Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio 

  Spring arrived in February. Flowers bloomed and withered depending on the time of day. Until the flowers bloomed toward the sky, one temporarily borrowed clever hands to plant the spirit of spring. People often wondered where is the sense of spring, the spirit of spring? They were planted on people’s clothing. Those flowers bloomed, abundant and layered amongst the gold-edged embroidery. 

  A day earlier, the foreign cloth the empress in the Eastern Palace ordered had finally arrived in the Palace. There were countless yards, and it needed the labor of countless eunuchs. The person who had brought the cloths into the Palace was Hong Zhu. For the simple tasks, such as dividing up the cloth and the heavy labor work, he was too lazy to do it himself. 

  He stayed in the Eastern Palace and noticed that the Crown Prince was not there. As he carefully moved the yellow copper piece in the fragrance pot to prevent the incense from burning too quickly, he ordered the serving girls to work more diligently and to quickly spread out the three layers of mattresses because the empress was going to read in a moment. 

  A gust of fragrant breeze blew in, and the inner curtain was lifted. Black-browed, red-lipped, and with a pair of smooth and slanted eyes, the empress walked out weakly. She leaned on the low couch, drank the already steeped scented tea, and read the book in her hand. 

  The book was a novel published by the Danbo bookstore. Although the empress hated Fan Xian with a passion and was terrified of him, this mother of a nation was unwilling to lower her living standards in her recreations. 

  After reading a few pages, the empress’s brows furrowed as she thought about something. 

  Hong Zhu was standing behind the empress gently hammering on her frail body with his particularly clean fists. The empress always liked Hong Zhu’s tact, carefulness, and considerate service, particularly, his skill in massage. However, she did not close her eyes in enjoyment, as usual, rather, she stared at the book in front of her in a daze. 

  “Mistress, what are you thinking about?” Hong Zhu smiled slightly and said. 

  Compared to the nobles, the eunuchs and serving girls were like ants in the mud. When normal people saw a noble like the empress, they would always be terrified to even make a loud noise. They were always timid and respectful, as if they wished they could completely retract their hands and feet. 

  However, Hong Zhu had once received Fan Xian’s teachings. He also felt that although these people looked to have high and powerful positions, dressed and ate well, and had little to be discontented with, these nobles easily felt suffocation in the palace, loneliness and uneasiness, and liked to have someone keep them company and talk with them. 

  From when Hong Zhu was in the royal study, he was different from the other young eunuchs. He would not always lower his eyes and never forgot his servile appearance. Rather, he was respectfully and a bit more magnanimous when dealing with matters. 

  In reality, this logic was simple. The nobles in the palace also needed to talk. However, their status meant that they did not have any close friends with whom they could talk. If the eunuchs, who were always at their side, did not appear vulgar, were not coy or suspicious, their mood would be much better. 

  That was why Hong Zhu was liked by so many nobles, including the empress. 

  The empress seemed to be used to talking with Hong Zhu and sighed. “I was just thinking…… it’s rather irritating to stay in the Palace all day. Aunt is busy fasting and reading prayers, so I don’t have much opportunity to see her.” 

  Hong Zhu smiled and said, “Your servant can chat with you for a bit.” 

  It was imperative that he said “servant,” but there must not be a subservient expression on his face. Otherwise, if the master or mistress saw the subservient servant, their only desire would be to hit him and would certainly not share their thoughts. 

  “What can you talk about?” the empress asked with great interest. “How about you tell me of your childhood spent wandering around like you did a few days ago?” 

  After Hong Zhu’s family was ruined by a corrupt official, he and his brother escaped to Jiaozhou. In those years, they had suffered endlessly and saw plenty of the joys and sorrows of life. Speaking of experience, his was far richer than those nobles who had grown up in royal families. 

  Every time he spoke of beggar secrets, little rumors on the jianghu, and food and entertainment among the common people, the empress always found it new and interesting. 

  Hong Zhu told her about the true jokes that he had heard while wandering on the road related to the girls in a brothel. However, he was in the Royal Palace, and the person listening to the story was the mother of a nation, so he told the story with particular care, not daring to say anything too explicit. 

  As the empress listened to this story, her eyes twinkled. She smiled slightly. She found it funny and quickly gave a yawn to hide it. She was in front of Hong Zhu, so he couldn’t see. He only found it strange that the empress had not stopped him from continuing. 

  After all, he was very young. He had no idea that no matter how inviolable nobles were, the things in their heads were not much different from the women in the marketplace. 

  After he finished telling the story, the empress sighed and said, “The commoner’s children do have it very tough. However, they can see some very different things.” 

  Hong Zhu mumbled indistinctly, “Speaking of bitterness, given Mistress’ status, ever since you were young……” 

  This very naturally brought the conversation onto the empress’s childhood. For a moment, the empress’s mind wandered. She thought of how the present Emperor, when she was a child, was still a boy careful with his words and smiles, but they seemed to have the occasionally joyful moment. Later…… how did it become like this? 

  She immediately thought of the prince her family paid that night Jingdou ran red with blood. Her emotions became unstable. Gradually, feelings of sorrow welled in her. 

