Chapter 333: Can a Mighty Dragon Outshine the Local Snake?

The Ningbo Maritime Administration had officials such as supervisors, deputy supervisors, and clerks. All these officials dealt with foreign envoys who came to pay tribute. Although they had to resolve various disputes, the slightest mistake could lead to death, yet the rewards were substantial. Supervisor Fan Tong held a fifth-rank official position. He had been working there since the restoration of the Maritime Administration in the first year of the Yongle era, rising steadily through the ranks, despite originally being just a scholar-official. He should have been the de facto ruler of the entire Maritime Administration, but ever since Eunuch Wang, who was appointed to oversee it by imperial order, arrived, he lost his absolute power.

Fortunately, Fan Tong wasn’t incompetent. After enduring suppression at first, he came up with some strategies. Since the emperor trusted eunuchs the most, followed by noblemen, and then civil officials, if he couldn’t confront those eunuchs, maybe he could make connections with some nobles? Gradually, Fan Tong, who had once been sidelined, regained some control. Although he couldn’t rival Eunuch Wang Darong in authority, his life improved somewhat.

Yet these days, Fan Tong was extremely annoyed—an indescribable irritability, his face as dark as the sky before a storm, as if thunder and lightning might strike at any moment. Whether it was his subordinates, clerks, or laborers, not even in front of foreign envoys did his expression soften. In a huff, he rushed home, sat down in the armchair in the main room, and after waiting for a long time with no one showing up, he snapped angrily, “Where the hell are everyone? Where’s that girl Xi Yan?”

After a while, a panicked voice came from outside: “Master, Miss Xi Yan has gone out!”
“Gone out… That damned girl! She’s always running around. How can she get rid of that country bumpkin attitude? I thought she could help me, but apart from spending my money, what else does she know how to do? Send someone to find her right away! If she’s not back in half an hour, everyone will face punishment!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the door curtain was lifted, and a young woman entered. She was no more than twenty or twenty-eight years old, with a face like a full moon, lips like cinnabar, and eyes like morning stars. Her every move exuded a sly and charming aura. Though beautiful, she was dressed in luxurious attire—a pearl hairpin, a jade-colored jacket with gold trim, and a skirt with purple and green patterns. Two delicate ruby earrings shone on her ears.

“Father, you’re really unreasonable! I went out to handle important matters, yet you still concocted such a story, acting as if I were your legitimate daughter. Would you treat a legitimate daughter this way?” She snapped at him right away, then gracefully sat down on the chair next to Fan Tong and said with a smile, “This time, the emperor quietly sent a large army to patrol the seas and hunt pirates. I heard there’s widespread suffering at sea! Those usually ferocious villains have now become desperate scoundrels; many even abandon their ships, which they consider their lifelines, and flee to the shore to avoid attention…”
“Have you said enough?”
Fan Tong had already been annoyed by this matter, and now he found her beautiful face even more distasteful. Instinctively, he raised his right hand but eventually lowered it. Though she was his adopted daughter, she wasn’t one of his concubines who could be beaten or scolded at will. If he slapped her, it would only bring misfortune to himself. With that thought, he forced himself to suppress his anger.
“Eunuch Wang has been busy serving a guest these days, so busy he even forgot to seek personal gain. I sensed something unusual about this, so I had someone investigate. It turns out to be Lu Feng, the imperial envoy who should be in Nanjing. He’s probably hosting guests at Tianxiang Pavilion right now. One eunuch already keeps me busy, and now there’s another even more troublesome one. I was just angry in the moment, but A’yan, even considering that you’ve been my nominal daughter for a few years, please don’t cause more trouble now!”
Fan Xiyan looked at her nominal father mockingly, a faint smile spreading across her lips. Then she said softly, “I know Father is upset right now, so of course I wouldn’t run around aimlessly. Let Father know that not only has someone more troublesome arrived, but two.” She made a gesture with her fingers, her smile growing wider. “Since Eunuch Lu came to Nanjing with Lord Zhang, if he’s come to Ningbo, how could that other person not come?”
Although Fan Tong was used to Fan Xiyan’s habit of speaking half-truths, he still gasped in shock upon hearing this. He immediately jumped up from his chair and asked anxiously, “Has he really come?”

“I saw it with my own eyes… Well, don’t frown. I don’t know Lord Zhang, but surely someone else does. Don’t say I didn’t tell you—right now, Eunuch Wang is entertaining guests at Tianxiang Pavilion, and he happens to be dining at Zuixiang Tower across the way. If you rush there now, you might even run into him. Even the strongest dragon can’t overpower the local snake; Eunuch Lu hasn’t done anything to Eunuch Wang either. Since Lord Zhang is new here, he surely needs someone familiar with the situation to help him. Isn’t this your chance, Father? Oh, and he’s wearing a dark blue robe with a round collar. He’s quite young—Father, be sure not to mistake him for someone else…”

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Fan Tong rush out without a word, even pushing aside the door curtain to get outside. Hearing his loud commands to prepare a carriage, she couldn’t help but smirk, thinking that her stepfather would surely insist on bringing him back home by force. After all, lifting the sea ban would start with the Ningbo Maritime Administration, and the annual tax revenue would be substantial, not to mention other sources of income. Many were surely eyeing a position there.

