions rather strange.

Upon closer listening, it became clear that their conversation concerned Fan Xian, who was thousands of miles away.

"Have you heard? Little Fan the Poet is actually the offspring of the former master of the Ye family!"

"what?!"

"Hush~ Brother, be careful what you say!"

Upon hearing this, a middle-aged scholar in the private room quickly spoke up to stop him, saying in a low voice, "This matter is just a rumor after all, and nothing has been confirmed yet. We can't just spread rumors!"

The scholar beside him nodded repeatedly, whispering in agreement, "Yes, the origin of this news is suspicious. It has spread throughout the city in just a few days. There must be someone stirring things up behind the scenes. I think that perhaps someone is trying to frame Lord Fan..."

"False accusation?" The first person to speak scoffed and shook his head, saying, "I don't think so!"

"The Ye family committed treason back then. If Lord Fan really has no connection with the mistress of the Ye family, then why haven't the Fan family and the Minister come forward to clarify this matter yet?"

"Furthermore, Young Master Fan is a man of exceptional literary talent and is known as the Immortal Poet. With such talent, even without the support of his elders, he could still rise to prominence and be appointed as a high-ranking official!"

"But he was willing to give up his official career to join the Control Yuan and take over the money-grubbing Imperial Treasury."

"Such behavior is truly baffling. Don't you all find it strange?"

After a series of seemingly complimentary but actually critical remarks, the scholars and literati in the elegant seats fell into deep thought.

"Yes, Young Master Fan's actions are indeed somewhat difficult to understand."

"But if this news is true, then everything makes sense!"

"The older folks in Kyoto all know that the predecessor of the Imperial Treasury was the Ye family's business, which was once the wealthiest in the world. Later, the Ye family rebelled, and the business was seized by the court. That's when it was renamed the Imperial Treasury and became the property of the royal family."

"So, it seems that Young Master Fan's actions are not truly driven by greed for money, but rather by a desire to reclaim his family's assets..."

The crowd whispered among themselves, some gloating and kicking him while he was down, while others looked on with pity and tried to exonerate Fan Xian.

The myriad aspects of human nature are clearly revealed in the elegant seats of this teahouse.

"boom!"

Just then, a scholar in white slammed his teacup onto the table.

Everyone was startled and couldn't help but turn around. They saw the scholar standing tall, his brows furrowed and his eyes cold, angrily saying, "Young Master Fan is currently promoting our national prestige in Northern Qi, yet you all dare to slander him here. You are truly shameless and utterly shameless!" "I, Yang, a gentleman, am ashamed to share a room with you all!"

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and left the teahouse without looking back.

Seeing this, many scholars and even ordinary people below were stunned and didn't know how to respond.

For a moment, the entire teahouse fell silent.

Only the storyteller on the stage continued to tell his story, gritting his teeth and persevering.

The scholars who had been confronted by the scholar all turned red with anger, trembling with rage, and couldn't help but shout in a trembling voice:
"Madman...Madman!"

The group looked at each other, and then fell silent.

The atmosphere in the teahouse became tense.

While everyone was still immersed in the scholar's impassioned words, another young scholar, who had been listening for a long time, looked left and right and finally couldn't help but ask:

"Gentlemen, which Ye family are you referring to?"

"Could it be the Ye from Grandmaster Ye Liuyun?"

After he finished speaking, everyone finally relaxed from the tense atmosphere.

The older people looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

They were all just a bunch of greenhorns; they didn't even know about the once-famous Ye Family Trading Company!
A scholar, who appeared to be around forty or fifty years old, stroked his beard and said with a light laugh:

"The Ye family, they were once the number one merchant family in the world!"

The people around nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, it's the Ye family that makes glass and sells it like silver!"

Another older man stepped forward and said, "And the spirits, soaps, and perfumes were also produced by the Ye family..."

"It's a pity that the perfume has been discontinued for more than ten years, so I guess you've never had the chance to smell it."

As more and more people join the discussion, those deeply buried memories of the past are gradually awakening.

Everyone began to recall the various inventions and creations of the Ye family, piecing together the changes the Ye family had brought to the Qing Kingdom in the past.