  Hong Zhu carefully controlled his word and watched the fluttering of the empress’s eyelashes. He then turned the contents of his words to the little playthings the empress had in her childhood. 

  The empress was warning herself that she could not tell a servant so much about herself. Hearing him change the subject, she relaxed and began to count with great familiarity. 

  In the end, after endless turns, Hong Zhu finally successfully, and without leaving any traces, made her remember a piece of jade. A piece of jade that she had brought into the Royal Palace from her home. 

  The empress gestured as to the size of the piece of jade and smiled. “The color of that jade was pretty good. Of course, it couldn’t compare to the tribute goods kept in the Great Dong Mountain. However, it was an item of rare quality in a normal royal family…… Oh yes, it was gifted to my family by the previous Emperor, so it has the Emperor’s mark carved on it. It can’t be worn outside and had to be kept among the clothing.” 

  The empress unconsciously pointed at her chest. Although she was wearing thick winter clothing, her finger still sank into the plumpness. 

  Hong Zhu gently swallowed and carefully smiled along with her. “I don’t think I’ve seen Mistress wear it in the Palace.” 

  “Although that piece of jade was gentle, the green is too light…… Back in the day, I often wore it before my marriage, but now it doesn’t suit me.” 

  Flatteringly, Hong Zhu said, “Mistress is beautiful and no less so than the past. There is little difference to a young girl…… No matter how light the jade is, it is suitable.” 

  A severe light flashed through the empress’s eyes. She lowered her voice to yell, “Your words are becoming more and more impudent!” 

  Hong Zhu’s expression became one of great shock. He quickly slapped himself heavily on the face. He did not notice the glimmer of a satisfied smile at the corners of the empress’s lips as well as the meaning growing thicker and thicker in her eyes. ……

  The empress learned of the entry of the embroidered cloths into the Palace, but, naturally, she did not worry much about these little things. The Palace would send it to the various palaces based on ranking. The empress dowager would be the first, and the concubines with ranking would each receive some. In the end, it would reach the Eldest Princess’ Guangxin Palace. Although the empress did not much like this aunt, she had to keep her mouth shut tightly for her son’s sake. 

  Meanwhile, a side room in the Eastern Palace was busy with the distribution of the cloth. Hong Zhu was serving the empress but did not have any specific tasks. With nothing at hand, he stood outside the door and stared at the slender serving girls rushing around. His gaze swept over the serving girls’ plump and perky behinds. 

  Suddenly, he felt pain at his waist and turned his head to see that a charming serving girl was staring ferociously at him. 

  He couldn’t help but scold in a low voice, “Xiu’er, are you crazy? There are so many people, and this is in the Palace!” 

  This serving girl, who was so bold as to pinch the head eunuch of the Eastern Palace, was the Xiu’er that Fan Xian had once heard about. She was also a companion Hong Zhu had found in the loneliness of the Palace. 

  Xiu’er bit her bottom lip and mumbled, “Where are your eyes looking? Are you sure you know this is the Palace?” 

  Hong Zhu chuckled and said a few soothing words. He thought to himself that since he was a eunuch, he could only satisfy his cravings with his eyes and fingers. What was there to be jealous about? He didn’t think much of it, but he suddenly thought of something and asked, “What are you doing here?” 

  His heart suddenly jumped, and he lowered his voice, “Surely they’re not sending you to the various palaces to deliver the cloth?” 

  Xiu’er looked at his nervous expression with curiosity and said, a little startled, “No…… For some reason, the empress suddenly remembered a little item she hadn’t used in a long time and sent me to look for it in the side room.” 

  Hong Zhu relaxed a bit and carefully asked, “What item?” 

  “A light green piece of jade,” Xiu’er pouted and said. “Someone must have said something to her and made her remember this item. It hasn’t been used in so many years, where am I to find it in an instant? If I don’t find it, how will I explain it to the empress?” 

  Hong Zhu was overjoyed. He knew that his words from earlier had worked. The empress had finally thought to look for that piece of jade. 

  A serving girl covered her smiled and walked by the two of them. 

  Xiu’er said angrily, “What are you smiling about?” 

  The serving girl stuck out her tongue and said, “Can only you two smile but I cannot?” 

  The empire of Qing Kingdom was not as radiant and imposing as the people thought, but it was also not as dark and terrifying as described by some novels. Particularly in the Eastern Palace, the empress was aware of her weakness and helplessness, so she purposely put in more effort in the details. She was relatively gentle toward the serving girls and eunuchs and was not very harsh in front of the Emperor. She had the intention of having everyone get along. 

  Hong Zhu was also a very careful person. Even now, as the head eunuch, he was not arrogant and bossy toward those below him. That was why the serving girl dared to make a joke about the two of them. 

  \r \r \r 

  “Where are you going?” Hong Zhu smiled at the serving girl, as well as the little eunuch behind her holding two rolls of superior cloth. 

  The serving girl giggled and bowed. “This is being delivered to Guangxin Palace.” 

