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

Chapter 296 Master, you're not dead!

But everyone knew that Zhang Fan was a good official with no airs, so they all smiled and dispersed, each going home.

As the crowd dispersed, Zhang Fan suddenly turned around and strode up the stairs, heading straight for the top floor attic.

Push open the door to the top floor room.

Mi Yueyao was still standing by the window, but at this moment, the look in her eyes as she looked at Zhang Fan was less charming and playful than before, and more complex.

She watched from upstairs the entire time as Zhang Fan, using his status as an imperial envoy of the Great Qin Dynasty, verbally abused the special envoy sent by Zong Yu.

"Young Master Zhang..."

Mi Yueyao took a deep breath, turned to look at him, and said, "You actually shielded Ji Honglou from this calamity. Do you know that if that special envoy had insisted on forcing his way in and found those armors, you wouldn't be able to protect your status as an imperial envoy of Qin!"

"Stop talking nonsense to me."

Zhang Fan pulled out a chair and sneered, "I'm not saving you, I'm saving myself! That old bastard Xiang Liang! If the Imperial Censor's men find out, we're both dead tonight!"

A cold glint flashed in Mi Yueyao's eyes as she gritted her teeth and said, "The Xiang clan has betrayed their promise. My Chu Kingdom's secret agents will never let this go! But right now..."

She glanced at the large wooden crates filled with armor inside the room, her tone turning incredibly heavy again: "Although you managed to repel the special envoy with your words, he will definitely have spies planted around Ji Honglou. This batch of armor is like a hot potato; if we can't move it out, leaving it here will only lead to a dead end sooner or later. Young Master Zhang, what should we do?"

"What should we do?"

"Since Xiang Liang went to so much trouble to give us this batch of excellent equipment for free, wouldn't it be a waste of his kindness if we just hid it away as evidence?"

Mi Yueyao was taken aback, her beautiful face filled with confusion: "What does Young Master mean?"

Zhang Fan turned his head sharply and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Forged documents!"

"From this moment forward, this batch of armor is not evidence of any rebellion by remnants of the Chu state! Rather, it is a sample of new Qin military equipment secretly manufactured by me, the Imperial Envoy of Qin, using the newly discovered coal and steelmaking techniques of Shangdang County!"

"And it just so happens that it's temporarily placed in this Ji Hong Lou!"

These words were spoken.

Mi Yueyao's pupils contracted sharply, and she froze on the spot.

Absolutely!

That's absolutely amazing!

Zhang Fan himself is the Great Qin Immortal Master in charge of steel and coal!

If he says this is a "secret military research and development" he is conducting in Shangdang County, who would dare to call it a rebellion?

This completely cleared out the reputation of these weapons!

"As long as I go back and complete an official document, and affix my imperial seal..."

Zhang Fan tossed the armor back into the box, a smirk playing on his lips: "I'll personally come to your Ji Honglou to 'pick up' the goods first thing tomorrow morning!"

"I want to see if Xiang Liang will be so angry he'll vomit blood when he finds out that all the rebellious equipment he spent so much money building has been openly and legitimately incorporated into the Qin arsenal!"

After hearing Zhang Fan's brilliant and decisive strategy, Mi Yueyao gasped in shock.

Looking at the figure before her, she felt a rare sense of awe.

With a flick of the wrist, one can create clouds; with a reverse flick, one can create rain!

In dire straits, one can not only find a way to break the deadlock, but also use the enemy's strength against them, turning the enemy's knife into one's own merit.

Ying Zheng was able to sweep across the six kingdoms, and his subordinates were indeed no ordinary people!

"Alright! We'll do as Young Master Zhang says!"

Mi Yueyao's captivating peach blossom eyes curved into crescents once more, and she said without hesitation, "Thank you for your help tonight, Young Master Zhang!"

Don't give me that.

Zhang Fan rolled his eyes and waved his hand, saying, "Tonight's business isn't over yet. I need to hurry back to the prefect's residence!"

"I left a note in my room. Fusu is probably frantic with worry. If he sends this urgent plea for help back to Xianyang and alerts Zheng Ge, our whole charade will be exposed!"

Zhang Fan paused abruptly, turned around, and continued, "By the way, are the officials keeping an eye on that group of merchants with Jiangdong accents?"

Mi Yueyao's infiltration of Shangdang County was quite extensive. She must have known long ago that she had ordered the government to pay attention to merchants with Jiangdong accents.

"Mm!" Mi Yueyao nodded slightly.

Zhang Fan narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Now is a perfect opportunity. Your men shouldn't make any rash moves. These coal thieves hiding in the shadows have finally shown their true colors!"

Upon hearing this, the intelligent Mi Yueyao instantly understood what Zhang Fan meant!

Zhang Fan is aiming to kill two birds with one stone!

Not only did they want to swallow this batch of armor to clear their names, but they also wanted to take advantage of the situation and firmly pin the blame for "stealing coal from the Qin Dynasty and manufacturing weapons to rebel" on the Xiang family!

"Young Master Zhang's masterful substitution is truly astounding!"

A glint of excitement flashed in Mi Yueyao's eyes, and she immediately said, "Don't worry, Young Master, I'll make the arrangements right away! They'll definitely have nowhere to escape!"

Having said that, Zhang Fan didn't dare to delay for a moment.

Under Mi Yueyao's arrangement, two guards secretly escorted Zhang Fan out through the hidden back door of Ji Honglou, avoiding the spies of the Court of Justice on the street, and ran all the way back to the backyard of the Prefect's Mansion.

……

At this moment, in the courtyard of Zhang Fan, the prefectural governor's mansion.

The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive!

"Why aren't you back yet...?"

Fusu's eyes were bloodshot as he paced back and forth in the courtyard.

Luo Li squatted at the door, her eyes already swollen from crying, occasionally letting out a sob.

Luo Ying stood on the wall, sword in hand, warily guarding her surroundings.

There are even more rumors circulating today!

What if the kidnappers actually kill the hostage?

"No! We can't wait any longer! I must personally mobilize the army from Changzi County. Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find our teacher!"

Fusu gritted his teeth, suddenly drew the long sword from his waist, and turned to rush out.

"Hey! Who are you going to kill with your sword in the middle of the night?"

At this critical moment.

A slightly helpless voice drifted in from outside the courtyard gate.

"Clang!"

Fusu froze, and the long sword in his hand fell directly onto the bluestone slab.

The three people in the courtyard turned around in unison. They saw Zhang Fan walking slowly in from outside the courtyard gate with his hands behind his back and some night dew still clinging to the hem of his clothes. He looked at them with a strange expression.

"Master...Master?"

Luo Li froze for a second, then burst into tears and rushed over, hugging Zhang Fan tightly around the waist.

"Waaaaah! Master, you're not dead! You scared Luo Li to death!"

Luo Ying also jumped down from the wall, her eyes reddening.

Fusu rushed forward excitedly, grabbed Zhang Fan's arm, and looked him up and down: "Teacher! You...you're alright? Where are the kidnappers? How did you escape from them?"

Looking at the crumpled kidnapping letter in Fusu's hand, Zhang Fan coughed twice and, without batting an eye, began his deceptive act.