Chapter 651: Chapter 651: Water Ghost

Those words struck a nerve with Xie Anjun.

His face flushed red and veins bulged on his forehead. He lunged forward and grabbed Fan Chengzhuo by the collar. "Fan! What did you just say?!"

Fan Chengzhuo was completely unfazed. He met his gaze and sneered, "What? Did I hit a nerve, and now you’re lashing out in shame? You don’t really believe they follow you out of genuine admiration, do you?"

"You!"

Xie Anjun shoved him away, took a deep breath, and forced himself to suppress his rage.

"I’m not going to argue with you right now! He’s your nephew, after all. If you want to save him, fine! But on one condition—neither of us gets implicated! If we both get dragged down by this... it’ll be too late for regrets when you’re standing on the execution grounds!"

Fan Chengzhuo was furious as well, but he knew that right now, Xie Anjun was the only person he could turn to.

After a moment to compose himself, he said gravely, "I do need your help. It’s time to put those men you’ve cultivated in the army to use. Send word immediately. Tell them to find a way to free him! I don’t care where he goes, but he cannot set foot in the Capital City!"

Xie Anjun finally understood. He looked at Fan Chengzhuo and let out a cold laugh.

"So you’re really dead set on protecting him! Your plan could work, but I can’t guarantee success. After all, Your Majesty sent elite troops to apprehend him! If anything goes wrong..."

This was exactly what worried Fan Chengzhuo.

Xie Anjun had plenty of men, but not many were truly competent. Moreover, this was a highly confidential matter, so he had to choose his most trusted people, which narrowed the pool of candidates even further.

If they failed, it would not only be for nothing, but it would also expose them all.

Xie Anjun’s eyes glinted. "Let me be blunt. If it really comes to that... I won’t show any mercy."

’Fan Chengzhuo might not be afraid to die, but I still want to live a long life!’

’I’ve only been the Marquis Zhongyong for a few days, just beginning to enjoy the good life. Am I supposed to throw it all away?’

’Absolutely not!’

Fan Chengzhuo understood his meaning. Xie Anjun would help, but if it came down to it, he wouldn’t hesitate to order his men to kill Zheng Baosu to silence him.

Fan Chengzhuo was reluctant, but he had no better option.

He took a deep breath.

"Deal!"

He still had faith in Zheng Baosu. ’Even in the most desperate situation, he’ll find a way to escape,’ he thought.

’After all, he spent years honing his skills at the border. If he didn’t have any martial prowess, I never would have been able to get him the position of Vice General Jingyuan.’

The thought brought Fan Chengzhuo some small measure of peace.

"There’s no time to waste. The sooner, the better!"

The urgency in his tone annoyed Xie Anjun, who frowned impatiently. "You don’t need to tell me. I know what to do."

In the past, Fan Chengzhuo had held a high office, while he himself was merely the powerless Heir of Marquis Zhongyong. He had often needed Fan Chengzhuo’s help, so naturally, he had been polite.

But now, the tables had completely turned.

Fan Chengzhuo had been demoted, while he had become the new Marquis Zhongyong.

Naturally, he no longer felt any need to be pleasant to him.

If Fan Chengzhuo didn’t have leverage over him, he wouldn’t have even bothered with these perfunctory pleasantries. He would have had the man thrown out long ago!

Fan Chengzhuo, however, was in no mood to care about Xie Anjun’s attitude. His mind was consumed with anxiety.

"And another thing—we need to investigate that man, Miao Sheng! He was in Sui Nan until the end of last year. He’s only been back in the Capital City for two months, yet he’s acted with such ruthless efficiency and dug up this much dirt. He definitely came prepared!"

Xie Anjun stared at him as if he were a lunatic.

"Do you have any idea what you’re saying? Investigate Miao Sheng? Do you know who he is? He’s the Suinan Governor! The current Minister of War! Even I have to show him some respect. How are we supposed to investigate him?!"

"But we can’t just do nothing!" Fan Chengzhuo shot to his feet, his expression grim. "Don’t you find it strange? He’s never even been to the Northern Border, yet in such a short time, he has managed to uncover every detail about Zheng Baosu’s case! I refuse to believe he didn’t have help setting this up!"

Xie Anjun’s heart skipped a beat.

He hadn’t really thought about it that deeply before, but now that Fan Chengzhuo mentioned it, he realized something was indeed very wrong.

"That’s true... Logically, for a move this big, there should have been some prior indication, but I didn’t hear a single thing..."

Fan Chengzhuo couldn’t resist a sneer. "And you still trust those men you planted in the court? You should pull those good-for-nothings out sooner rather than later! Otherwise, you’ll end up implicated yourself without having gathered a single piece of intel!"

"You!"

Xie Anjun wanted to argue, but he knew Fan Chengzhuo had a point, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

"This is my business! You don’t need to worry about it!"

Fan Chengzhuo let out a low, cold snort.

"Even your good-for-nothing brother, Xie Anbai, could probably gather better intel than your men just by wandering around the Capital City!"

Xie Anjun’s expression changed, and he was so furious he began to laugh.

"He’s nothing but a loser. What’s there to be afraid of?"

Fan Chengzhuo truly looked down on Xie Anjun, but what could he do? The man was Xie Pei’s favored eldest son.

"He can’t compare to you," Fan Chengzhuo said, narrowing his eyes, a cold, mocking smile playing on his lips. "The Old Marquis was willing to sacrifice his own life to protect you. In that respect, your brother is certainly no match for you."

Xie Anjun glared at him, his expression dark.

"Are you done? If you’re done, then get out now!"

In the end, the two parted on bad terms.

After Fan Chengzhuo left, Xie Anjun smashed his teacup against the floor.

The servants outside heard the crash and rushed over. "Marquis? Are you all right?"

Xie Anjun roared, "Stay out! All of you!"

The servants mumbled their assent, not daring to take another step. They exchanged glances before retreating in unison.

Once they were at a safe distance, they heard the sound of more porcelain shattering within the room.

The servants looked worried and couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.

"The Marquis’s temper is getting worse and worse..."

"I know! He used to be so amiable, always smiling. But ever since he inherited the title, his temper has grown more bizarre by the day."

"Sigh. Compared to him, the Second Young Master may be a bit of a rake, but at least he’s good-tempered..."

"Shh! Have you got a death wish? How dare you mention the Second Young Master? The Marquis has already declared that there is no Second Young Master in this mansion! Be careful someone doesn’t overhear you and have you sold off by a broker!"

"I was just saying... All right, all right! I’ll stop talking!"

...

Meanwhile, Fan Chengzhuo left the Marquis Zhongyong Mansion and returned to his carriage.

"My lord, where to next?" the coachman asked carefully, sensing his master’s simmering rage and not daring to make a decision himself.

Fan Chengzhuo’s heart felt like it was being consumed by fire.

There was another place he truly wanted to go.

’Perhaps only that person can help me...’

But he didn’t dare go.

After much deliberation, he leaned back wearily.

"Anywhere. As long as we don’t return to the mansion, I don’t care where we go."

The coachman thought for a moment before asking tentatively,

"My lord, if you are troubled, why not drown your sorrows in wine? The new Peach Blossom Brew at the Yunlai Tavern is said to be one of a kind. Would you care to try it?"

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