All of Jin land is essentially in a stage of war recovery; the ravages of war cannot be restored overnight, but Ying Capital City is an exception. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

First, no matter how fiercely the wild people and rebel army wreaked havoc back then, thanks to Situ Lei’s desperate strike before his death, this Situ Family’s capital never fell into enemy hands;

Second, refugees driven by war instinctively gathered in Ying Capital City, creating a warped sense of prosperity, making it seem more bustling than before the war.

At this time, Fanli, with a burlap sack draped over his shoulder, walked silently down the street at night. Ying was not under curfew, so even at night it remained bustling.

At the entrance of a small tavern, Fanli stopped and saw a sword-wielding man sitting there alone, eating and drinking.

The Yan people enjoy wearing knives, while the Jin people prefer wearing swords. Although Jin land has now become the territory of Yan, some habits of the Jin people cannot be changed quickly.

Fanli stood outside watching him, watching him eat, drink, and settle the bill, take his sword, and prepare to leave.

The swordsman leaving the tavern walked to a secluded alley, placed his sword aside, and began to unbuckle his belt, seemingly preparing to relieve himself.

Fanli waited for a while until he finished and was reapplying his belt, walked forward, grabbed the opponent’s neck and lifted him like a chick, while preparing to pack him into the burlap sack with the other hand.

To Fanli’s surprise, the swordsman emitted a faint blue light and, pressing down with one hand, pulled out a dagger and stabbed towards Fanli’s chest.

Fanli was somewhat surprised and immediately raised his arm again.

Because Fanli is so tall and his arms naturally long, while the swordsman is somewhat thin, his dagger thrust failed to reach Fanli. Just as he turned his wrist to cut his arm, Fanli applied pressure.

"Crack!"

The swordsman’s neck was directly snapped, blood oozed from the corners of his mouth and his head drooped.

He let go,

With a "plop,"

The swordsman’s body fell to the ground.

Fanli looked at the burlap sack, feeling a bit helpless. His intention was to find a swordsman to help examine the sword maid, as several city doctors he hired couldn’t offer any solution, and moreover the sword maid’s health is too fragile to travel, making it risky to force her back to Snow Sea Pass.

So, he could only search in Ying Capital City for a swordsman to examine her. They all use swords, they might see something, right?

Mistake.

Fanli picked up the burlap sack, turned and left the alley, ready to find the next "doctor."

It wasn’t long after Fanli left,

A group of armored soldiers swarmed in, led by the same Ran Min who once drank with Ji Chengjue at the county government.

A subordinate examined the swordsman’s corpse, then reported:

"Captain, he’s dead, his neck was forcefully snapped."

Ran Min’s eyes narrowed slightly, saying:

"Interesting, we’ve been watching him for days, and now he’s been taken care of by someone."

"Captain, could it be the Spy Bureau people helping us?"

"Would the Spy Bureau people target such small fry?" Ran Min retorted.

But he wasn’t sure himself. Though he was entrusted by the former Minister of War to serve as the captain guarding Ying Capital City, after all, he and the Spy Bureau were on separate paths. Whether it was the Spy Bureau’s doing, he didn’t know, nor could he ask.

Normally, the Spy Bureau targets mainly spies from the Qian and Chu people, whereas local captains like them are responsible for cleaning up Jin’s rebel organizations.

"Collect the body, examine it further. Everyone else, follow me."

"Yes, Captain."

...

In the northeast corner of Ying Capital City, there is a vacant area. Earlier, to counter possible offensives by rebels and wild people, the houses here were flattened for war purposes. Although after the peace, new houses began to be built here sporadically, there’s still a large barren area.

A manager from Prince Cheng’s mansion came with people to enclose this area and build a vast and elegant hall for the local elites.

After all, in such a populous city, it’s hard to find another place like this.

Regarding the act of enclosing land for business, both within Ying Capital City and the Yan people, they turn a blind eye.

Because, after all, it is the property of Prince Cheng’s mansion. Now that Prince Cheng’s mansion is so compliant, relinquishing military power and the political influence originally belonging to the Situ Family, they must still live and eat, right?

As long as it’s not too excessive, it’s generally accepted. Moreover, before the Yan people took over here, all of Ying Capital City was under the Situ Family.

At this moment, in a corner of the elegant hall, in a small pavilion, two men, one dressed in white and the other in black, sit opposite each other;

Beside each, a maid attends, while outside in the corridor, dancers sway.

The man in black is surnamed Zhang, named Yiqing, a genuine Jin native, whose father Zhang Wengtong once served as Ying Capital City’s prefect. After the Yan people came, the prefect’s position was naturally replaced by a Yan official, but his father could still transition to being an adjudicator.

Though his official position diminished and his rank lowered, in the great turbulent times, being able to protect the whole family amidst changing banners and retain an official status, was already quite an achievement.

The man in white is surnamed Chen, named Daole. The Chen Family had originally been a renowned lineage in Jin land’s cultural sphere, producing several great scholars in the past, even serving as the emperor’s teacher in the days of Emperor Jin.