He changed Tiwat

"Heh, that guy... he's really quite nice to you." Ye Lan seemed to have remembered something, her voice filled with sarcasm.

Han Fulai could only pretend he hadn't heard it.

Ye Lan ran her hand across the mound of her chest, and somehow a die appeared in her hand.

She tossed the die again and again, her emerald eyes fixed on its spinning motion.

As the new owner of "Yanshang Tea House", Ye Lan usually presents herself as an old gambler.

With her dynamic vision, she could see the number on each side of the dice as they spun, and with her technique, she could roll any number she wanted. However, if one honed their dice-rolling skills to her level, a new problem arose—no one wanted to play dice with her. So, Ye Lan usually had to play by herself.

"Guess what the score is this time? If you guess wrong, you have to answer a question."

Without waiting for Han Fulai's agreement, Ye Lan immediately started rolling the dice.

The dice didn't tumble very fast in the air.

With Han Fulai's current eyesight, he could clearly see the trajectory of the dice as they fell. Judging from the current pattern of reversals, the final result should be…

"Four o'clock," Han Fulai reported the answer.

The die landed in Ye Lan's outstretched palm, showing a four, but... it rolled once more after landing.

“It’s six. You guessed wrong.” Ye Lan held up the dice in front of Han Fulai.

“There’s something wrong with these dice…” Han Fulai frowned.

"Hmm, this is a 'drug die,' the back of the one is filled with lead. Unless you use special techniques, it will always be a six no matter how you roll it." Ye Lan picked up the die and shook it. She had confiscated this die from a cheating gambler, and even with the cheating, the other party couldn't win against her.

In recent months, an unwritten rule has emerged among the connoisseurs at "Yanshang Tea House": "Don't play dice at Yanshang Tea House."

This unwritten rule even spawned a supplementary clause resembling a "strange tale of rules"—"If you really want to play dice, play with people you know; if a strange woman invites you, ignore her."

This is the conclusion drawn by gamblers after much painful reflection: unless you want to say goodbye to a good mood for the day, don't mess with that terrible woman.

As the new owner of "Yanshang Tea House", Ye Lan often wanders around "Yanshang Tea House" when she has nothing to do.

On the one hand, the teahouse was frequented by all sorts of people, making it an excellent source of information; on the other hand, she didn't mind relaxing occasionally, pretending to be a regular customer, having a couple of sips of tea, and playing a couple of rounds of dice.

The nature of danger is uncertainty. In Yelan's eyes, playing dice is the same.

Each time she played the "guess three and draw five" game, it was a mini-adventure; each time she called out "one and six," she gained a little thrill. Even the slightest challenge was something she enjoyed immensely. If she wanted, she could roll a number that defied the rules but suited her whims at any time.

Those who dare to play dice in front of Ye Lan usually only have two fates: one is called a "loser," and the other is called a "damned cheater."

Unfortunately, Han Fulai was a good young man who had refused gambling and drugs since childhood. Although he had been to "Yanshang Tea House" a few times, he always just drank tea and had never heard of this rule. He did indeed win against Ye Lan once, but that time they weren't playing dice.

"You must be in a bad mood right now, and I already know the answer," Ye Lan smiled. "So I'll ask you a different question. Do you regret the outcome?"

Han Fulai knew what Ye Lan was referring to; she was talking about what happened three days ago.

On the night they found the Fools' camp, Han Fulai entered Yelan's tent.

"Miss Yelan, I'd like to have a talk with you."

Ye Lan had foreseen that Han Fu would come to see her: "Regarding how to deal with these fools? I remember that according to the agreement, the right to decide is in my hands."

"Yes. The decision is yours. I just... wanted to make a suggestion..."

Outside the tent, the desolate song of the Fools, "The Song of the North Star in the White Night," rang out.

The background noise did not affect their conversation.

Han Fulai offered his suggestion: "I hope the Thousand Rock Army will capture these foolish soldiers..."

"Oh?" Ye Lan raised an eyebrow.

She wouldn't be surprised if Han Fulai suggested she let the Fools escape, or even told her he wanted to use them to help his undercover plan with Zhiyi in Zhidong Kingdom... But Han Fulai's suggestion to capture the Fools was definitely unexpected.

Because this suggestion was completely unnecessary; even if he said nothing, Yelan's course of action would still be to arrest them.

Han Fulai didn't seem like someone who specifically sought out her to spout nonsense.

"...set a trap in my name, so that they would fall into the ambush of the Thousand Rock Army." Han Fulai added the second half of the sentence.

