To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 295 Now look what's happened, my reputation is completely ruined!

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

As the person in charge of Ji Honglou, she was more aware than anyone of the current predicament!

Ji Honglou is now being closely watched by spies from all sides. The armor that Xiang Ta just brought in is extremely heavy and conspicuous, making it impossible for her to smuggle it out of the city undetected.

Once the authorities break in and find these things, it will be an irrefutable case with no way to defend oneself and the extermination of one's entire family—a capital offense!

"Stop making sarcastic remarks!"

Mi Yueyao stared intently at Zhang Fan. "Since you understand the situation so well, do you have a solution?"

Zhang Fan did not answer immediately, but walked straight to the large wooden crates that his men had just moved in.

He kicked open the box lid, casually picked up a piece of fine bronze armor from it, and weighed it in his hand.

Feeling the weighty, exquisitely crafted weight in his hands, Zhang Fan smiled.

"These are fine items... Since Xiang Liang is so generous, giving away such excellent equipment for free, I'll gladly accept them!"

"Are you crazy?" Mi Yueyao looked at him in disbelief.

Zhang Fan sneered and was about to speak when a noisy commotion suddenly came from outside the downstairs door, breaking the tranquility of the night.

……

Meanwhile, the situation outside Ji Honglou was already close to spiraling out of control.

The once quiet streets are now ablaze with flames.

The special envoy from the Court of Justice, sent by Zong Yu, was fully armed and held aloft torches. He surrounded the massive Ji Honglou so tightly that not even a fly could get out.

The soldiers' menacing presence and murderous aura made the surrounding air extremely oppressive.

At the entrance of Ji Honglou, several guards and stewards stood on the steps, their faces pale, struggling to hold on.

"My lord! My lord, please calm down! Our Ji Hong Lou has always been an honest business, frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles. There are no thieves here..."

"Don't give me that nonsense!"

The leading envoy of the Court of Justice suddenly drew his long sword from his waist, pointing the blade directly at the crowd on the steps, and roared angrily:

"I have received reliable intelligence that Ji Honglou is not only hiding a shocking case, but has also kidnapped the Great Qin Immortal Master and the Imperial Envoy! This concerns the safety of the nation and cannot be taken lightly!"

The special envoy's gaze swept menacingly across the tightly closed doors of Ji Honglou, and he raised his voice, roaring menacingly:

"No one can stop me from handling this case today! If you don't move aside, don't blame me for breaking down the door! All troops, prepare to charge!"

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

At the special envoy's command, hundreds of court officials simultaneously drew their weapons and marched directly toward Ji Honglou's gate.

"Oh? Not even if anyone comes?"

A languid voice came from inside Ji Honglou.

With a loud bang, the door opened from the inside.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a young man rubbed his eyes, stretched, and stepped out of the threshold.

His clothes were slightly disheveled; he was none other than Zhang Fan, the Great Qin Immortal Master.

"Who said I've been kidnapped?"

Zhang Fan looked at the soldiers before him, finally fixing his gaze on the special envoy of the Court of Judicial Review. He chuckled, "I was listening to music in this building, and when I stepped outside, I saw so many swords and blades. What, do you all want to invite me to prison?"

"A...a Celestial Master?"

Upon seeing Zhang Fan standing before him, the Imperial Envoy was filled with astonishment.

His face turned pale, and he stood there stunned for a moment.

Could the intelligence be wrong?

Lord Zongyu clearly stated that Zhang Fan had been kidnapped by a traitor and brought here. As long as he was caught red-handed, he could gain merit and take the opportunity to search and confiscate Ji Honglou.

But now Zhang Fan has stepped out on his own!

"It's a misunderstanding! It must be a misunderstanding!"

The envoy's hand trembled, and his longsword nearly fell. He quickly sheathed it, bowed deeply, and said, "I received a report that thieves were harming the Immortal Master, so I came to rescue him. I never imagined that I had made a mistake! I have disturbed the Immortal Master; I deserve death!"

"A mistake?"

Zhang Fan stepped forward, raising his voice, "You said you were mistaken, and now you've brought hundreds of men to surround this place. I was inspecting the people's conditions at Ji Honglou today, and with your disturbance, where do I put my face? You've delayed important court affairs; what is your punishment?"

The envoy kept his head down, sweating profusely, and dared not meet his gaze.

Zhang Fan walked around him and continued speaking:

"If I remember correctly, you are a special envoy from Xianyang, aren't you? Since when have people from Xianyang been allowed to directly intervene in the troops of Shangdang County? Is this His Majesty's decree, or are you acting on someone's private instructions?"

Unauthorized troop deployment is a capital offense!

If no reason can be given, the special envoy will not be able to leave today.

"May the Immortal Master bear witness!"

The envoy dared not conceal the truth and replied, "It was Lord Shaofu! Lord Zongyu was worried that the Immortal Master might encounter misfortune in Shangdang and instructed me to keep an eye on the Immortal Master's safety. I believed the rumors, and that's why..."

"What a fine young master! What a concern for my safety!"

Zhang Fan looked at the street in the distance, paused for a moment, and waved his hand, saying:

"Fine... I'm in a good mood tonight and don't want to bother with you. Take your men and get out!"

"Thank you, Immortal Master!"

The special envoy mounted his horse and shouted to the soldiers behind him, "Withdraw! Everyone, retreat to camp!"

Before long, all the soldiers surrounding Ji Honglou had retreated, leaving only a few abandoned torches on the long street.

The tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed at that moment.

Only after the Imperial Envoy's men had completely disappeared did the onlookers dare to peek out.

At first, the long street was quiet.

But soon, someone shouted, "The Immortal Master is mighty! He drove those fierce-looking soldiers away with just a few words!"

Immediately afterwards, the surrounding people poured out from the alley entrance and street corner. When they saw Zhang Fan standing on the steps of Ji Honglou's gate with his clothes slightly disheveled, a burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

"Hahaha! The Immortal Master truly loves his people like his own children! He's still 'observing the people's conditions' in Ji Hong Lou in the middle of the night. He's really working hard!"

"Indeed! The Immortal Master doesn't even despise such brothels and personally ventures into the lion's den. Our Changzi County is truly blessed!"

"Immortal Master, are the girls inside treating you well? Shall we send you some more nourishing turtle soup? Hahaha!"

Hearing the cheers and clamor of the people around him, Zhang Fan's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

What the hell!

What the hell is this?!

I am the dignified Immortal Master of the Great Qin Dynasty, a man of noble character and upright integrity!

Now, in the middle of the night, he stands disheveled in front of the city's largest brothel, being pointed at and gossiped about by a group of ordinary people who say he's "observing the people's conditions"!

Zhang Fan felt incredibly aggrieved. If it weren't for the fact that weapons and armor were hidden in this dilapidated building, and he was afraid that the Imperial Censor's men would find them, he wouldn't have risked his life to personally act as a shield!

That's terrible, my reputation is completely ruined!

"Get out of here! What are you looking at!"

Zhang Fan, enraged, flung his wide sleeves and roared at the surrounding crowd, "I'm handling a case! Don't you understand what it means to handle a case? Go home and get some sleep, stop making a scene here. Don't you think you're exempt from working in the fields tomorrow?"

Seeing the immortal master scrambling in embarrassment, the people laughed even harder.