357-360

Chapter 357: Choking The Throat Of Life

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

There were not many people who had the privilege to visit Chen Garden, where Director Chen Pingping of the Overwatch Council lived. In their eyes, the Li Palace in Xinyang, the Sword House in Donggu, and the Ming family's Ming Garden in Jiangnan were the three most beautiful and expensive private constructions. This ranking did not take into account the immortal beauty of the black and green Shang Royal Palace in Shangjing, Northern Qi.

Nobility lived in the Li Palace, and a great grandmaster lived in the Sword House. Their existences were both far removed from that of the common people. It was only the Ming Garden, not far from Suzhou in Jiangnan, that gave the common people a chance to admire from a closer distance.

The Ming family had never been one to bully others through strength, and they did not purposely maintain the mysteriousness of an elite large family. Many Jiangnan scholars and travelers would, after they had wandered around Suzhou, followed the wide road beside the trees and wound their way away from the city. They would go some distance to get a glimpse of the beautiful garden.

Although they could not enjoy it up close, a look from a distance was enough to satisfy their eyes.

The Ming family kept a low profile, but were not mysterious. Ming Garden, which had been built almost 40 years ago, still maintained the clear marks of their family. Every brick and tile, every grass and tree, every step and pavilion, were not eye-piercingly extravagant, on the contrary, they exuded a faint sense of intimacy. Furthermore, the garden wall built along the foot of the mountain was not too high. Travelers standing on the official road could easily see the soaring roofs within. Standing slightly closer, they could hear the sound of running water from inside.

Intimate did not mean domestic, and concise, of course, did not mean simple. In the eyes of knowledgeable people, they were certain to see that there were no criticisms to be made about any detail of this large garden. All the materials and design were exceedingly clever and skillful. Yet, in the eyes of a soldier, they could see that this garden did not have any defense capabilities. With a few simple changes, it could quickly become a castle that could withstand half a year of siege.

Due to a spring chill and dense, thin rain, as Young master Ming sat in the carriage making a lonely trip along the road heading home, he did not see the usual two or three travelers and girls taking walks on the green.

The carriage arrived at the side door and stopped strangely. Young master Ming lifted a corner of the carriage curtains to reveal a slice of a dark and somber face watching the main door of his home. It seemed like someone was being sent off there. A middle-aged man wearing official's robes was walking toward his own carriage with an angry expression.

Ming Lanshi released the carriage curtains. He turned to look at Zou Lei and angrily said, "Speak of Guo Zheng, and Guo Zheng arrives. Why does your superior have no sense of discretion?"

Zou Lei was silent. Guo Zheng was his direct superior and had served as Imperial Censor of the Left in the Imperial Censorate in Jingdou last year. After the spring examination incidence, Guo Zheng questioned Fan Xian under a mixed division in the Ministry of Justice. At the time, he relied on the Eldest Princess' support and beat Fan Xian a few times, hoping to force a confession from him. He had not expected Fan Xian's support in the background to be so powerful. Not only did they not topple the Fan family, but because of having offended Prime Minister Lin, the Fan family, and Overwatch Council, these three giants struck out. Without making much noise, they easily had the Minister of Justice, Han Zhiwei, lose his position. At the same time, Guo Zheng was sent to Jiangnan.

The biggest loss Imperial Censorate Guo Zhen suffered in this lifetime was because of Fan Xian, so he had always wanted revenge. Now that Fan Xian had come to Jiangnan, it looked like Guo Zheng wanted to incite the Ming family into opposition against the imperial envoy. Thus Ming Lanshi's expression was very unpleasant. He thought the foolish old Guo was acting out of a private anger. He had come to his home today probably to add some kind of pressure.

"Father, the orders have been sent down." Ming Lanshi stood respectfully at the bottom of the steps of a small garden inside Ming Garden and spoke toward the inside of the room.

From inside came the somewhat tired and comforted voice of the current Ming family master, Ming Qingda. "Good, we somehow have to get through this year before we talk of anything else. Remind the people in the family to not let the government get hold of anything that can be used against them. That is enough…Lanshi, you have always been steady, now you need to be even more careful."

Ming Lanshi quickly nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Ming Qingda walked slowly from the room. There was a trace of tiredness on his face. "Did you see Guo Zheng earlier?"

Ming Lanshi furrowed his brows and replied, "Yes, father. I'm afraid that his brazen visit to our door will be noticed by the imperial envoy."

Ming Qingda gave a bitter laugh. "Never mind. The marks on our body are already deep enough. If we want to shed our relationship with that matter now, it is impossible, and no one would believe it. Don't think about these problems anymore."

"Did he come for himself or on behalf of the people in the capital?" Ming Lanshi asked hesitantly.

Hearing these words, the lines around Ming Qingda's eyes deepened. A moment later he sighed and said, "When can these officials ever have their own identities?"

Ming Lanshi's felt his heart clench. He understood the meaning of his father's words. Guo Zheng was here to pass on the Eldest Princess and His Highness' suggestions. He looked at his father nervously.