  Hong Zhu nodded with a smile and let her go. ……

  The serving girl was called Wang Zhui’er. To be able to have a family name meant that she was a fairly favored figure in the Eastern Palace. She led the two little eunuchs to Guangxin Palace. She knew the Eldest Princess’ habit and waved her hands to have the two eunuchs wait outside. Laboriously, she took the embroidered cloth and went in. 

  Inside the palace were the Eldest Princess’ serving girls, who took them away. Since it was someone representing the empress, the Eldest Princess casually said a few words with the serving girl, asked after the empress, and then sent her away. 

  When Guangxin Palace was quiet and empty, only then did the Eldest Princess turn behind the screen and looked at the Crown Prince, whose face was filled with a content expression. She smiled warmly and said, “Have you memorized ‘The Three Ways to Govern a Country?’” 

  The Crown Prince stared at her in a daze and nodded. Gently, he held the Eldest Princess’ soft hands and lifted them to the side of his face like they were a delicate and easily broken piece of jade. He rubbed them back and forth and said in a quiet voice, “Qian’er has already memorized it.” 

  The Eldest Princess gently tapped the place between his brows with her finger. Looking at the familiar mark between the Crown Prince’s brows, for some reason, her heart moved and then softened. Holding his face between her hands, her eyes twinkled. She gently said, “Good, now recite it for aunt.” ……

  In the Eastern Palace, the empress was angry because the serving girl had searched for a long time and still had not found that piece of jade. This made the empress’s mood very bad. 

  Xiu’er stopped in fear beside the empress and wondered why her mistress was so set on this piece of jade today. 

  She had no idea that the empress had been touched by Hong Zhu’s words and wanted to seek out some of her past radiance. 

  “Search carefully!” The empress was very angry. She suddenly wanted to find something but was unable to find it. She was generous, and now her servants had taken advantage of that. She had also faintly heard that there were some fellows in the Palace whose hands and feet were unclean, but she had not thought that these people would be so daring as to stretch their hands into the Eastern Palace. 

  Thinking of how she was alone and without support in the Royal Palace, and now these servants were riding above her, the empress’s mouth shook with anger. In a dark voice, she said to the row of kneeling eunuchs and serving girls in front of her, “If you can’t find it in the treasury, then search every room!” 

  The expressions of the line of kneeling people were unpleasant. They were all wondering if this was a preparation to search the palace. The three eunuchs to the right were scared pale and terrified because the small and old items from the Eastern Palace had almost all been smuggled out and sold by them. The piece of jade the empress had mentioned earlier was among them. 

  Fortunately, everyone was terrified by the empress’s sharp scolding. All of them were rather pale, so no one noticed the drumming of these eunuchs’ hearts. 

  The empress slapped her right hand down heavily on the table. The emerald ring on her right middle finger shattered. In a great rage, she said, “If you discover who has been stealing, there is no need to report to me. Drag them out and beat them to death!” 

  Hong Zhu lowered his head and looked at the shattered pieces of the emerald on the table, thinking to himself, with a bitter smile, This ring was worth far more than that piece of jade. However, he knew that the empress had an idea and was angry. She was also using this opportunity to clean out the palace, so he couldn’t say anything. He bowed slightly and accepted his orders. He then led some upper-level serving girls and eunuchs to search the Palace. 

  In a flash, footsteps rang out from the back of the side rooms in the Eastern Palace. The sounds of chests being opened and cabinets emptied rang out. It was just like a search, and it filled people with unspeakable fear. 

  Those serving girls and eunuchs who were waiting patiently outside the doors for the orders of fate were not very worried, not even the three eunuchs who had done this because they had done this many times. No one was stupid enough to hide the taboo object in their own room. 

  However, it looked like someone was indeed this stupid. ……

  The three eunuchs were shocked. The serving girl who had worn a proud expression as she watched the crowd suddenly became pale and said in a sharp voice, “It’s not mine! It’s not mine!” 

  In order to avoid suspicion, Hong Zhu did not personally join in the search. When he saw a eunuch find that piece of jade from beneath a serving girl’s bed, he couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head as he looked at that serving girl. 

  This serving girl was the one who had delivered the cloth to Guangxin Palace earlier. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wild. With a crash, she knelt in front of Hong Zhu and said in a shaky voice, “Eunuch Hong…… this has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with me…… nothing to do with me……” 

  The three eunuchs who had stolen the piece of jade met each other’s eyes, thinking, Hadn’t this piece of jade already been sold out of the Palace? How could it suddenly appear in the Eastern Palace and in the hands of that serving girl? Cold sweat immediately poured down the eunuchs’ backs. With the appearance of the item, who knew what could be discovered in questioning later? 

  Hong Zhu furrowed his brows and looked at the serving girl kneeling in front of him. He sighed and said, “Bind her and wait for the Mistress to decide.” 

  A few slightly sturdier eunuchs came forward and flipped her onto the ground. They then used hemp rope to bind her solidly. The serving girl was already terrified out of her mind and could only cry out that she was wronged and had never seen this piece of jade before. 

  Hong Zhu shook his head and went forward to the palace to debrief. The three eunuchs met each other’s eyes and had the slightly braver one follow behind Hong Zhu. He lowered his voice and said, “Sir, earlier, the Mistress intended for us to find the item and then directly kill the thief…… If you talk to the Mistress right now, she might not be happy and make things difficult for you.” 

