Chapter 60

"Cheapskate godfather, indeed unreliable!"

Returning from the imperial palace in Luoyang, Wu Fan couldn't help but sigh. Wu Fan had originally planned to ask Lord Luo for a favor or to inquire about some matters. It wasn't that Lord Luo had refused him, but rather... he hadn't even seen Lord Luo at all!

The palace guards told Wu Fan that Lord Luo had returned to Chang'an overnight the previous day.

Furrowing his brows, Wu Fan was uncertain. The rumors in the Hundred Households Office in the western part of the city were something Wu Fan had heard firsthand. He knew that someone was spreading them with the purpose of excluding and isolating him. The question was, who? Who wanted to exclude and isolate him?

Wu Fan thought to himself that he had just accomplished a great feat and, by all rights, should be promoted! His promotion would inevitably affect others, such as Qian Rui, who had just taken the position of Hundred Households in the western part of the city and hadn't even settled in yet. Wu Fan knew Qian Rui quite well; he was one of the few honest men among the many despicable people in the Eagle-Soaring Guard. However, the position of Hundred Households wasn't just an honor or a matter of managing more people; it involved a lot of underhanded dealings. Moreover, Qian Rui's honesty was relative; how many good people were there in the Eagle-Soaring Guard?

Therefore, Wu Fan's main suspect was Qian Rui.

However...

Just as he returned to the Hundred Households Office in the western part of the city, someone told Wu Fan to go to the Thousand Households Office, where Deputy Thousand Households Zhao Xi had summoned him.

In an instant, Wu Fan felt he had grasped something!

Arriving at the Thousand Households Office, before Wu Fan could even pay his respects, Deputy Thousand Households Zhao Xi's mummy-like face broke into a radiant smile. He patted Wu Fan's shoulder warmly, saying, "Commander Wu! You are truly my lucky star!"

Wu Fan lowered his eyes and pondered, immediately understanding why Zhao Xi was so happy. The reason probably lay in the position of Thousand Households. Wu Zhao, the current Thousand Households, came from a prestigious family and had joined the Eagle-Soaring Guard merely to gain experience and temper his character. He would eventually leave, and now, he was about to go. Once Wu Zhao left, the position of Thousand Households would be vacant. Originally, there were three contenders for this position: Deputy Thousand Households Zhao Xi, and two Commanders, Wu Yuanhao and Sun Jie. However, Wu Yuanhao had been killed by Wu Fan a few days ago, and a hat of the Maitreya Sect had been placed on his head! With Wu Yuanhao dead, the four Hundred Households Offices he controlled were all lured to Zhao Xi's side by his higher rank as Deputy Thousand Households compared to Commander Sun Jie. In other words, Zhao Xi was now the de facto leader of the Thousand Households Office, lacking only the title. How could he not be happy?

Seeing that Wu Fan remained silent, Deputy Thousand Households Zhao Xi's eyes twinkled, and he smiled, saying, "Commander Wu has achieved many new feats! However... the corpse of the Maitreya Sect's Holy Maiden you delivered yesterday doesn't seem to match her portrait, does it?"

Wu Fan looked at Zhao Xi with a smile and said, "When did the Eagle-Soaring Guard's forensic experts become so incompetent? Thousand Households, I think you should give them a good scolding. If they can't even handle a disguise, what good are they? What do you think?"

His words, neither positive nor negative, were particularly grating.

However...

Zhao Xi didn't get angry. He clapped his hands and nodded in agreement, saying, "You're right, they should be disciplined! They are too incompetent!" Then, he changed the subject, "But, tsk! Being too capable is also a problem, isn't it? What do you think, Commander Wu?"

Wu Fan's lips curled slightly, and he sighed, "As the ancients said: When the birds are gone, the good bow is put away; when the rabbits are dead, the hunting dogs are cooked! I understand!"

"Tsk! How can Commander Wu say such things? Sigh! It's not that I, Zhao Xi, am unrighteous, but..." Zhao Xi sighed, slightly tilting his head, his eyes red, a tear rolling down his face, his voice rising and falling with great感染力: "The brothers are indignant! The five major rules of the Eagle-Soaring Guard: disobeying orders, interfering in politics, embezzlement, treason, and fratricide. Commander Wu, although you have accomplished great feats, you have also committed a grave offense by killing over fifty fellow guards... it's heart-wrenching!"

Zhao Xi seemed to say nothing, yet he seemed to say everything, his words full of deep meaning.