Ye Lan gently stroked the tassels of the ornament on her chest. A few seconds later, she understood Han Fulai's intention—"You really want to save them."

Because the soldiers of the Fools' Clan of the Ninth Company had been cut off from the outside world, they had no idea how many good things this Deputy Chief Han had ruined for the Fools' Clan, or what kind of "good reputation" he had among the Fools' Clan—but Ye Lan knew very well, and so did the Fools' Clan's executive officers.

“I… do hope they can live. Since they shed blood and sacrificed themselves to protect Liyue, I don’t want Liyue to owe them anything.” Han Fulai said seriously, “Miss Yelan, you also know that even if we release them back to Zhidong, they will still die.”

Ye Lan knew this, of course.

Their chief executive, "Rooster," did not give them orders to retreat; those who returned alive to Winter would be considered "deserters."

Although Sergeant Anton was prepared to take full responsibility, a mere "acting company commander" was simply not up to the task, and what awaited them was the fate of dying with a stigma.

If you traveled back to the Song Dynasty and found Qin Hui sitting right in front of you, would you choose to execute him or make him recite "Man Jiang Hong" from the city wall? Any conscientious Chinese person would choose to execute Qin Hui. Han Fulai would have made the same choice.

"Heroes may be nameless, and heroes may die on the battlefield... but they should not die unjustly."

Han Fulai said, enunciating each word clearly: "I will not allow it."

Chapter 241 To Do What Is Right Is to Be a Hero [4k]

"So, in order to prevent them from dying unjustly, you decided to let them falsely accuse you?" Ye Lan looked at Han Fulai with great interest.

Han Fulai looked back at Ye Lan expressionlessly.

"They can't be heroes of Liyue... so at least they should be heroes of Winter. From both sides' perspectives, we are 'enemies' to begin with, aren't we?"

"A hero's story needs a villain, so you'll be that villain?"

“That’s exactly right,” Han Fulai replied seriously.

Actually, this wasn't the first time he'd done something like this. He used the same method to make Shen He the hero who saved Liyue Harbor. The difference was that the villain that time was Ba Che, while this time he was playing the villain himself.

Compared to Ba Che, who was completely destroyed, he only needed to bear a bad reputation like "a despicable person," which was quite easy for him.

Whether the people he helps can understand his good intentions is not important to him—in fact, the more these foolish soldiers hate him, the better.

“Heh…” Yelan suddenly laughed, “It’s really unsettling to hear you say that… Have you counted how many Fools have fallen to your hands so far? Just those I know of include Winter’s spy Croso, ‘Prince’ D’Artagnan, Ambassador Yusupov, Andrei of the ‘Northern Bank’… and perhaps soon we’ll add ‘Rich Man’ Pantalone? And now, you suddenly want to save a whole group of Fools…”

“They are different.” Han Fulai shook his head. “They are our allies in the fight against the ‘Dark Catastrophe,’ our true allies.”

"So this time you're going to use the same method that Winter spy Crosso used, which is to say, 'bleaching'."

In Ye Lan's view, Han Fulai was simply using the same method that Croso had used six months ago when he disguised himself as a Winter Ore merchant, but in reverse.

When Han Fulai first arrived in Liyue Harbor, he and Yanfei teamed up to capture a Fatui spy.

The spy from the Fools was eventually handed over to Yelan for interrogation.

Crosso's real name is Lev Schneetsevich. He is an orphan adopted by the "House of Hearths" and a spy trained by the executive "Servant" Arecino.

Not every orphan in the "House of Hearths" is trained as a spy. Those unsuitable for infiltration missions typically join the Fools' advance team after completing basic training and are assigned to various executives as rank-and-file soldiers in the army. The talented ones, however, are kept by Arecino.

These orphans come from the seven kingdoms of Teyvat and can easily integrate into the local environment in terms of bloodline and identity. For example, orphans of the Inazuma bloodline will be sent to Inazuma, and orphans of the Mondstadt bloodline will be sent to Mondstadt. In fact, there are also some orphans like "One String" and "One Pillar" in Liyue Harbor who are taken back to the "House of Hearth" by the Winterborn. After they grow up, they return to Liyue and live quietly in Liyue Harbor.

Because Liyue Harbor is Teyvat's largest trading port, aside from the closed Nata and the currently secluded Inazuma, it's a melting pot of all sorts of people. Therefore, even foreigners residing in Liyue wouldn't arouse suspicion. Spies of foreign descent, like Klosso, are also mixed in with Liyue Harbor; Yelan alone discovered that the number of Fatui spies operating in Liyue Harbor already exceeded two hands.

