He changed Tiwat

"It's them again..." Han Fulai sighed. Ever since he transmigrated to Liyue, the Fatui have practically been the designated villains of Liyue.

From the moment he assisted Yan Fei in solving the Dong spy case, the Fools were involved in the Battle of Aosai, the Fools were involved in the Shi Po case of Mao Cai Gong, the bombing of the Lantern Festival was planned by the Fools' executive officer, and even Ba Che was released by the Fools... Now, for the sake of choosing Tian Shu Star, the Fools want to get involved too. He really wants to go to the Northern Bank, grab a Fool and yell at him, "Have you guys had enough?!"

Of course, what he didn't know was that the Fatui were also wondering – "No matter what we Fatui do in Liyue, why does that Han Fulai always pop up?"

Yelan thought for a moment and said, "Now we have two paths to take. One of them is to go to Black Rock Factory and wait for the three people that the Fools have planted to return..."

Han Fulai shook his head. "We can disregard this. They won't be going back."

He pointed to the pillar and said, "There are signs of a fight there; I even found bloodstains. Whether it was infighting, a cover-up, or something else, I guess those three 'new miners' won't be back anytime soon. The other side is probably cleaning up the scene to cover up the fight that took place here."

"I see. Then let's take another route..."

Ye Lan smiled, about to say something, when a man's voice suddenly came from afar—

"Lord Yelan! We've finally found you!"

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Final Moves (Part 1)

Hearing the sound, Han Fulai turned his head and saw a burly man rushing towards him.

Upon approaching Ye Lan, the imposing man knelt on one knee, his voice even carrying a hint of a sob: "Lord Ye Lan, sob sob, I thought I would never see you again!"

Looking at the man's burly face and hearing his aggrieved sobbing voice, the contrast was too great, giving Han Fulai goosebumps and even reminding him of the martial arts master Ma Baoguo.

Ye Lan seemed used to it and introduced him to Han Fulai: "This is Wu Pei, who is ranked alongside Wen Yuan and Shang Hua. I asked him to investigate the people Zhi Yi usually associates with. Since Zhi Yi likes fishing, Wu Pei thought he might be familiar with the fishermen and sailors in the area, so he went out to sea by boat to gather information."

Han Fulai recalled the conversation between Wen Yuan and Shang Hua in the Yanshang Tea House yesterday. The two men had once worried about a big guy who couldn't swim, and it seemed they were talking about Wu Pei.

“I left him a note at the Yanshang Tea House, telling him to come find me at the Black Rock Factory when he returned. That way, if the mastermind sets up an ambush at the Black Rock Factory, we won’t be fighting alone.”

"Miss Yelan is indeed very thoughtful." Han Fulai nodded with a smile.

Ye Lan turned to Wu Pei, who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Get up and tell me what you found out at sea."

"……Yes."

Wu Pei slowly stood up, his face full of embarrassment, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at Ye Lan's face.

"Your subordinate is incompetent and has failed to obtain any useful information. We've asked all the fishermen in the area, but none of them have any connection with Zhiyi. Moreover..."

"And?" Ye Lan squinted at Wu Pei.

"...And because the waves were so big, I accidentally fell into the sea and was barely pulled out. When I got back, I heard that you were at the Black Rock Factory, so I rushed over to help without even changing my clothes." Wu Pei looked ingratiating, almost as if he was saying, "I may not have done anything great, but I have certainly put in a lot of effort."

"Sigh." Ye Lan covered her face and sighed. The shrewd and capable image that Wen Yuan and Shang Hua had built up had been completely ruined by Wu Pei.

Han Fulai turned his head away, pretending to look at the scenery.

"By the way, Uncle Tian said that Zhiyi once bought a cookbook from a fisherman. Did you hear about this from those fishermen?" Yelan asked again.

"Ah... I don't know." Wu Pei scratched the back of his head blankly, and after a moment shook his head firmly and said, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! Listen to me, Lord Yelan, I've asked all the fishermen, and most of them don't even know Zhiyi. How could they sell him any recipes?"

“Oh? That’s interesting…” Ye Lan turned to look at Han Fulai, who met her gaze. “Where did that pot of ‘exceptionally delicious’ fish soup come from?”

"Fish soup? What fish soup?" Wu Pei was completely bewildered.

Ye Lan shook her head helplessly, "It's nothing."

“Now that we have a direction, what we need to do is find a breakthrough and find evidence that Zhiyi and the Foolish Clan have been in contact,” Han Fulai said at the opportune moment.

Ye Lan agreed, "That's right. This is the second path I mentioned earlier—tailing. As long as we can catch Zhiyi in the act when he contacts the Fools, the whole conspiracy will be exposed. Wu Pei, what do you think?"

"To be honest, I also tried to follow Zhiyi, but that guy was too cautious and didn't contact any suspicious people." Wu Pei looked dejected.

