kvmb Chapter 495 Joy of Life 51
Chapter 495 Joy of Life 51
In a fit of anger, he couldn't help but punch a pillar next to him, an act that immediately alerted Li Yunrui's servants: "Who's there!"
Fan Xian knew something was wrong and dared not linger any longer. He quickly used his internal energy to fly away from the palace.
When they returned to the Fan family, they discovered that Wu Zhu had not yet returned.
He couldn't help but frown, feeling slightly uneasy.
But then I thought, with Uncle Wuzhu's inhuman fighting prowess, probably no one in the entire capital could do anything to him.
Perhaps Uncle Wuzhu was just temporarily delayed and should be back soon.
Thinking of this, Fan Xian's unease gradually dissipated.
He looked at the key in his hand, his heart filled with anticipation, thinking happily that as soon as Uncle Wuzhu returned, they would open the box his mother had left behind together.
Finally, Fan Xian, clutching the key, drifted off to sleep with wonderful dreams in his heart.
……
The next morning at court, although Emperor Qing tried his best to conceal it, Li Chengze still keenly sensed the gloomy mood on his body that was different from usual.
This made him even more certain of his guess that Emperor Qing was that Grandmaster.
This discovery was both unexpected and reasonable.
He should have realized it sooner. With Emperor Qing's domineering nature of wanting to control everything, how could he possibly allow anyone to be above him?
Moreover, having clearly learned of the Grandmaster's inhuman strength, how could Emperor Qing sit idly by and wait for his doom without taking action?
Even if it means mutual destruction in the end, Emperor Qing would probably do it without hesitation.
He has been able to endure for twenty years because of his exceptional strength and because he has a well-thought-out plan.
Thinking of this, Li Chengze lowered his eyes slightly.
Emperor Qing's strength has become the biggest obstacle to his ascension to the throne. It seems that he must put improving his strength on the agenda as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if Emperor Qing is determined to support Li Chengqian, given his status, position, and martial arts skills, even if his plans are flawless, he will likely only end up in a miserable state.
Having added more pressure to himself, Li Chengze returned to his residence and sat on the swing for a long while.
After hesitating for a second between practicing martial arts and studying the two temple messengers in the secret chamber, he finally couldn't resist his curiosity and went into the basement with his knife.
The first temple messenger's body was carefully and meticulously dissected.
Finally, Li Chengze looked at the tables covered with parts of all sizes and felt an unprecedented shock.
It is hard to imagine that a civilization that has been destroyed once possessed such advanced technology and wisdom.
Such powerful and complex entities can be created using only a variety of materials.
Moreover, if even such an advanced world has perished, how powerful must the nuclear war that wiped out all nations have been?
Li Chengze was deeply moved, his mind replaying the memories he had gleaned from Fan Xian, and in a daze, he seemed to see that glorious world.
Meanwhile, Fan Xian realized something was wrong when he saw that Wu Zhu had not yet returned to meet up with him.
The first person Fan Xian met in this world was Wu Zhu, and he knew Wu Zhu's personality better than anyone.
Since the two had agreed to meet at the Fan residence and open the box together, Wu Zhu would definitely not break his promise.
Uncle Wuzhu hasn't returned yet. Could it be that something unexpected has happened to him?
Fan Xian was anxious, but before he could go to find Wu Zhu, Chen Pingping stopped him and asked if he had gone to the palace after the banquet last night.
Fan Xian was startled, but thanks to his excellent mental fortitude, he quickly regained his composure and denied the matter.
Although Chen Pingping had been showing him extraordinary goodwill ever since they first met, and even after the internal strife in the Control Yuan a few days ago, he directly announced to the other heads of departments that he would take over as the head of the Control Yuan.
This inexplicable kindness made Fan Xian feel quite uneasy.
He was unsure of the exact relationship between Chen Pingping and his mother. In any case, this inexplicable closeness left him both confused and wary.
Chen Pingping didn't care about Fan Xian's estrangement from him at all; he just quietly cleaned up his messes behind the scenes.
He also gave Wang Qinian a warning, telling him to be more careful in the future.
While everyone in the capital was busy, Lin Ruofu, who had been quiet all along, made his move.
He understood that Emperor Qing, Chen Pingping, and Fan Jian were all protecting Fan Xian, so he took a different approach and focused his attention on the other members of the Fan family.