【What a performance!】

Wu Fan stared at Zhao Xi, lost in thought for a long time, finally understanding that Zhao Xi was trying to drive him away. Even though he had already figured out the situation and knew he shouldn't stay in Luoyang, a surge of anger still rose in his heart. He gritted his teeth and said, "What if I don't want to leave?"

Zhao Xi slowly lowered his head, his tear-blurred eyes looking at Wu Fan, and said, "I had a hard time persuading the families of those fifty people yesterday!"

【What a cunning move!】

Wu Fan laughed, a happy laugh, and said, "How can I make you difficult? Isn't that right? As a subordinate, I should help my superior! I'll go through fire and water without hesitation! Hahaha!"

"Good!"

Zhao Xi slapped the table and then took out a pre-prepared transfer order from his pocket, handing it to Wu Fan and saying, "Commander Wu, a shocking case has occurred in the Hundred Households Office of Yingyang County. The Hundred Households, Zhou Ling, was assassinated! The office is now in a state of panic and needs a leader. Commander Wu... no! Hundred Households Wu, you are capable and should take on this task. You must capture the murderer and bring justice to Hundred Households Zhou!"

Wu Fan took the transfer order, glanced at it, put it in his pocket, and looked up at Zhao Xi, smiling, "Thank you for your care, Thousand Households. I am deeply grateful and will... repay you in the future! Hahaha! I'll take my leave!"

As soon as Wu Fan left, Zhao Xi's face turned grim, and he sat in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table continuously.

After a long time, a cold smile appeared on Zhao Xi's face, its meaning unclear.

Wu Fan was the same. As soon as he turned his back on Zhao Xi, his face turned ashen with anger, not because of anything else, but because he had been betrayed by Zhao Xi—the one spreading the rumors was Zhao Xi!

When Wu Fan was still a controllable sharp knife, Zhao Xi supported and helped him. But when Wu Fan, like a skyrocket, rose from a small flag to the position of Hundred Households in just a month, Zhao Xi felt threatened. Wu Fan's ruthless rise made Zhao Xi feel uneasy, so he had to drive Wu Fan away and could not let him stay in the Luoyang Thousand Households Office any longer.

Looking at the transfer order in his hand, Wu Fan once again felt the benefits of being an official, especially a high-ranking one, because it allowed him to control others' fates, rather than being controlled by others.

Of course.

Wu Fan now had to leave Luoyang, not because of anything else, but because staying had too many disadvantages. First, Thousand Households Zhao Xi would constantly suppress and guard against him, making Wu Fan's every step difficult. Second, due to the rumors, all the Eagle-Soaring Guards in the Luoyang Thousand Households Office were afraid of and angry at Wu Fan, making it impossible for him to gain popularity and unite his subordinates, which would hinder his rise to higher positions. Finally, the families of the fifty Eagle-Soaring Guards killed by Wu Fan had probably been bought off by Zhao Xi and were capable of anything. Wu Fan couldn't fight or scold them; otherwise, everyone in Luoyang with ties to the Eagle-Soaring Guard would see him as an enemy. It was better to stay far away.

Since he knew he couldn't stay in Luoyang, Wu Fan didn't hesitate at all, not even bothering to say goodbye to the Hundred Households Office in the western part of the city, and went straight home.

Tong Rui was tidying up the new house in the courtyard, which they had just moved into. She looked up and said, "Why are you back?"

Wu Fan smiled and said, "I got promoted!"

Tong Rui was taken aback, then overjoyed, "To Hundred Households?"

Wu Fan nodded and then said with a sigh, "Unfortunately! Not in Luoyang. I'm going to Yingyang! And... I don't plan to take you with me!"

"Not take us?" Tong Rui's expression changed, and after a moment, she said, "That makes sense. It's a new place, and we don't know the situation. You should go and check it out first. When are you leaving?"

Wu Fan thought for a moment and said, "Now!"

Tong Rui was a capable and straightforward woman, not one to dilly-dally. She turned around and started packing clothes for Wu Fan.

"You don't need much, just two or three sets!" Wu Fan called out, thinking and continuing, "I'll take Tong Wei with me. Pack some for him too. I still need to go back to the Thousand Households Office to get two horses, and... I need to visit the Western City School to arrange for Tong Ying and Tong Wu to attend... It's troublesome! Forget it! Don't pack now! I'll leave tomorrow morning!"

...

PS1: Request for favorites and recommendations.

PS2: Thank you to the newbie with aspirations for the 588-point donation. Thanks!

PS3: Apologies for being two hours late! I wrote it once and revised it four or five times, but it still felt lacking. Cry~~~