At this moment, the young scholar, who was previously unaware of the Ye family's glorious history, seemed to recall his childhood memories.

He stood up excitedly, gesturing wildly as he exclaimed, "I remember now! I remember now! The Ye family! The Ye family that makes firecrackers! I used to play with them when I was a kid!"

Hearing the young man's excited voice, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

But soon, the crowd fell silent, as if they felt a sense of loss.

So much time has passed since those events, and time flies by like a white horse galloping past a crack in the wall, that many people have almost forgotten that once dazzling name.

Only now, as they revisit the Ye family business, do they realize that the Ye family's inventions and creations had unknowingly changed the entire Qing Kingdom, and even the whole world!
In the silence, a scholar in the corner glanced at the expressions on everyone's faces and suddenly said, "Since the Ye family was able to grow to such a large scale back then, why did they suddenly rebel and get wiped out by the imperial court?"

"I think it's possible that the imperial court took advantage of the Ye family's weakness to seize the family property of that widow and her orphan!"

Everyone was startled upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Brother, please be careful what you say!"

The scholar snorted coldly and said, "What's there to be afraid of? If the court does it, why can't we speak out?"

The group exchanged awkward glances, none of them daring to respond.

The scholar pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "As far as I know, the Ye family was not just a simple merchant family back then. Does anyone here remember the stone tablet at the entrance of the Censorate?"

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this, and they couldn't help but frown and ponder.

A moment later, many people's expressions changed drastically, as if they had realized something, and they exclaimed in unison:
"Could it be that the person who said that... Ye Qingmei, is the mistress of the Ye family?!"

The scholar smiled and whispered mysteriously, "I've heard that the Ye Family Business has a close relationship with the Censorate. When the Censorate was first established, all its income was provided by the Ye Family Business."

He paused here, seemingly worried about being implicated, and then added:
"Of course, these are just legends, and I heard them from my elders, so they don't count!"

Although he said it didn't count, everyone else took it differently.

"No wonder...no wonder Lord Fan was willing to give up his noble literary reputation and risk tarnishing his own image to work in the Censorate. It turns out that the Censorate, like the Imperial Treasury, has a great connection with him..."

While the crowd was still whispering, the teahouse owner couldn't sit still any longer.

People like him who run teahouses are the center of public opinion. They are not afraid of officials or the imperial court, and they have the audacity to let their customers gossip about the powerful and wealthy in the teahouse. However, they are terrified of the Censorate and avoid it at all costs.

The teahouse owner immediately wiped away his cold sweat and came over, whispering, "Gentlemen, could you please keep your voices down? If the officials from the Censorate hear this, how am I supposed to keep my small business running?"

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, finally changing the subject and saying no more.

……

……

That afternoon, in the Imperial Palace, in the Imperial Study.

Emperor Qing, dressed in a loose-fitting white brocade robe, stood before the desk with his hands behind his back, his eyes cold as ice, filled with barely contained rage.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?!"

Before him, Chen Pingping sat in his black wheelchair, looking at him calmly and saying, "Aside from Wu Zhu, the only people in this world who know about Fan Xian's background are me, Fan Jian, Fan Xian, Fei Jie, and Old Madam Fan."

"In my opinion, none of these five people could possibly have leaked this information..."

"Is that so?" Emperor Qing sneered. "Then who could it be? Could it be me?"

"This humble servant dares not!"

Chen Pingping bowed his head in submission and apologized to Emperor Qing.

Emperor Qing said coldly, "Don't try that on me!"

"Tell me, what has the Control Yuan found out?!"

Chen Pingping raised his head, paused for a moment, and slowly said, "The Eldest Princess is the most suspicious."

Li Yunrui?
Emperor Qing was taken aback upon hearing this, then stared intently at Chen Pingping and said in a completely emotionless tone:
"She's dead!"

Although Emperor Qing's tone was calm, Chen Pingping, knowing him as he did, could still hear the raging anger hidden beneath his calm exterior and the faint fear emanating from the depths of his soul.

The reason is simple: after Fan Xian banished Princess Li Yunrui from the country, he eliminated this madman-like enemy on the road under the guise of heavenly thunder.

The news shocked the entire nation.