"It seems that surveillance may not be useful..." Han Fulai pondered.

During yesterday's interview, Zhiyi had already noticed his and Yelan's covert observation, clearly demonstrating a certain level of counter-surveillance ability. Even when he and Yelan personally went to keep watch, they lost track of Zhiyi at the dock. Of course, this was partly due to his lack of professional tracking training, which hindered Yelan's operations.

Even so, Wu Pei's statement proves that surveillance is very difficult... Although Wu Pei accomplished nothing in this mission, he is a trusted subordinate of Ye Lan, suggesting he is a professional. The insights of a professional are still quite valuable.

“No, surveillance is still useful. But some groundwork needs to be laid before surveillance begins,” Ye Lan said.

"What kind of foreshadowing?" Han Fulai asked curiously.

Ye Lan's face revealed an expression familiar to Han Fulai—a smile on her lips, but cold eyes.

"The longer you're involved in intelligence work, the more you'll understand that no one in the world can stay vigilant forever. Especially... when he thinks he's about to win. Tomorrow morning, I'll announce his victory publicly at Yuehai Pavilion. After that, guess what he'll do?"

"I see!" Han Fulai clapped his hands. "The last leg of a journey is the hardest; opening champagne prematurely is a big no-no." What Ye Lan wanted to do was send Zhi Yi a bottle of champagne in advance, to recreate the Istanbul tragedy.

"Deputy Minister Han, please be on time tomorrow morning, or you'll miss the show."

Han Fulai smiled and agreed.

After returning to Liyue Harbor, Yelan led Wupei back to the Rock Tea House to make preparations before parting ways with Han Fulai.

Han Fulai headed straight for Yuehai Pavilion, but this time he wasn't looking for Gan Yu, but Ke Qing.

Ke Qing was currently engaged in a fierce battle with geological and topographical maps in her office. For the sake of her planned Biyue River management project, she was making the most of every moment to memorize the relevant topography and landforms of the Biyue River, so that she could make sound engineering designs based on the actual conditions during on-site investigations.

When Han Fu came to see her, Ke Qing was quite surprised: "I heard from Miss Gan Yu that you were working on the review of candidates for Tian Shu Star. Did you finish so quickly?"

Looking at the numerous blueprints on Ke Qing's table, Han Fulai already knew what Ke Qing was up to. He smiled slightly and said, "Tomorrow I happen to have a mission that requires on-site investigation, which is related to Lord Ke Qing's Biyue River investigation plan. I wonder if Lord Ke Qing could spare some time to go with me?"

"Of course... uh, tell me where you are first, I need to consider whether I have time." Due to their busy work schedules, Han Fulai and Ke Qing hadn't seen each other for several days. Upon hearing Han Fulai's invitation, Ke Qing almost agreed immediately. Although she eventually reverted to her businesslike attitude, her constantly swaying pigtails betrayed her inner eagerness.

“Qingxupu,” Han Fulai replied.

"Qingxupu?" Ke Qing had guessed where Han Fulai wanted to investigate, but she never expected this answer. Qingxupu was indeed part of the Biyue River basin, but it was completely uninhabited, with only ruins from the Demon God War remaining. In terms of the priority of the Biyue River renovation project, Qingxupu was not even on the investigation list.

“Yes. There’s a ‘Qingxupu Redevelopment Plan’ right now.” Han Fulai nodded and recounted the “Qingxupu Redevelopment Plan” proposed by Zhiyi to Keqing in detail. Finally, he said, “Because this matter is of great importance, I implore you to put aside your work and come with me. Consider it… a personal favor I’m asking you to do me. Also… because things might change, I hope you can keep this a secret for now.”

Hearing Han Fulai's sincere request, Ke Qing was actually quite pleased, but a few words in Han Fulai's words immediately aroused her suspicion. Ke Qing blinked and asked, "An unexpected event... a secret... what exactly does this matter concern?"

Han Fulai recalled Ye Lan's words, "If the mastermind sets up an ambush at Black Rock Factory, we won't be fighting alone," and smiled, saying, "It's better to be prepared."

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Final Moves (Part 2)

That evening, Han Fulai sat in his office, repeatedly looking through Zhiyi's stack of planning documents.

Even late into the night, Han Fulai remained seated in his chair, maintaining his "thinker" demeanor, his eyes fixed intently on Zhiyi's planning document, as if trying to read a few more words from between the lines.

During the rainy season, Gan Yu once asked him what he was doing, and Han Fulai only replied with two words.

He said, "To save lives."

The following morning, in front of Yuehai Pavilion.

Qianwei, Mingbo, and Zhiyi gathered at their usual spot again. This time, however, Qianwei had no intention of complaining about being made to stand and wait, because today the chief examiner, Yelan, was going to announce the selection results for Tian Shu Star to them.