As far as Yelan knew, these orphans raised as spies would not appear on the Fatui's roster. Or rather, they would never admit to being members of the Fatui, nor would they ever be recognized by them.

Arecino's spy network is extremely tight-knit; each "spy" is contacted only through a single line and activated using a unique code. Many "spies," once deployed to foreign lands, remain in place, like real nails. They may never be "activated," living out their lives as ordinary people, unremarkable and unremarkable.

But once these "nails" are "activated," they often play a significant role. Just like when a real nail is pulled out, it always leaves a deep, difficult-to-repair hole in the wall.

Humans are social animals, and it is difficult for an independent individual to live in human society. When a human individual lives in a fixed social environment, he or she will always interact with others to some extent, establish connections with others, and thus build a large network called "interpersonal relationships".

It is said that a scholar of the Cause School who studied sociology at the Vahumana Academy wrote a paper expounding a theory called "six degrees of separation." They conducted an experiment through a series of chained letters, which showed that through seven letters of introduction, that is, through six people in between, they could contact the Inazuma shrine in the secluded country to serve the "White Heron Princess."

In other words, theoretically, every person in Teyvat can be reached through a network of up to six people. The role humans play in society is actually very similar to the omnipresent ley lines—this is the essence of "networking."

The one who controls this vast network of connections that spans the entirety of Teyvat is none other than the "servant" Arecino.

Lev Schneetsevich, or rather Croso, was the "nail" that Alegino was preparing to drive into the deep abyss of rock.

He knew the Liyue people's respect for the immortals, and originally planned to use Yanfei to "launder" his identity into that of a mineral merchant who had made a small mistake in Liyue but had a clean background, in exchange for a large fine, so as to gain the qualification to enter the Laminaria.

However, Yelan had already discovered his presence beforehand, and his actions were under Yelan's control. He was even used to test Han Fulai, who had just entered Liyue.

The interrogation revealed that contacting the captain of the 9th Company was key to the operation. However, that was about all Klosso knew; before being "activated," he didn't know much. Unfortunately, Klosso's Liyue counterpart had already died during the capture operation, and Nightlan couldn't uncover any more valuable clues.

Based on the clues Yelan has obtained in the Abyss of Layered Rocks, the only clue they can deduce is that the "Mokosh Device" might be the key to this operation. The Fools may have originally planned to provide some follow-up support to the Ninth Company, using Klosso as a go-between to turn this simple disaster relief operation into some kind of "experiment."

The "Mokosh Device" may have been the work of the second seat of the Fools' Executive, the "Doctor," and must contain some unknown secrets.

As a long-time adversary of the Fatui, Yelan has a considerable understanding of some of the Fatui's executives.

Although they are nominally Her Majesty's executives, these eleven executives are by no means cooperative partners. Rather, some of them dislike each other, compete with each other, and even sabotage each other.

They will carry out Her Majesty's orders without fail, but anything outside of those orders is up to each family's own agenda.

The actions of "Young Master," "Rich Man," and "Lady" in Liyue are clearly not aligned with those of "Rooster," "Servant," and "Doctor." Although they all serve under the Winter Queen, they often act independently. For example, during the Battle of Ocel, Tartaglia stormed the Golden House and attacked Jade Pavilion, which resulted in the Ninth Company being hampered, leading "Rooster" to abandon these subordinates.

Even from the perspective of being an enemy of the Fools, Yelan couldn't help but lament that the Ninth Company, having become a victim of the power struggles among the upper echelons... was truly tragic.

"'Bleaching'... In our civil servant terminology, it's called 'bleaching'." Han Fulai shrugged. "Lady Gan Yu said she's used this method for over a thousand years, and it's always worked very well."

Ye Lan gently tapped her right elbow with her left index finger.

"Your plan is to turn 'deserters' and 'disgraced prisoners'... into 'heroic troops who were unfortunately captured after being taken advantage of by Han Fulai'?"

“That’s right.” Han Fulai nodded in agreement. “To put it more simply, it’s about giving Anton and his team a new value – a value in publicity.”

Sergeant Anton once said that their executive officer, "Rooster," was a very rational person who would abandon relatively low-value assets in order to assist in more meaningful adventures.