  Hong Zhu stopped his steps. “This matter is too important. It’s best to wait for the mistress to speak. For us servants, it’s better to not be too interfering.” 

  A streak of disappointment flashed through the eunuch’s eyes. He had thought to use Hong Zhu’s hand to directly kill the serving girl. Then, regardless of how that piece of hade once again entered the Palace, as long as she was dead and the jade had returned, it was impossible for it to be linked for him. He had not expected that Hong Zhu would still seek the empress’s orders. 

  “The matter is not as simple as you think.” Hong Zhu smiled coldly and glanced at him icily. “She doesn’t have enough courage to steal things from the Eastern Palace by herself. There has to be someone else helping her hide it. Even if she doesn’t have someone helping her…… after the inner court questions her carefully, we will definitely find clues as to the origin of this item.” 

  The eunuch felt his heart chill, thinking, The origin…… If this is truly investigated, it will single out all three of them. However, no matter what, he did not dare to confess to this to Hong Zhu. He only said, probingly, “I wonder how the Mistress will punish this.” 

  “If we really find the scourge in the Palace…… beaten to death would be pretty good. I would be worried about being thrown into prison and having those freaks from the Overwatch Council torture me.” Hong Zhu sighed. 

  The eunuch’s mind spun. He swallowed in terror. “This is, after all, a Palace matter. If it is investigated by the internal court and the Overwatch Council, I’m afraid…… the Mistress would lose face. Why don’t we…… investigate it ourselves first?” 

  Hong Zhu seemed to have been moved by these words and slanted his eyes at him. Coincidentally, he saw the murderous intent in the eunuch’s eyes and smiled. He nodded his head and ordered, “Question her carefully.” ……

  Once they reached the bedroom in the front of the Palace, Hong Zhu had changed his tone. He told the empress what they had already learned and then sincerely urged her to be merciful in her punishments. After all, the empress dowager was praying these days. If someone died, it might make her unhappy. 

  At first, the empress was very angry. After hearing Hong Zhu’s argument, her anger gradually dissipated. Holding that piece of jade in her hands and slowly stroking it, she furrowed her brows and said, “That is reasonable. She may be able to escape the death sentence, but she will have to suffer in life. Give the order to have her heavily beaten!” 

  Hong Zhu took the order. As he prepared to go, the empress suddenly called him to a stop. “Why are you going? Just give the order…… You stay here. I have long heard you praise your clever hands. Weave a golden cage and hang up this piece of jade.” 

  The empress’s expression was calm. Nothing could be heard in her voice. Hong Zhu was overjoyed in his heart, thinking, If he had headed the questioning, he might have become implicated. 

  After an indeterminable amount of time, a eunuch knelt with an uncomfortable expression outside the Palace. Hong Zhu furrowed his brows and went to listen to him. His expression also became uncomfortable. 

  He moved closer to the empress’s ear and quietly said a few words. 

  The empress furrowed her brows and said with disgust, “So unlucky…… if she couldn’t stand the beating, it would have been fine. At least she had some sense of shame and committed suicide to make a clean end of things……” this mother of the nation said carelessly. “Have Jingle Hall drag her out and burned.” 

  Hong Zhu’s heart trembled. He knew that in the eyes of these nobles, servants like him were just things to be ordered around and played with. Their lives were worth no more than that of ants. He silently bent his body and went to organize the serving girl’s funeral matters. 

  He knew that the serving girl’s death was not as simple as suicide. The eunuch he had arranged to question her earlier must have secretly killed her in order to keep her silent and protect his wealth, life, and property. 

  Since this was something Hong Zhu had planned, he was not very surprised. He only felt a glimmer of remorse for the innocent serving girl. ……

  The Qing Royal Palace was very expansive. It took up a quarter of the area of Jingdou. Inside it lived the most honorable men and women, but it also had the lowliest women and people who were neither man nor woman. In this cold Palace, countless stories happened every day. No one knew how many of the lowliest disappeared and died strangely without a sound, and there was no one to remember they once existed in the Palace. 

  Although the Qing royal family was not famously cruel, the strict barriers between classes destined the Royal Palace to forever be a place where each person fought for themselves. 

  Thus, the death of an average serving girl in the Eastern Palace did not draw anyone’s attention. There was just an extra body on the Jingle Hall’s burning plains. A girl in the embroidery office, fortunately, received the opportunity to enter the Eastern Palace to serve the empress. She still listened to Hong Zhu tell jokes every day. The empress dowager continued to fast, and the Crown Prince continued to study the ways of governance every day and to go to Guangxin Palace to ask the Eldest Princess for advice. 

  Everything was as normal. 

  “For a large family, if someone asks from the outside, it will never be all at once because the foundations are strong. However, if the family has internal problems, if their own people began to act and suspect, and there is conflict, then they are not far from the day of their death.” 

  On the newly constructed riverbanks in Yingzhou, Fan Xian looked at the Great River flowing east and said thoughtfully, “Thousands of li of riverbanks destroyed by an ant hole; a thousand years or clan, destroyed by a thought.” 