All three of them were now focused on Ye Lan's face.

Ye Lan coughed lightly and said, "Now that everyone is here, I should announce the results of this inspection. I don't need to reiterate the importance of Tian Shu Star. Uncle Tian entrusted the important task of inspecting the candidates to me and Vice Minister Han, and we must give him a satisfactory answer..."

Qian Wei clearly had no patience to listen to Ye Lan's opening remarks and interrupted her directly, saying, "There are only a few of us here, so there's no need to hide anything. Just speak."

Mingbo and Zhiyi, along with Qianwei, shared the same opinion and nodded in agreement.

Ye Lan's gaze fell on Qian Wei's face. She smiled and said, "Qian Wei has many innovative ideas, but his attention to detail is lacking, and his personality is prone to causing conflicts with others."

She then turned her gaze to Mingbo: "Mingbo is steady and reliable, but lacks ambition, and his personality makes it difficult for him to win people over."

Qianwei looked annoyed, while Mingbo looked dejected. Both of them turned their gazes to the last candidate beside them.

Zhiyi's expression was very calm, as if nothing Yelan said would surprise him.

"In comparison, Zhiyi is more well-rounded in all aspects and has a good reputation in Liyue. In order to be responsible to all parties, we are going to report Zhiyi's name to the Liyue Seven Stars."

"What!? Where am I inferior to this kid?" Qian Wei could no longer contain his anger and shouted at Zhi Yi.

Mingbo scratched his head, forced a wry smile, and congratulated Zhiyi: "Um... congratulations..."

Zhiyi quickly thanked him: "Thank you. To be honest, I was still a little surprised to hear my name called. But in my opinion, any one of the three of us has the potential to be selected as Tian Shu Star."

He extended his hands to the two of them, his tone sincere: "As competitors, I am well aware of your talents. I wonder if you two would be willing to stay by my side and help me with some of the work?"

Qianwei stared at Zhiyi in astonishment, then finally sighed and lowered his head.

"We'll see. I'm not in a good mood right now and don't want to think about this kind of thing."

He knew that Zhiyi's ability to cultivate his inner strength was far superior to his own.

Mingbo hesitated for a moment, then grasped Zhiyi's hand: "I'm fine... as long as I can get things done..."

Seeing that the candidates seemed to have reached a consensus, Ye Lan nodded and said, "Then I have nothing else to do here. Zhiyi, prepare well. Someone will inform you of your appointment soon. I hope you will do your job seriously and not disappoint Uncle Tian."

Zhiyi placed his hand on his chest, his face solemn and resolute as he declared, "I will not fail in this position. This is the only thing I ask for your trust."

Even though Ye Lan and Han Fulai knew that Zhi Yi was colluding with the Fools, they had to admit that Zhi Yi's performance at this moment was flawless.

"I'll take my leave now, go back and pack up, then we'll go out for a celebratory meal... Anyone want to come?"

Naturally, no one at the scene would join in the fun. Zhiyi cupped his hands in greeting to the group and quickly left.

Ye Lan then gave a wink to her followers who were waiting in the distance. Wen Yuan and the others understood and followed Zhi Yi from a distance.

Qianwei and Mingbo were both sullen, but with Vice Minister Haiting present this month, they didn't dare to act rashly and soon took their leave.

Not long after, Wen Yuan ran back to Yuehai Pavilion and reported to Ye Lan: "Lord Ye Lan, Zhi Yi has gone in the direction of Feiyun Slope."

Ye Lan's surveillance plan today involved her, Wen Yuan, Shang Hua, Wu Pei, and herself working together in a relay. If the same person followed Zhi Yi for an extended period, the perceptive Zhi Yi might notice a familiar face constantly nearby, but a relay surveillance plan would avoid this problem. Furthermore, Ye Lan's announcement today that he would succeed her as the leader of Tian Shu Star might cause Zhi Yi to lower his guard and reveal a weakness.

After listening to Wen Yuan's report, Ye Lan nodded and said to Han Fulai, "Vice Minister Han, would you like to come along?"

Han Fulai shook his head and said, "I'm not good at surveillance, so I'll leave that to Miss Yelan. I also have some things to discuss with Lord Ganyu. If there's any progress, please have Miss Yelan send someone to Yuehai Pavilion to inform me."

“Okay.” Ye Lan agreed and left with Wen Yuan. Han Fulai then walked back to Yuehai Pavilion.

Upon arriving at the office, Han Fulai did not go to "discuss matters with Lord Gan Yu" as he had previously stated. Instead, he summoned his direct secretary, Miss Huixin.

"Huixin, I have a question for you: Does Uncle Tian like to drink?" Han Fulai asked Huixin earnestly.

Although she didn't know why Han Fulai asked this question, Huixin still told the truth: "My father... rarely drinks. Since his health deteriorated, he has not touched a drop of alcohol."