In Lin Ruofu's eyes, everyone in the Fan family was so disgusting. Fan Xian killed his son, and the rest of the Fan family were equally unforgivable.
His target this time is Fan Sizhe.
Or rather, Fan Sizhe just happened to run into his hands.
Since Aunt Liu forbade him from associating with Fan Xian again, Fan Sizhe's plan to make money by selling books has been put on hold.
This feeling of not being able to make money was extremely agonizing for Fan Sizhe.
However, due to Aunt Liu's strict guard, he could only count on his fingers how much money he had lost each day. As the days went by, the amount of money he lost kept increasing, and his heart ached more and more, to the point that he was depressed all day long.
His previous experience of working with Fan Xian to sell books and make money had completely ignited his desire to earn money.
He was in the middle of a great time, and then suddenly his enthusiasm was dampened by a bucket of cold water. How could he bear that?
After thinking it over, Fan Sizhe had a sudden inspiration.
Since his mother wouldn't let him earn money with Fan Xian, he could just go out and work on his own, and all the money he earned would be his own.
Fan Sizhe felt he had come up with a good idea and immediately booked a floor space.
He initially wanted to open a casino, but then he thought that the casino environment was complicated and would easily attract trouble, so he gave up the idea.
Ultimately, inspired by several close friends, he decided to open a restaurant called Baoyuelou.
However, a brothel is a brothel, and no matter how nice the name is, it cannot change that fact.
However, Fan Sizhe did not consider his establishment to be a brothel; he believed it was merely an elegant place for scholars and literati to find kindred spirits and express their feelings.
The girls in the building were not only exceptionally beautiful, but also exceptionally talented. They were expected to be skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as knowledgeable, reasonable, gentle, and charming.
With its unique features, Baoyuelou quickly established itself in Kyoto.
Lin Ruofu, who had been keeping an eye on the Fan family, soon learned about the matter, but because it was a minor incident, he didn't pay much attention to it at first.
Upon receiving the news, Li Yunrui began to have some thoughts.
Li Yunrui is now determined not to let go of any opportunity to strike at Fan Xian and the Fan family.
The businesses established by Fan Sizhe, the son of a mere Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, inevitably attract the covetousness of others once they become profitable, and he will either be suppressed or face acquisition.
In order to make a bigger fuss about Fan Sizhe's Baoyue Tower, and preferably to drag the Fan family into it, Li Yunrui directly sent Fan Sizhe a backer - the Third Prince Li Chengping.
The birth mother of the Third Prince Li Chengping, Consort Yi, was a cousin of Consort Liu. Therefore, the Third Prince and Fan Sizhe could also be considered cousins.
With the prince backing them up, Baoyuelou quickly rose to prominence in the capital, causing a great stir, and soon things went wrong.
In order to amass wealth, the manager of Baoyue Tower ruthlessly exploited and oppressed the girls inside. If they disobeyed in the slightest, they would be severely tortured.
From its opening to becoming the top boss of all the brothels in Kyoto, it only took a little over two months, yet several girls had already died.
However, thanks to the prince's backing, only a few prostitutes died, so no one dared to expose these things.
Lin Ruofu, who hadn't paid attention to Fan Sizhe's actions at first, immediately realized that this was a good opportunity to strike at the Fan family, and immediately ordered someone to make arrangements.
Just as Fan Jian was pondering how to help Fan Xian take over the Imperial Treasury as soon as possible, the grievance drum in front of the Kyoto Prefectural Government was struck loudly.
The rapid and powerful drumbeats quickly attracted a large crowd of onlookers.
A group of ragged, sorrowful people knelt down in the main hall.
These people are all family members of the girl who died at Baoyue Tower.
They wept bitterly, cursing the Fan family for running the Baoyue Tower, buying innocent women into prostitution, and treating human life like dirt.
After hearing their grievances, the current governor of Kyoto, Tian Jingmu, immediately ordered his subordinates to rush to Baoyue Tower to arrest the suspects.
When the officials arrived at Baoyue Tower, Fan Sizhe was checking accounts with a group of managers and the madam.
Therefore, the officials took Fan Sizhe and all those present, along with all the account books of Baoyuelou, back to the Kyoto government office.
When Fan Jian was shocked to hear that his son had been summoned to the Kyoto government office, Fan Sizhe had already been imprisoned after being identified by the young lady in the building.