  He turned his head and said to the dark-skinned Yang Wanli, “I am not just talking about the riverbank you repaired or the Ming family, but the entire world.” 

  Fan Xian did explain things clearly. He meant that in terms of time, today should be the day that the serving girl died. In a few more days, once the rumors started, the Emperor would notice the Eastern Palace serving girl’s strange death. Given his suspicious nature, he would certainly notice there were many problems. 

  On the surface, the royal family appeared calm and harmonious. But, perhaps because of the serving girl’s death, it would spiral into unexpected upheaval.

  Chapter 487: Who Could Obstruct A Large Escorted Stone-Carrying Carriage? 

  Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio 

  Yang Wanli glanced at Fan Xian beside him and said, “Teacher, the Jiangnan matter is set. You shouldn’t worry too much.” 

  He said this very honestly and sincerely. The Yang Wanli of this moment had already gone through the ordeals on the riverbank for more than half a year, as well as the wrangling and shirking of the River Transport Governor’s yamen. He had gradually come to understand the real meaning of being an official and the difficulty of the people. 

  As an official, to do things for the people and help the court required power and money in hand. Otherwise, it was impossible to achieve anything. Since Yang Wanli had Fan Xian as a support, no one in the Ministry of Works ordered him around. Although the River Transport Governor’s yamen was a mess, he had the power to directly transfer money from the palace treasury. In this matter, no one could create obstacles for him. 

  He was no longer the innocent and pure youth of the past who dared to cry and storm to his teacher. Every time he thought of this, he felt deep admiration for his teacher’s lecture that year beside Xi Lake in Hangzhou. 

  At this moment, the endless riverbanks beneath their feet were the result of Yang Wanli’s year of work. Every time he saw the square rocks, yellow dirt, and tamed river below the riverbanks, his heart filled with satisfaction and pride. The patched clothing on his body and dark appearance all became a mark of glory. 

  Yang Wanli knew that he was able to achieve his dream because of old Minister Fan and Sir Fan junior’s meticulous care and promotion. He was both happy and worried about his teacher’s arrival and said what he did earlier. 

  Everyone knew that Fan Xian had been attacked on his return to Jingdou. Yang Wanli was concerned about his teacher’s health. 

  Fan Xian shook his head and gazed at the river beneath his feet and said, “No worries, don’t think so highly of me. I am a lazy person. I won’t be so busy with state affairs that I harm my health. As for the Jiangnan matter, the Ming family’s weakness has long been grasped. They have no way to retaliate. However, if we want to swallow them whole, it is still a bit difficult.” 

  The present Yang Wanli could understand what his words meant. It was not difficult to swallow the Ming family. What was important was the members of the royal family behind the Ming family. If Fan Xian didn’t create a taboo situation for the Palace, the Ming family would have destroyed him long ago. 

  Fan Xian smiled and didn’t give any details of the situation. He only comfortingly said, “This return to the capital yielded great returns. Although the Emperor had not changed the entire style of governance, the changing of blood on the court has begun……you should have seen Cheng Jialin’s name on the imperial bulletin.” 

  “Yes, Jialin is the first of us four to return to the capital for a post,” Yang Wanli said happily. Although the investigation into the attack on Fan Xian came to nothing, the Qing Emperor had used this opportunity to chase away a bunch of old people and inserted many new people into the court. The least famous of Fan Xian’s four disciples, Cheng Jialin, was selected and promoted over many ranks. Now, he was a member of the Ministry of Rites and a key member to be developed by the court. 

  Fan Xian glanced at him and smiled. “Of the four of you, Jialin is the most silent and mediocre. Despite this, his path was smoother than that of Jicheng’s……of course, Jicheng’s problem lies with me. If I hadn’t called him to Jiaozhou, he would not have sunk into such an impasse. I can only hope he doesn’t blame me.” 

  Yang Wanli shook his head and said, “Teacher, what are you saying? For the Jiaozhou matter, Jicheng has written to me and said that this was an important matter. Besides, only Jicheng could have handled it.” 

  Fan Xian nodded. Since the four of them all knew of his struggles, he didn’t need to explain anymore. 

  The two of them followed the riverbank downstream. As they strolled, they chatted leisurely. Fan Xian reminded him, “I know of your work in the river works yamen and so does the court. Now that the title ‘hard-working Wanli’ has entered the Palace, this will be greatly beneficial to your future. However, you have to remember what I said before. In things like river repairs and in things you know how to do, you should work hard at them. For things you don’t understand, never give orders randomly.” 

  Yang Wanli smiled and replied, “Having been on the riverbanks for a year, even things I don’t understand, I know a little of it now.” 

  Fan Xian glanced at him with disapproval and said, “The river works is an important business. It is even more important than the battles in Xi Lake and Northern Qi. If you only understand a little……how could it be enough that you can speak with such confidence?” 

  Yang Wanli immediately understood and accepted the scolding with embarrassment. 

