Feng Zhiwei lifted her eyes only to see Ning Yi leaning against a window smiling at her. As he met her gaze, he mouthed a few words at her.

  Feng Zhiwei frowned as she deciphered his message.

  Black hearted.

  The Tian Shen Emperor chose the son of Wang Family’s Marquis Yong An as Shao Ning’s husband, and the wedding would be held next year.

  Feng Zhiwei had successfully completed her first official task. After leaving the Imperial Palace, she made a trip to the Qiu Mansion. Madam Feng had repeatedly come to the Cui Fang Residence, and if it were not for Feng Zhiwei’s 24/7 guards, Madam Feng would have already broken in.

  “Hao er is missing.” Madam Feng began, not even greeting Feng Zhiwei after their long separation. “Can you help me find him?”


  Feng Zhiwei peered at her, many questions filling her heart as she calmly replied: “He’s in the Ministry of Punishment’s prison.”


  “What?” Madam Feng cried out in shock.

  As Feng Zhiwei briefly explained the matter, Madam Feng’s expression changed again and again. Finally, she said: “Your younger brother only wanted money; you need to save him! How could he bear such suffering?”


  “You’re so sure that I can save him?” Feng Zhiwei asked, smiling. Madam Feng’s expression changed once again, and she smiled at Feng Zhiwei.

  “You are my daughter. I know what you can and cannot do, and as long as you beg Prince Hu Zhuo for his help, Feng Hao should be released.”


  Feng Zhiwei’s heart sank, and she curved her lips into a cold smile as she replied: “Last time you chased him away, but now you want to beg him for help?”


  “If you won’t go, I will!” Madam Feng declared, turning and marching off. “I was only thinking about the steppe man’s righteous heart; I have no intention of gifting you to him.”


  Feng Zhiwei paused. She felt somehow that her mother had changed a little, and she softened her voice as she replied: “Alright, I will get him out, but……”


  “What?”


  “After brother is free, can the three of us leave Dijing?” Feng Zhiwei said slowly, thinking about Ning Yi’s words as she gazed into Madam Feng’s eyes. “Living in Dijing is very difficult; why don’t we find a home with beautiful mountains and clear water?”


  Madam Feng froze in midstep.

  Feng Zhiwei saw her mother tangle her fingers together beneath her sleeves.

  Feng Zhiwei knew her mother only acted this way when she suffered great shock, and as she stared at those hands she spoke once more: “I will not as brother’s identity or why you raised me like this. If you wish me to protect him, for you I am willing, but if he is the apple of your eye, why did you bring him back to the chaotic land of Dijing? If you thought that he could hide here like a great hermit resting in a city, hiding in the Imperial Court, I must tell you that Feng Hao is not able to do this. The only way he can survive is if he lives in a place with high mountains and wide rivers far away from minds of men.”


  Madam Feng quivered, and though she did not turn, she loosened her fingers.

  Finally, she turned and gazed seriously into Feng Zhiwei’s face, asking: “Are you speaking sincerely from your heart?”


  “Yes.”


  “You are willing to leave Dijing?”


  “Yes.”


  “Alright.” Madam Feng decided, and though her eyes flashed from disappointment to relief, no hesitation lay within. “After you save your brother, our family of three will leave Dijing.”


  “Alright.” Feng Zhiwei replied, ignoring the sourness and ache that suddenly welled up in her heart, speaking somewhat mechanically as she continued. “When I bring Feng Hao back, we will leave. After that, it is to high mountains and wide rivers, never to set eyes on Dijing again.”


  After leaving the Qiu Mansion, just as Feng Zhiwei was about to write the letter to Ning Yi asking him to release Feng Hao, an unexpected Imperial Edict summoned her to the Imperial Palace. She could only rush back to Feng Yun Xuan where Helian Zheng was talking spiritedly over a map of the northern region. Qiu Shangqi had just defeated Da Yue in their first major battle, and since the Hu Zhuo Tribe was taking part in the war, the Tian Sheng Emperor had summoned the prince to share the good news.

  After Feng Zhiwei congratulated the Emperor, but his happiness was soon shadowed by displeasure. He slapped some letters onto the desk, explaining: “I have just received the South Sea memorandum. The Chang Family truly has a firm control over the area, and those bastards have grown so bold. As soon as we proclaimed the new Maritime Department, they sent thousands of memorandums to the court contesting the decision, complaining about the waste of money and manpower.

  “They even sent a petition from ten thousand commoners claiming that the powerful families have now taken control of the entirety of the region and are inflicting untold misery on the poor and powerless. They’re saying that if the Imperial Court follows through with these new official positions, the commoners die. Look at this: ‘Your Majesty, how can you bestow Imperial Authority on this giant, devouring worm! Why would you consign us commoners to a land of flood and fire!’ They’re even insulting me!”


  “The commotion there is quite serious.” Hu Shengshan calmly replied: “and we do not know who is behind this. Commoners have begun repeatedly attacking the clans in the region, robbing convoys and sinking ships, with many employees going on strike. The families have struck back, monopolizing many resources and hoarding grain, causing prices to spike. The local authorities are sitting by and demanding the Imperial Court to save them from the crisis. What a joke — the South Sea is a rich and fertile land, their prosperity unequaled in Tian Sheng. What disaster do they need relief from?”


  “A disaster of men!” A Cabinet Minister cursed coldly.

  Feng Zhiwei smiled. This was surely the Chang Family’s counterattack — they must have deduced the true purpose of the new South Sea Maritime Department and were now shoring up their defenses, protecting their secret alliance with the pirates while probing the level of the Imperial Court’s determination.

  “What is your Majesty thinking?” She smiled and asked.

  “National Policy is not the plaything of thieves and bandits!” The Tian Sheng Emperor replied coldly, “We only need to beware of one matter. The South Sea families are already rich and powerful; if we give them too much support and they grow beyond the Imperial Court’s control, will we not be seeding the rise of another Chang Family?”


  “The Maritime Department is a temporary organization.” Feng Zhiwei replied. “It has no connection with the local authorities, and once we station Court officials there, the reach of the rich families will naturally be curtailed. This Minor Minister is certain that the South Sea Families have suffered greatly at the hands of the local powers and will therefore spare no effort in supporting the Imperial Court’s decision. When the Imperial Court has dealt with the Chang Family, the Maritime Department can be reformed into a more suitable organization, and at that time all the Imperial Court need do is bestow a title of nobility on the rich families. Your Majesty need not worry too much.”


  “You speak truth.” The Tian Sheng Emperor replied, his eyes burning as he turned to her. “Founding the Maritime Department will be difficult; a talented man will be needed at the helm — a man who can not only deal with slippery officials and muster the resolve for decisive action, but also create new regulations to control the rich families. I need a loyal and capable minister familiar with the situation to take charge.”


  Feng Zhiwei stirred; so the old man had spoken so much because he had plans for her and was waiting for her to offer her service.