For "Rooster" Puccinella, the Ninth Company is now a liability that should disappear silently. Their quiet death in the Deep Rock Abyss would undoubtedly be the best outcome for Puccinella. On the contrary, their return alive would be a headache—not only would it mean that they were shamefully driven back by the Liyue people, but it would also potentially expose Puccinella's abandonment of his subordinates.

As the executor, "Rooster" can order his Ninth Company to carry out dangerous missions, and the soldiers of the Ninth Company are prepared to sacrifice their lives to complete these missions. They can sacrifice themselves for Her Majesty the Queen, for the interests of Winter, and for the ideals of the Fools, but they cannot be abandoned meaninglessly, for they are all Her Majesty the Queen's warriors and subjects.

"Then join us, and let our boots thunder and shake the earth. Those who are willing to follow us to the North Star of the White Night, we will never abandon."

—The Fools will never abandon their comrades; this is the solemn promise the Fools organization makes to its soldiers.

In the Winter Kingdom, under the executor "Rooster," the Ninth Company must be in a state of "still carrying out a mission," and must be in a state of "currently carrying out a mission."

Therefore, no matter how wronged Anton and his men were, they would definitely be executed as "deserters" after returning to Zhidong.

There are some things that can be done, but not said. This applies whether in Liyue or Winterbreak.

The entire Ninth Company perished beneath the towering abyss of layered rocks. No one in the Winter Kingdom would care, because their deaths were simply due to a failed mission.

Some members of the Ninth Company escaped back to Zhidong. They will be executed as deserters because they did not receive orders to retreat.

The Ninth Company was captured by the Chiiwa Army. They will be despised and disbanded because they have disgraced the Fools. The Fools do not have any troops that would cowardly survive after a defeat.

In either case, the Ninth Company was of no value to "Rooster" in returning alive.

But... if they were framed and arrested by "that Han Fulai," then it's a different story.

First, they were captured not because they were unwilling to fight to the death, but because they were deceived by the despicable Han Fulai and fell into the trap of their "ally".

Secondly, they were no longer deserters. They did not secretly flee back to Winter, but instead fought a fierce battle against the Thousand Rocks Army in the Rocky Abyss, where they were outnumbered.

Finally, they became excellent propaganda material—the Liyue people betrayed their promise by capturing the heroic troops who protected them, and the food shortage was all a Liyue conspiracy! "Rooster" Lord loves his soldiers like his own children and will do his utmost to mediate in diplomatic settings to bring this heroic unit back to their homeland! Furthermore, the Ninth Company can also serve as a witness, thoroughly exposing the ugly face of the Liyue government represented by "that Han Fulai"!

Of course, Liyue also had something to say: It was the Fatui who violated our sovereignty first. We have already announced the expulsion of the Fatui forces. Our Deputy Minister Han was simply faithfully carrying out the decisions of the Liyue Seven Stars. It was only right to arrest the Fatui advance team that was illegally staying and plotting against us.

As for Han Fulai's charge of "colluding with the Fools," it naturally falls apart, since he was the one who personally "plotted to frame" these Fool soldiers. At least Ningguang can no longer use this as leverage to openly pressure him.

In this way, everyone had a way to save face, and the Ninth Company could return home alive, which was a happy ending for everyone.

Although the soldiers of the Ninth Company might not receive promotions or medals, and might be subject to covert investigations, it was still much better than being unjustly accused and dying.

However, there are two prerequisites for Han Fulai's plan to be successfully implemented.

One prerequisite is that the Fools' soldiers cannot know that Han Fulai is helping them. Given their pride, the Fools would not accept such assistance. Furthermore, they shouldn't know about the plan; the propaganda value lies in the fact that they have suffered a shameful betrayal.

The second, and most important, prerequisite is that Ye Lan must be willing to help him, and Ye Lan has no obligation to help him.

Ye Lan looked at Han Fulai with a half-smile.

"I can take your suggestion, but... I'm afraid you'll regret it later?"

Han Fulai looked directly at Ye Lan and gave his answer: "Before doing this, I only asked myself two questions. First, should this be done? Second, can this be done? My answer is that this should be done, and this can be done. Since that's the case, what is there to regret?"

"So let me ask you a different question. Do you regret the outcome?" Ye Lan asked.

"My answer remains the same—no regrets," Han Fulai replied in a deep voice. "I simply did what I was supposed to do."

“Actually, no one would blame you if you didn’t do it, and you know yourself that you wouldn’t be happy about accomplishing it.” Ye Lan twirled the dice in her hand.

She has had similar experiences... and many of them.

Han Fulai looked up.

"I... when I was little, I heard a song by Inatsume, and I really liked that song."