  “A mere one year of time is, of course, not enough to stop a river disaster.” Fan Xian furrowed his brows. “This is a decade-long job or even a century-long job. As long as there are people living on the two banks of the Great River, it will have to be repaired. You have to lose your pride and irritation……you must be satisfied and silent.” 

  “Yes, teacher.” 

  “However, you have to take care to train a few capable subordinates and specialists,” Fan Xian said sincerely. “Although you have the desire to create happiness for the people, after being exposed to the elements for many years, your body probably won’t be able to take it. Train some capable people, and there will be no need to stay in the river works yamen. Then, you can get back to Jingdou and work seriously there.” 

  Yang Wanli was startled and quickly said, “Teacher, I don’t want to return to the capital. The capital is much more troublesome than the river banks……besides, I’m not afraid of hard work. I’m long used to it.” 

  “Of course, the capital is troublesome. But if you want to do things, you have to return to the capital,” Fan Xian said resolutely. “This has nothing to do with whether or not you can handle the hardship. I’m counting on you living for a few more years……for someone at such an age to not even have a wife yet, what would people say if that got out?” 

  Yang Wanli was unhappy but didn’t say anything more. Speaking of which, it was rather strange. Fan Xian was younger than all four of his disciples. However, whenever they ran into each other, Fan Xian was becoming more and more used to putting on his teacher role and lecturing them. This was probably what was meant by “different environments raise different people.” ……

  In the following few days, Fan Xian continued to linger in Yingzhou. Most of the time, he was on the river banks and advising Yang Wanli. However, it was inevitable he would receive a feast invitation from the river works governor’s yamen. Fan Xian could make excuses to normal local officials, but this time, the river works Governor had come personally to extend his invitation. With such face, he really had no choice. 

  The reason the Governor invited Fan Xian out was very simple. What the river works governor yamen lacked was silver, and the palace treasury that Fan Xian controlled was full of silver. This year, the river banks governor’s yamen had acted smoothly and been greatly rewarded by the Emperor. This was because Fan Xian, openly and not, had been very warm toward this yamen and provided countless liang of silver. For such a favor, the Governor had no choice but to be thankful. 

  What confused Yang Wanli was why his teacher continued to linger in Yingzhou. A surveying Jiangnan Road imperial envoy could inspect the building of the riverbanks. However, looking at Fan Xian’s appearance, it looked like he was preparing to stay for half a month. 

  “Teacher, are you not going to Suzhou?” One day, Yang Wanli gathered his courage and asked. 

  “No rush, I’ll wait a bit longer.” 

  Fan Xian smiled. Jingdou was in the north and Suzhou was in the east. At this moment, he sat comfortably in Yingzhou and watched what was about to happen on the two sides with cold eyes, like a porter carrying baskets of spiky fruits. Coincidentally, a shoulder pole took all of the weight, so he was not worried about the spiky fruits pricking his thigh. 

  He was waiting for the event in Suzhou to properly begin and the Jingdou matter to explode. Yingzhou was the best place to watch the show. Although in the eyes of the officials he was someone who liked to cause trouble, in such a sensitive time, he still had to avoid suspicion. ……

  The Overwatch Council’s Qinian Unit had two leading figures in Jiangnan. One was in charge of the three large workshops’ production in the palace treasury in North Min, Su Wenmao. The other was in the Suzhou palace treasury transport company keeping an eye on the Ming family’s movements, Hong Changqing. 

  The plan targeting the Ming family had been laid out a year ago. The first steps had begun half a year ago. On one side, the Zhaoshang money house lent heavily to the Ming family to support their means and daily needs. They also began to provoke Ming Lanshi in developing a new trade route. At the same time, they had also acted on the Sixth Ming master who liked wrestling. The muddled-headed Sixth Ming master only knew that Zhaoshang money house had lent him a great deal of money, but he had never thought that his shares in the Ming family had long become a few deeds in Zhaoshang money house. 

  All of this was being done openly. Even if the Zhaoshang money house wanted to enforce the debt, given the Ming family’s strong foundations, the goods in their hands, daily income, and Taiping money house’s support, they could still make do and not be forced into bankruptcy and use their company and lands to repay the debt in full. 

  The problem before Fan Xian was how to reduce the Ming family’s income and cause serious problems for their cash flow. 

  To defeat a business as large as the Ming family’s, no matter how much money was available, it was still very difficult to reach this goal. The problem was that Fan Xian had full authority over the palace treasury and a death grip on the supply of goods. It was equivalent to having a chokehold on the Ming family’s throat. 

  With Su Wenmao taking the lead, with the full cooperation of the deputy of the palace treasury transport company and the cousin of Ren Shao’an, and with the clever planning by a few of Qingyu Hall’s old shopkeepers from the end of last summer, the production of the three workshops in the palace treasury had gradually increased. The quality had also risen greatly. 

  With more supply going out, more supply needed to be taken in. It was impossible for the Ming family to pass up on this opportunity. Additionally, during this time period, the Overwatch Council had greatly relaxed their harassment against the Ming family, so the entire Ming family business had come alive again. In a flash, they had taken on countless goods and were shipping them in the direction of Dongyi and Quanzhou. 

