Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 164

Chapter 164: Lin Fan

A man, with a wisp of white hair at his temples and looking a few years older than Pei Que, entered. He was dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guard and held a sword, presumably having recently been sent home.

“I heard Fourth Master Pei laughing so cheerfully just now. Is there some good news?”

Pei Que saw Lin Fan, his eyes half-closed. Instead of answering, he asked, “Oh, isn’t this Commander Lin? Are you free today?”

Lin Fan was one of the commanders of the Imperial Guard and the son of Minister Lin. He had been targeting Pei Que lately, so the two were essentially rivals.

A few days ago, Pei Que had nearly been caught in the crossfire by Lin Fan during the Li family incident. However, Pei Que was still a bit too cautious, and Lin Fan failed to get hold of anything. Instead, another commander caught Lin Fan in the crossfire.

Lin Fan’s smile faltered. He’d been outmaneuvered by Pei Que, and he still resented him. “Yes, thanks to Fourth Master Pei, I have much less work to do now, so I can finally come to Chunfeng Tower. I can’t compare to Fourth Master Pei, who’s actually eating here at this hour, a meal for two at that.”

Lin Fan’s eyes fixed on An Zhi’s empty bowl and chopsticks, his mind racing to remember if he’d seen anyone on his way upstairs. Pei Que knew Lin Fan was trying to trick him. With the dishes and chopsticks all there, he couldn’t hide. “Yes, for two. What’s going on? Commander Lin wants to investigate me again?”

Lin Fan hadn’t expected Pei Que to be so direct. “Fourth Master Pei, you’re joking. You’re the son of the most prestigious family in the capital, and I’m just a humble commander.”

“Commander Lin is far from insignificant. You’re truly capable.” Seeing Lin Fan showed no sign of leaving, Pei Que sat down and looked up at him. “During this time, you’ve raided the Wang family, investigated the Li and Zhang families, and laid out evidence after evidence, bringing disaster to those families. Nowadays, officials in the capital are terrified at the mere mention of Commander Lin.”

Lin Fan was an illegitimate son of the Lin family. His mother was a lowly dancer who died after giving birth to him. Truly Lin Fan was lucky, having survived this humble existence thanks to the support of a concubine who came into the mansion with his mother.

Later, Lin Fan grew up, unloved by his father and mother, and only through hard work and dedication did he rise to the position of commander.

So, in his quest for power, Lin Fan had truly offended many people.

Lin Fan also sat down. “I was only following orders. If those families were innocent, they wouldn’t be in this situation.”

He was right. Whether it was the Wang or Li family, they were only dealt with because they had something to hide, allowing him to find evidence against them.

“Then I hope Commander Lin can remain pristine throughout his life and rise through the ranks.” Pei Que came from an aristocratic family, and he wouldn’t admit to being clean.

Just as the outside world said, he wasn’t a good person.

“Thank you, Fourth Master Pei, for your blessings. I hope to see you promoted more often in the future.” Lin Fan sighed. “Actually, smart people like us really don’t need to be enemies. It’s much better to be friends. We can definitely both benefit and rise together.”

Having witnessed Pei Que’s power, Lin Fan was truly wary of him. He didn’t have the power to offend someone like Pei Que right now, but knowing he couldn’t afford to offend, he naturally preferred to be pulled alongside.

“Commander Lin is wrong. We are all ministers serving the Emperor. We obey his orders. Whether it’s good or bad is up to the higher-ups, not us. As for whether we’re friends or not, that depends on personality. I’m known in the capital for my bad temper, so I’d rather we not be friends to avoid angering Commander Lin later. I don’t want my property to be ransacked,” Pei Que said with a faint smile.

His words shifted the blame entirely onto the Emperor, shifting the conversation back to him. Finally, he added a personality clash, seemingly leaving no room for criticism, yet his remarks were wrapped in veiled sarcasm.

Lin Fan had heard it all, his hands clenched beneath the table. However, thanks to Pei Que’s intervention, he had already lost some power. If he provoked him further, he would likely have difficulty leaving Chunfeng Tower.

He shouldn’t have entered this private room.

Pei Que was fearless. Lin Fan dared to act so aggressively at this moment, so he must have found a backer. As for who it was, it was likely one of the princes.

Nonetheless, being used as a pawn, if his backer didn’t emerge, Lin Fan would surely die the fastest. However, if his backer did, he would still have to die to appease the public anger.

So, facing a dead person, Pei Que had nothing to fear. He just had to avoid being upset by future dead people.

“Fourth Master Pei, you’re too kind,” Lin Fan said. “The Pei family is a century-old family, always the purest. No matter how much dirt others may have, the Pei family certainly doesn’t.”

Pei Que smiled and didn’t respond. He slowly stood up. “Commander Lin, it’s a rare day off, so go have some fun. Chunfeng Tower’s new dishes are all excellent. I won’t bother you.”

With that, Pei Que left the private room, ignoring Lin Fan’s scowl.

After he left, Lin Fan overturned the table and growled, “Bah! Don’t think you’re so great. One day, I’ll crush you under my feet. You’re almost dead, yet you’re still showing off!”

Pei Que, who was outside, didn’t hear Lin Fan’s words, but he did hear the sound of the table being turned over.

Shunzi was furious. “Master, should we find someone to teach Commander Lin a lesson? He’s too arrogant!”

Pei Que raised his eyebrows slightly. “There are plenty of people who want to teach him a lesson. Now that he’s in trouble, we can just watch the show. Go and find out who he has found as a backer. He even investigated our Pei family. Which prince is tired of living again?”