Just as I thought... Han Fulai nodded to himself.

When he heard Wen Yuan report that Zhi Yi had gone to Fei Yun Po, he knew that Zhi Yi had gone to hope Gu Ju, an antique shop located in Fei Yun Po, to pick up the wine set he had ordered. He asked Hui Xin this question to confirm one last time that the wine set Zhi Yi had ordered was not for Uncle Tian.

Zhiyi had just mentioned that he needed to go back and prepare before going out to celebrate his election as Tian Shu Star. Now that Zhiyi is going to retrieve his wine set, he's naturally looking for someone to drink with in celebration. The person he'll be drinking with is most likely a member of the Fools who are supporting him behind the scenes.

Han Fulai had already foreseen Zhiyi's actions yesterday—or rather, he had already seen the general direction in which this matter would unfold. He has returned to Yuehai Pavilion now to make all the necessary preparations for today's trip to Qingxupu.

"Huixin, go to the 'Yanfei Law Firm' in Feiyunpo and find Shen He, the secretary and assistant. Tell her that I have an urgent matter and ask her to come to Yuehaiting as soon as possible."

After Huixin accepted the order and left, Han Fulai came to Keqing's office once again.

Ke Qing was already fully prepared. When Han Fulai arrived, she only asked one question: "When do we set off?"

Han Fulai silently estimated the time it would take Huixin to travel from Yanfei's house to and from there, and said, "About half an hour later, we will go to Feiyun Slope to meet Miss Yelan, the intelligence officer under Lord Ningguang. The purpose of this trip is to track down Zhiyi, a candidate from Tian Shu Star who is connected with the Fools."

Upon hearing the words "The Fools," Keqing's expression turned serious. Han Fulai had come specifically to ask for her help yesterday, and she knew this trip would be anything but simple. She just hadn't expected it to be related to the Fools again. Keqing remembered her score with Pantalone perfectly well.

"Okay." Ke Qing agreed without hesitation. When it came to tracking skills, she was in no way inferior to professionals. When the fireworks went missing before, it was Ke Qing who followed the clues left by the thieves to find them.

Seeing Keqing's eager expression, Han Fulai couldn't help but chuckle: "Lady Keqing, you don't actually need to handle the tracking. I have another important matter to ask of you."

"What is it?" Ke Qing tilted her head.

"I would like to ask you to act in a play with me." A smile appeared on Han Fulai's lips.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Final Moves (Part Two)

When Ke Qing and Han Fulai walked into his office, Hui Xin and Shen He also arrived.

Huixin bowed to Keqing and then relayed a message to Han Fulai: "Vice Minister Han, a man who calls himself Wenyuan has invited you to 'New Moon Pavilion'. He says, 'Lord Yelan is waiting for you.'"

Han Fulai indicated that he understood, dismissed Huixin, turned to Shen He, and said softly, "Ahe, would you be willing to accompany me on a business trip?"

Shen He answered without hesitation with three words: "I'll go with you."

"Well, also, my current physical condition is not suitable for fighting, so I'm afraid you and Lady Keqing will need to join forces to fight the enemy..." Han Fulai's voice was a little weak when he said this.

In fact, given his personality, he wouldn't want to bother others when he has the ability to solve problems on his own. Moreover, in his view, it should be him, as a man, who protects Shen He... However, his injuries are not yet healed, and even with Ke Qing's help, he is not confident in completing the plan, so he has no choice but to rely on Shen He's strength.

Shen He didn't care at all about who was protecting whom; in fact, she was very happy to have the opportunity to help her sweetheart, especially in front of that purple-haired cat-head.

Shen He glanced at Ke Qing, then suddenly reached out and placed his hand on Han Fulai's shoulder, saying earnestly, "I'll protect you."

Even Ke Qing, who was observing this "sibling interaction," had to admit that Shen He's way of saying those words made people feel very safe.

Han Fulai's lips twitched as he pondered a question—after only a day apart, Shen He had already picked up bad habits from someone… Who did he learn that word from?

Meanwhile, Ms. Yanfei, Liyue Harbor's top legal consultant with an exceptionally rich vocabulary and knowledge of all walks of life, is doing her best to mediate the conflict between two fruit stall owners who are involved in organized crime: "Put down your watermelon knives! Yes, let's talk this out... Don't shout, shouting won't do any good. It's not Brother Huaqiang who protects Liyue Harbor... It's not Brother Shanji either! Huh? Of course, it's not me either! In Liyue Harbor, you have to follow the law! The law!"

At the main gate of Xinyue Pavilion, Shang Hua bowed his head in shame and apologized to Ye Lan: "I'm sorry, Lady Ye Lan, we lost them. The other side's counter-surveillance capabilities are too strong... We are not confident that we can keep watch without them noticing."

"Oh? So he hasn't let his guard down?" Ye Lan frowned.