  Although such a large shipment of goods had taken out a large chunk of the Ming family’s silver, Ming Qingda was not worried. This exchange would bring silver back into the account. This was the reason he was feeling relaxed during those days. If it continued like this, what a lovely future it would be. 

  \r \r \r 

  However, for some reason, the palace treasury transport company’s three large workshops suddenly stopped work. ……

  After the news of the work stopping reached Suzhou, Ming Qingda flew into a rage. He had Ming Lanshi rush to the palace treasury transport company yamen to ask exactly what had happened. Very shamelessly, Hong Changqing took down his question but was only willing to say that the three large workshops were currently undergoing regular equipment checking and needed some time. 

  The Ming family had the right to be angry and roar because they were royal merchants who had paid out tens of thousands of liang of silver. Since the palace treasury had taken their bid money, they had to ensure their supply of goods. Otherwise, they could take the lawsuit before the Emperor. 

  However, Hong Changqing also had an excuse to delay because the three large workshops had already completed the amount stated in the bids last year. Even if they stopped for a few days or weeks, the Ming family had already received everything it was supposed to receive. 

  Ming Qingda had no choice. He could only use the power he had in officialdom to inquire as to the truth. With great difficulty, the news got back and said that the three large workshops were striking again. Sir Su of the Overwatch Council had beheaded 20 people before just barely managing to quell it. However, there would be many days of missed work. 

  Hearing this reason, only then did the Ming family let out a breath. As long as it wasn’t Fan Xian’s plot, it was fine. They began to wait for the day the palace treasury resumed working. The reason the Ming family was so anxious and nervous was because everything had been going well for the past two months. Gradually, the Ming family came to believe in the palace treasury’s production ability. Going by their normal figures, they had signed a large contract with Dongyi and other countries. 

  The deadline for the goods had already arrived. The Ming family needed a large number of goods, and merchants needed credibility. The Ming family would rather lose money than have no goods to sell. 

  After a few more days, the three large workshops finally resumed work. However, there were not many of each type of good produced and the amount was woefully inadequate. It was impossible to know when it would be able to recover last year’s circumstances. For a while, the Ming family sank into a small panic. In order to complete the order, they had no choice but to bring in goods from all over. Not only did they deplete the last of their stored goods, they had no choice but to borrow goods at a high price from a few companies on the North Road and South Road. 

  Having received the account master’s report and weighing the useable cash currently within the clan, Ming Qingda furrowed his brows and said, “Just what is Fan Xian doing? Does he think taking some of my goods will bring me down? So naïve.” 

  Ming Lanshi listened at the side. His mouth tasted slightly bitter. Recently, he had moved some money from Zhaoshang money house in preparation to enter the illegal salt business. His partner this time was Yang Jimei, Jiangnan’s largest salt merchant. He knew that Yang Jimei was very close to Governor Xue Qing, so Ming Lanshi was not worried about anything. However, the return on illegal salt needed at least three months. If his father knew that he had moved the family’s cash flow to another place, would he still be as confident as he was now? 

  “The Ming family doesn’t have anything else, it only has money.” Ming Qingda smiled coldly. “Fan Xian wants to control the price on the market to eat up our silver, then we’ll give it to him to eat. In any case, he will have to spit it back out in the future. We have to complete the order this time.” 

  The Overwatch Council’s actions were not as simple as just controlling the market price. The day after the Ming family had successfully paid a high price to gather all the goods, the workers in the three large workshops became as excited, as if they had taken ephedrine. The workings of the palace treasury suddenly exploded, and there wasn’t a trace of striking to be seen. In a short time, they created new records for peak daily productivity. 

  Although the selling prices of the royal merchants were balanced by the court, the selling price was controlled by the supplier. At this moment, the price of the goods sank, but business was better. The Lingnan Xiong family, Sun family, and even Xia Mingji gained a lot during this market price. Most importantly, they had earned a huge price difference from the Ming family. It was their own fault that they had the most trade routes. 

  The Ming family had worked hard to gather the high-priced goods and had fulfilled most of the orders. Yet, they watched as the market price fell and felt an indescribable anger. In particular, as Quanzhou’s foreign export partners shamelessly changed routes and turned to Lingnan to take on cheaper goods, it left the Ming family with a large amount of porcelain and perfume in hand. 

  With this one move, the Ming family lost 700,000 in cash flow. 

  If this had been in the past, the 700,00 would not have been much for the Jiangnan Ming family. After having been suppressed by the Overwatch Council for a year, the Ming family’s cash flow had long dried to a trickle. The Ming family was completely dependent on the support of Taiping and Zhaoshang money houses. Now, another 700,000 liang had melted like snow. The Master of the Ming family, Ming Qingda, had no choice but to become wary. ……

  “This order has to be sent out. Although Shi Pibao is a foreigner, he has a large foreign business behind him. He would certainly not be as shameless as those islanders. He also keeps his promises.” Ming Qingda rubbed his tired eyes and said to his son below, “Lanshi, escort the goods personally this time. You must be careful.” 

  Ming Lanshi made a sound of acknowledgment. He also knew that this batch of goods was very important as this was the batch of demo goods for which his father had spared no effort and used countless connections to bring out of the palace treasury. 