Upon hearing this news, Aunt Liu turned pale with fright. Her hands trembled as she grabbed Fan Jian's sleeve and pleaded, "Master, please go and save Sizhe! I know his character well. He would never do such a thing as taking lives so lightly. He must have been framed this time."
"Save them? How can we save them?" Fan Jian slammed his hand on the table and said angrily, "That Baoyue Tower is owned by Fan Sizhe. He's the big boss of Baoyue Tower. How could he not know what kind of business they do? Now that several people have died at Baoyue Tower, how can he get away with it?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu burst into tears, her voice trembling as she said, "Master, you must find a way, no matter what. Sizhe is my only son. If anything happens to him, I... I really can't go on living. Please save him!"
Fan Jian's mind was also in turmoil, and hearing Aunt Liu's sobbing made him even more distressed.
He took a deep breath, slowly turned around and sat down, beginning to consider what to do next.
Although he was usually dissatisfied with his son Fan Sizhe, believing him to be idle and incompetent.
But the other party was, after all, his only son, and he didn't want to sit idly by.
Fan Sizhe simply loves making money. Although he is a playboy, he is by no means a person who indiscriminately kills innocent people.
This incident is highly likely due to being misled by subordinates or falling into a trap set by someone with ulterior motives.
However, things have now developed far beyond his control.
If he had known about this beforehand, he might have been able to suppress it swiftly and decisively.
However, the involvement of the Kyoto Prefectural Government meant that the matter would escalate rapidly, making it even more difficult to cover it up.
Now, he has to face a choice:
If Fan Sizhe was indeed framed, he would naturally want to find out the real culprit and seek justice for his son.
But if Fan Sizhe really did those things...
Fan Jian closed his eyes, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.
At that time, I hope Sizhe won't blame himself for being a heartless father.
After all, as the head of the Fan family, he had to think about the entire Fan family and couldn't let this matter affect Fan Xian.
Seeing that he remained silent, Aunt Liu understood that this man was weighing the pros and cons again, and she was utterly disappointed.
She turned her head and saw Fan Xian and Fan Ruoruo standing to the side. Her anger flared up immediately: "If it were Fan Xian who was in trouble today, would you still stand by and do nothing like this, Master?"
Fan Jian suddenly raised his head, angrily saying, "What kind of talk is this? Fan Sizhe is also my son. How can I sit idly by and do nothing when something happens to him? But before that, we must find out the cause and effect of the matter. If Fan Sizhe really did something that disregarded human life, the law is clear, what can I do?"
At this point, he paused slightly, involuntarily glancing at Fan Xian, a complex and unreadable emotion flashing across his eyes: "If Fan Sizhe had the same abilities as Fan Xian, he wouldn't have ended up in this predicament."
Aunt Liu's face showed a sarcastic smile, and her words were sharp: "Yes! Fan Xian is the poet of my Great Qing. He has been different from others since birth, which is why the master was willing to sacrifice his eldest son to protect him."
When Fan Jian heard Aunt Liu mention the child, his heart tightened as if struck by a heavy hammer, and he involuntarily glanced at Fan Xian and Fan Ruoruo.
Then, looking at Aunt Liu with a surprised expression, he said sternly, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Aunt Liu gave a cold laugh, pointed at Fan Xian, and said, "Am I wrong? Master is truly heartless. He actually sent his own eldest son to his death for the sake of an illegitimate child. Even tigers don't eat their cubs. How can there be such a selfish, cold-blooded, and ruthless father as you in this world?"
"Moreover," she changed her tone, becoming even more intense, "when you sent Ruoruo to Danzhou to get close to Fan Xian, did you ever think that her own brother died because of this illegitimate child!"
Fan Xian's eyes widened instantly, and he stood there dumbfounded, unable to understand the meaning behind Aunt Liu's words for a moment.
Only one thought remained in his mind: his father had actually sacrificed his eldest son for him, an illegitimate child.
Fan Xian's thoughts drifted back to the day he first transmigrated to this world. The pungent smell of blood, the warm liquid splattered on his cheeks, and the raging sea of fire were all vivid in his memory.
It turns out that the assassins' target wasn't just Ye Qingmei, but also him.
The reason he was able to escape that calamity was because his father sacrificed the life of another child.
Upon realizing this, Fan Xian felt a moment of suffocation.