World's First Traitor System (373)

Chapter 373 - An Idol and a Fan

Thump!

A sack was tossed heavily into the enclosure.

"Starting tomorrow, he'll drink the Soul Cleansing Wine too!"

Hearing Shangguan Wan'er’s voice, Fan Li was surprised.

He had anticipated she would succeed, but her speed was astonishing.

In just three days, she had captured the Ming’s Grand Secretary’s son, the notoriously corrupt Junior Grand Secretary?

The person who scrambled out of the sack was indeed Yan Shifan, bruised and battered.

"Where am I?"

"Who are you?"

"Do you know who I am?"

"And do you know who my father is?"

Yan Shifan, dizzy and disoriented, had barely seen who was in front of him before he started shouting.

When he finally saw Fan Li, Qing Qiu, and Princess Chang Le, he immediately dismissed the man and focused on the two beauties before him.

"You… was I kidnapped by bandits, are you all with them, or are you victims like myself?"

Princess Chang Le immediately saw through Yan Shifan’s cultivation. Clearly, he had overindulged in wine and women. His powers was sustained only by pills.

His appearance was abhorrent, and the Princess felt nothing but disgust at the sight of him. She had no interest in him.

As for Qing Qiu, she ignored Yan Shifan from beginning to end.

"Huh?"

"I’m talking to you!"

“Just because I am suffering today, does not mean that, in three days, all of Great Ming will be turned upside down, until I am found!”

“You two ladies were captured too, right?”

Yan Shifan grinned, which only served to stretch the bruises on his face.

"If you stick close to me, when my reinforcements arrive, I promise I'll protect you!"

As Yan Shifan finished speaking, he noticed the two women were unmoved.

Having dealt with all sorts of people, he finally understood. These beauties were likely with that young man nearby?

"Boy, who are you?" Yan Shifan demanded.

Shangguan Wan’er had ambushed him on a pleasure boat on the Qinhuai River.

With the vast gap between their cultivation levels, Shangguan Wan’er had effortlessly killed all of Yan Shifan's guards and subdued him in a flash.

In reality, Yan Shifan had been completely drunk, offering no resistance.

The bruises and injuries he suffered weren’t from combat. Shangguan Wan’er, unconcerned with his well-being, had dragged him along the way, resulting in various cuts and bruises.

"Boy, if you want to survive, you'd better answer my questions honestly. And let these two beauties attend to me. If they serve me well, when I’m rescued, I might even consider taking you with me.”

As he spoke, Yan Shifan observed Fan Li, something vaguely familiar about him.

Yet, he couldn't quite place it.

So be it!

There were countless people in Great Ming who had flattered Yan Shifan. It was too tedious to recall them all.

Fan Li had long since changed out of his Dragon Robes, now dressed in the fine brocade of a noble young master.

To Yan Shifan, Fan Li was either a wealthy young lord from an aristocratic family or perhaps a young master from a wealthy local merchant family.

"Hehehehe… You don't even recognize him?" Princess Chang Le suddenly spoke, smiling sweetly. Her voice was alluring, enough to make Yan Shifan’s bones melt.

"Who is he?"

Yan Shifan was secretly delighted. He fully intended on getting his hands on Princess Chang Le, but first, he had to show off a little.

“I, Yan Shifan, am the son of Grand Secretary Yan Song of Great Ming. Does it really matter who he is?”

Yan Shifan expected to see shock on their faces, perhaps even for them to throw themselves at him.

However, they didn't.

Princess Chang Le continued to smile, with no sign of surprise.

As for Qing Qiu, she remained indifferent.

“The son of a Grand Secretary, truly precious,” Princess Chang Le said, nodding. “But is it possible, his status is even more exalted than yours?”

“Impossible!”

In Yan Shifan's mind, the only people more precious than himself were Emperor Jiajing’s sons.

Such as Wanli or Prince Jing.

But Fan Li was clearly neither.

“So who exactly is he?” Yan Shifan asked again.

Princess Chang Le simply smiled, refusing to answer.