  The so-called demo items referred to the first batch of successful new goods like liquor and perfume in the past. Although the price was very high, everyone knew that it would be a curious new item. Once it was sold, it could be sold like gold. 

  The demo item this time was a batch of mirrors. Ming Lanshi had tested them personally. The main component of these mirrors was glass, but the material at the back was something unknown. It actually had a layer of silver plated on the back. It appeared very delicate and thin, and was truly a treasure. 

  Logically speaking, given the relationship between Fan Xian and the Ming family, it would be impossible for the Ming family to become wealthy from such important demo goods. However, the Ming family had done business in Jiangnan for a long time. They had to use another royal merchant family to be able to take in this batch of goods. Ming Lanshi still felt a sense of unease. If they could safely deliver this batch of silver mirrors to Shi Pibao in Quanzhou, the Ming family’s very difficult cash flow issues would be greatly relieved, but……would it go so smoothly? 

  “Don’t worry about anything,” Ming Qingda said with a dark expression. “I have already communicated with the capital. You’re personally delivering this batch of goods, and the Jiaozhou Navy have also been given orders. This time, we won’t sail out ourselves. Although we will earn less, it should be safe to travel between the provinces……” 

  This Master of the Ming family, who had already tolerated Fan Xian for a year, said in a chilly voice, “If someone……truly dares to kill to steal the goods……it’s impossible for them to kill everyone. After someone escapes back, we will go to the capital and take them to court before the Emperor!” 

  Three days later, on a small mountain south-east of Suzhou, Hong Changqing looked at the long line of carriages and smiled. There were not many carriages with mirrors, there were only two carriages. However, the Ming family had sent out 500 of their personal soldiers to escort it. It was clear they highly valued this export order. 

  His smile was immediately restrained and turned cold. He suddenly remembered a year ago, the day large numbers of the Jiaozhou Navy and officials came to massacre the island. He thought of those flesh-eating birds and his pirate brothers who had died with grievances. 

  Although he was an Overwatch Council secret agent from the beginning and responsible for investigating the island, after being with the pirates on the island for a long time, there would also be some affection. Thus, as he stood on the mountain today and looked at the Ming family’s carriages and soldiers, a bloodthirsty and joyful smile appeared at the corners of his lips. 

  He was not killing anyone day, but it would cause more pain for Ming Qingda than the death of these people. 

  As he was thinking, a group of about 200 riders escorting a few carriages came from the official road directly opposite the one the Ming family was traveling on. 

  The two sides faced each other and were blocked at the foot of the mountain. 

  Ming Lanshi had been carefully watching the situation on the road. Seeing this group of people, he immediately felt a strange atmosphere. He ordered his private soldiers to draw their weapons and prepare to meet the enemy. 

  However, the 200 riders did not do anything. They only passed the Ming family group coldly. Although these riders sat straight on their horses, a cold and severe murderous intention emanated from all over their bodies. The Ming family’s private soldiers did not dare move impudently. 

  Just as the two groups formed two lines, the sides of the carriages that the 200 riders were escorting suddenly broke and everything inside fell out, smashing against the Ming family carriages that held the mirrors. 

  If it were the usual goods, what did it matter if it was hit? 

  However, the problem was that the items that crashed against the carriages carrying the mirrors were green stones, very heavy and very sharp green stones. 

  No one dared to use their bodies to block it, not even the Ming family soldiers under strict orders. After a few muffled booms, there came countless sounds of shattering. 

  Ming Lanshi let out a sharp cry. He quickly dismounted to check, only to see that of the 100 or so mirrors, most of them had been shattered into shiny pieces. Although it still reflected a dazzling brilliance, but…… 

  Chaos immediately broke out on the official road at the foot of the mountain. Countless people drew their weapons. The two sides confronted each other, and a large battle was imminent. 

  Ming Lanshi’s vision went black. He knew it was all over. He viciously turned his head and stared at the leader of the 200 riders. He gritted his teeth and said, “As expected……when did the Overwatch Council’s Black Knights start to do such things as highway robbery?” 

  The leading figure, who wore a silver mask on his face, was not surprised that the Ming young master recognized their identity as they had not intended to hide it. 

  The deputy commander of the Overwatch Council’s Black Knights, Jing Ge, gazed at Ming Lanshi and coldly said, “I have not killed anyone and have not stolen any goods……I am escorting the stone materials that the palace treasury’s three large workshops need and passed through this place. However, you merchants dared to block the path. The road was narrow. Unfortunately, our carriages flipped. Both sides have suffered losses. We are not asking you for compensation……so you should not make such a din. If you provoke my rage, be careful of your head.” 

  Ming Lanshi’s vision dimmed. He looked at the Black Knights, who emanated bloodthirstiness and eagerness. He forcefully suppressed the anger in his chest only to feel the taste of blood rise in his throat. He stared with pain and in a daze as he said, “Carriages flipped?” 

  How in the world could a carriage flip so accurately? Both sides suffered losses equally? Your greenstones could flip however they want and not lose a corner, but ours……were fragile mirrors!