The people were gloating, believing that it was divine retribution.

However, the high-ranking officials and members of the royal family of Qing Kingdom did not have such leisure time.

Especially Emperor Qing.

After examining Li Yunrui's body and confirming that she had been struck by lightning, Emperor Qing's expression turned extremely grim, and he did not attend court for three full days afterward.

Even three days later, when Emperor Qing returned to court, he remained tight-lipped about the matter.

This can be seen from the fact that he has not yet issued an edict to hold a funeral for the eldest princess.

Everyone in the court knew that the Eldest Princess had become a thorn in Emperor Qing's side, so they dared not mention her in front of him.

Now, Chen Pingping's bold and outspoken words have intensified Emperor Qing's already suppressed anger, which is about to erupt.

Without a doubt, if Chen Pingping cannot provide a coherent explanation, he will likely face this wrath.

Even so, Chen Pingping's expression remained unchanged, and he calmly said, "The Eldest Princess did indeed die from divine punishment on her way back, but the power she left behind still exists, and her spies from back then have long since submitted to others..."

"..."

Emperor Qing frowned slightly and slowly said, "You mean... the second prince?"

Chen Pingping calmly said, "The Second Prince and the Eldest Princess secretly colluded to plot the assassination in Niulan Street. This matter might have been able to be hidden before the Eldest Princess's death, but after her death..."

Chen Pingping didn't say anything, but Emperor Qing understood his meaning.

As the saying goes, to judge a person, don't look at what they say, but at what they do.

Although the eldest princess had always expressed her support for the crown prince during her lifetime, after her death, only a small portion of her remaining forces chose to side with the crown prince, while the rest were almost all taken over by the second prince.

In this way, anyone with discerning eyes would naturally know the princess's true stance.

Fan Xian is so intelligent; if he were to return from Northern Qi, he would certainly be able to see it too.

Emperor Qing said expressionlessly, "According to you, the second prince was worried that Fan Xian would find out about this, so he took the initiative to spread the information he learned from Li Yunrui's remnants?"

"Yes."

"Is there any evidence?"

"..."

Chen Pingping remained silent, but reached into his robes, pulled out a secret letter, and handed it to Emperor Qing.

Emperor Qing frowned as he took the book, and after reading it, his expression immediately turned ugly.

"Humph!"

"That second son of mine is truly a headache!"

Emperor Qing snorted coldly, his face showing anger.

Judging from his behavior, this secret letter is highly credible.

In fact, this is indeed the truth as discovered by the Control Yuan's investigation.

Because Fan Xian's background wasn't spread by Chen Pingping, but rather by him deliberately stirring things up and spending several months enticing the Second Prince to spread it on his own!
After calming his anger slightly, Emperor Qing turned to Chen Pingping and said:

"How did Li Yunrui find out about Fan Xian's background?"

Chen Pingping smiled slightly: "Does Your Majesty still remember Zhu Ge?"

Emperor Qing frowned and asked, "Is that the former head of the First Division of the Censorate who was won over by Li Yunrui?"

Chen Pingping nodded and said, "Although Zhu Ge committed suicide after the incident, he had already revealed many secrets to the Eldest Princess before his death, and Fan Xian's background might be one of them..."

Emperor Qing narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a cold voice, "Didn't you just say that only five people knew about this?"

"How did Zhu Ge know that?"

"Of course I guessed it." Chen Pingping sighed. "Although Zhu Ge can't see the big picture, he is one of the best in the Control Yuan when it comes to handling affairs."

"Furthermore, he was the head of the First Division of the Censorate, which was responsible for supervising officials in the capital. He was most adept at deducing officials' secrets and conspiracies from the slightest clues."

"After Fan Xian arrived in the capital, the various actions and attitudes of me, His Majesty, and Fan Jian aroused his suspicions, leading him to speculate about the identity of Fan Xian's birth mother..."

As he spoke, Chen Pingping took out a secret letter from his bosom and presented it to Emperor Qing.

"This is a confidential catalog that Zhu Ge once reviewed before his death. Judging from this catalog, it can be confirmed that he did indeed secretly investigate the relationship between Ye Qingmei and Fan Jian!"

(End of this chapter)