Taking out the note from her sleeve, Fan Xiyan examined it carefully once more before grimly crumpling it up and stuffing it into her mouth, swallowing it calmly as if nothing had happened. Compared to burning it and leaving ashes behind, this was undoubtedly the safest and most reliable method.

However, Yue Changtian claimed that Princess Yongping thought Fan Tong was more of a hindrance than a help, so she wanted to use Zhang Yue to get rid of him. But Fan Tong had always served as a bridge between the Yan family and Marquis Fuyang—Princess Yongping herself—he knew quite a lot. If Zhang Yue really captured him, wouldn’t everything go awry? Moreover, if Fan Tong died, how could she survive alone?

Thinking of this, Fan Xiyan furrowed her brows deeply. After much deliberation, she came up with a bold idea. Even if she hadn’t come here to undertake such a dangerous task, she would have been just an ordinary servant in Princess Yongping’s mansion. At best, she would have ended up as one of Marquis Fuyang Li Maofang’s concubines. Rather than waiting for others to take her life after Fan Tong fell, it was better to take action first.

If she could earn favor with this imperial envoy, she could at least save her own life!

Winter nights came especially early; even before the second hour of You time, the sky was already completely dark. While ordinary households might refrain from lighting lamps, the restaurants and inns near the Maritime Administration had their lanterns hung high, welcoming the busiest part of the day. The Zui Xiang Lou, which had been half empty earlier, was now fully occupied. Seeing that there was little food and drink left on the table, and knowing that Tian Xiang Ge was still tightly closed, Zhang Yue simply stood up.

His action prompted Fang Qing and Ma Qinjiu to stop sitting as well. Hu Qi, who was at the table next door, hurriedly got up to pay the bill, while the young guard Tian Wen rushed downstairs to fetch the horse. Everyone went down the stairs together. Just as they reached the entrance, a carriage stopped there. Before the carriage could come to a complete stop, a figure jumped out eagerly, astonishingly moving swiftly despite his bulky frame.

That plump middle-aged man was Fan Tong. Having rushed all the way, he looked rather disheveled. After stopping, he quickly adjusted his clothes. Just as he was about to enter, he suddenly spotted Zhang Yue and his group leaving, reminding him of his daughter’s descriptions. Though unsure, he decided it was better to be wrong than to miss the chance, so he smiled and stepped forward.

“May I ask if you are Young Master Zhang?”

Zhang Yue, being new to the place, was taken aback by this sudden address. He glanced at the man curiously. Wearing a Lu silk coat and deer skin boots, along with his plump body and honest smile, he seemed like an ordinary person. But at that moment, a voice filled with surprise and joy came from nearby.

“Lord Fan, how wonderful to see you visit our humble shop! Is this your guest? Ah, despite the crowd, the elegant seats on the third floor have always been reserved for you. Please come upstairs right away; I’ll immediately order the kitchen to prepare a fine meal for you!”

His speech was interrupted, and Fan Tong grew annoyed. Seeing Zhang Yue seemed to understand, he had no time to pay attention to the eager shopkeeper. He quickly said with a smile, “Young Master Zhang, I’m extremely busy as the head of the Maritime Administration. If not for my daughter mentioning it when she returned, I wouldn’t have known that the son of the former minister had arrived in Ningbo. Since you’re here, we’ve already prepared food and drink at home. You must allow me to show you some hospitality.”

Upon hearing the words “Inspector of the Municipal Maritime Administration,” Zhang Yue naturally didn’t think the other person was mad and had mistaken him for someone else. Though annoyed that someone had figured out his identity, this wasn’t the time to pursue it, so he merely nodded politely and followed Fan Tong onto the carriage. The others found this situation unremarkable, but Ma Qinjiu almost bit his tongue. He followed absentmindedly and nearly fell until the carriage set off; he was still confused even then.

Hadn’t those officials said Zhang Yue was from the Jinyiwei? How had he become the son of a senior minister now? And why would that notorious incompetent official from the Ningbo Maritime Administration come here to pick someone up? The information network seemed too efficient.

The Fan family’s mansion was located west of the Maritime Administration. It looked plain on the outside, but inside it was a five-section courtyard that grew increasingly spacious as one went deeper. Fan Tong initially thought all those who followed were attendants. Only after entering and asking around did he learn that the middle-aged merchant was a well-known merchant from Huai, while the other young man was not only the head of the Fang family in Shandong but also the son-in-law of the Yang family in Songjiang Prefecture. At this point, he became even more puzzled about what Zhang Yue intended to do by returning to Ningbo and could only force himself to lead them to the banquet hall.

As they approached the entrance of the banquet hall, a handsome young servant stepped out, lifting high a cotton curtain adorned with the pattern of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, and bowed deeply at the door. Fan Tong, who was leading the way, found the servant eerily familiar, yet there was clearly no such person in the mansion, which puzzled him greatly. It wasn’t until they entered and exchanged seats that he suddenly realized the truth.

That wasn’t a servant at all—it was Fan Xiyan disguised as a man! She had retouched her eyebrows, temples, and forehead, and he hadn’t recognized her just now!