Then, without warning, Qing Qiu spoke, “He is my husband.”

Even Fan Li was taken aback.

He looked at Qing Qiu, who looked back at him.

"Your brother called me sister-in-law."

Qing Qiu’s tone was calm and matter-of-fact, as if she were commenting on the weather.

However, the fox tail behind her swayed excitedly.

Fan Li was speechless.

He knew Qing Qiu’s original body had rescued his brother, but shouldn’t they have remained in hiding?

Where did this sudden show of affection come from?

Could there be fewer unexpected events?

Yan Shifan also noticed Qing Qiu's tail. He was instantly both startled and delighted.

"A fox spirit? No wonder you are so beautiful! I’ve struck gold today!"

He pulled a long face and confronted Fan Li. “You’re human, and yet you dare to marry a demoness, a clear violation of Great Ming law. No matter who you are, once the reinforcements arrive, you will be taken to the capital’s prefecture.”

Great Ming actually had no such law.

On the pleasure boats of the Qinhuai River, there were many fox spirits, their cultivation was shallow. They had fallen into prostitution for survival.

Even Yan Shifan himself was a regular at two snake spirit’s boudoir.

Fan Li stared at Yan Shifan with an odd expression, contemplating his next move.

The designated replacement for his brother was right here. There was no need to be polite to him now.

Alright, no more pretending.

"First, this Lord is not a citizen of Great Ming.”

Upon hearing Fan Li refer to himself as “Lord,” Yan Shifan immediately sensed that something was amiss.

“Second, even if your father came in person, he wouldn't be so stupid to compete with me for a woman.”

Yan Shifan’s expression changed! His mind, previously clouded, now suddenly cleared, and he remembered where he had seen this man before.

The number one treacherous minister of the Great Chu, compared to former Han's Dong Zhuo, and even his own father, Yan Song, called 'The Three Great Traitors of the Present Era.’

The Duke of Jin of Great Chu, Fan Li!

"Y-You… You're Fan… Duke Jin! How are you here?"

Even before he finished his sentence, Yan Shifan had softened his tone.

As the most infamous corrupt officials of the Jiajing court, Yan Shifan admired no one except his own father, Yan Song, who controlled the Ming court for decades.

But even he admitted to admiration for Fan Li!

He had risen in the Great Chu kingdom, reaching a level that far surpassed his own father's.

His father, Yan Song, had served his entire life as a high official. At the end of his career, his greatest accomplishment was being a favored minister of Emperor Jiajing.

The Emperor had always maintained a balance of power, using Xu Jie to occasionally remind his father of his place.

Fan Li, however, as a minister, had risen to a level of unmatched power, effectively a ruler second only to the Emperor!

Many even suspected that he could usurp the throne at any time.

“He truly is a paragon of ministers, a role model for us all!” Yan Shifan once said of Fan Li.

“Duke Jin, ahem, please forgive me, Shifan's eyes are weak, I didn’t recognize you, please be generous.”

Human nature was fickle.

Yan Shifan, arrogant and tyrannical his entire life as an official of the Great Ming, shouldn’t have needed to ingratiate himself to Fan Li.

But at this moment, he wanted nothing more than to be polite and respectful to Fan Li.

It was a classic case of a fan meeting his idol.

Fan Li smiled.

He saw Yan Shifan was about to offer a junior’s bow, and he quickly offered to help him.

“How could you possibly be more polite? I have long admired you. It’s a great pleasure to finally meet you, I wish we had known each other sooner.”

For a fan, there is no greater moment than to be treated kindly by one’s idol.

Yan Shifan was deeply moved by Fan Li’s words, imagining his idol growing ever more impressive.

As he rejoiced in his heart, Fan Li then said, “Let me introduce you. This is Princess Chang Le, the daughter of the former Han Emperor, and once my Empress of Great Chu. And this is the former Brahma Sound Pure Land Sage Ruler, Qing Qiu.”

“And, now, they are both my wives.”

Yan Shifan was shocked!

His idol was truly a paragon among ministers!