"Don't worry, and don't pay attention to the intentions of the capital. His Highness wants us to hinder the imperial envoy," Ming Qingda, the leading millionaire of a generation, smiled coldly and said. "This is to use us as a knife. Could I be so stupid? Of course, on the surface we will still have to do as they say because no one knows what will happen or who will sit on that dragon chair."

Ming Lanshi slightly furrowed his brows. "The order has already been sent out. As long as the imperial envoy is in Jiangnan, we will stay quiet, only…always showing weakness is not a long-term strategy."

"It is a good idea." A faint smile rose on Ming Qingda's face. "Commissioner Fan is not a devil that eats people without spitting out the bones. If he can't find anything to use against us publically and is worried about the backlash from local gentlemen officials, then he cannot carry a bowl of water and swallow us whole. As long as we are well-behaved and give him more than sufficient face, I think he will give us some face."

"This Sir Fan junior didn't even give His Second Highness face," Ming Lanshi said with a pained smile.

Ming Qingda smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "Historically, the merchant identity has always been too inferior to be shown in public, but right now it is the opposite. Sir Fan is the son of Lady Ye. Looking at the way he acts, he always harms the officials but not the people, and he does not have any prejudice toward merchants. Just because he did not give His Second Highness any face, does not mean he will not give us some face. When is all said and done, no matter how the Second Prince retaliated, it would at most be laying a trap for him at court. But, we have the ability to leverage the power of the people."

"Of course, until matters have developed to the point of meeting each other with swords drawn, be sure to not provoke him," Ming Qingda said.

Ming Lanshi was irritated. His father had said this countless of times recently. His father was appearing overly careful and cautious on this matter, and it made people feel uncomfortable. Although he knew the reason, he still found it difficult to accept. Seeing the faint worry on his father's face, he couldn't help but be comforting. "Father, if it won't work then let's pull back."

…

…

It was silent for a moment on the steps. Ming Qingda slowly shook his head. A moment later, a severe look flashed through the eyes of this half-a-century old elder.

"There are some things from which I cannot pull back my hand just because I want to," he smiled coldly and said. "If I pull back, what will the tens of thousands in our family eat? Don't forget the shares nobility in the capital have taken. Even if we stopped, are they not going to stretch their hands out to us for silver? The Eldest Princess, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and a number of large families in the capital have all grown used to eating from us all these years. If we really pulled back this time, with all the powers together, who knows what they will do? Never underestimate the greed of the royal family and officials."

Ming Lanshi gazed at his father and felt a thread of sympathy flash through his heart. Who knew that the leading millionaire in Jiangnan also had various things he had no choice but to do.

With a face full of hatred, Ming Qingda said, "The Ming family looks grand, but in reality we are nothing more than an egg laying hen in their eyes. If the hen can no longer lay eggs, then those people who supported us will probably want to kill us even more than the imperial envoy to have one last meal of delicious chicken meat."

The hatred on Ming Lanshi's face was immediately hidden. He cursed in a low voice, "If those people in Jingdou didn't take so much silver every year, we could honestly export the palace treasury goods and wouldn't be much worse off than right now. Even if the palace treasury side is intercepted by the imperial envoy, with our businesses spread out across Jiangnan, we could still continue to support the family."

Ming Qingda waved his hands to show that he was not going to continue this topic of conversation. He smiled coldly and said, "These years, the Ming family has always been doing shady business so we can fill in those people's appetites. Perhaps Sir Fan junior coming to Jiangnan is an opportunity given to me by the heavens to allow me to escape from those matters. We could gradually decrease the tribute we send to the capital, and the Eldest Princess and them would not have much to say. As long as we can win at least 60 percent of last year's at the opening this time, it will be fine. We shouldn't be like the Cui family; the sudden collapse of a big family. Speaking of doing business legally, can the Ming family not do it?"

Ming Lanshi inclined his body slightly and said, "What you say makes sense." However, he felt upset. Having given up the smuggling route to Dongyi and severing their overseas pirates, they were going to lose out on a huge amount of silver this year outside of the account books. The shareholders would still have to be paid their dividends. With this, at least for this year, the family would have a loss. They would also need to use their principal money to fill in. If the imperial envoy stayed in Jiangnan, then was the family going to have to keep filling in the silver themselves? No matter how wealthy the family was, they couldn't stand against ants moving a mountain.

Knowing what his son was worried about, Ming Qingda did not want to explain more or provide assurances because the reality was just as it was. If the Ming family had to be cut apart to protect itself, then the sacrifices of these two years must be paid.

Thinking of the opening bidding of the palace treasury, Ming Lanshi said quietly, "I met with everyone these two days."

The "everyone" he referred to was the official merchants in the Jiangnan area who were at least a little famous and had the power to enter the palace treasury bidding.

He continued to report, "I've asked the families we are familiar with. The Xiong family in Lingnan and Sun family in Quanzhou both know the current situation. Although it seems they are both greedy for the right to sell on behalf of the palace treasury, their targets were still on the portions the Cui family had left behind. They also promised me that they will not raise the price against us."

Ming Qingda nodded and said, "This is a golden rice bowl, and everyone wants to hold one. However, since we are early in the order, they cannot act in opposition against us openly, unless they don't want to do business anymore in Jiangnan."

It was only now that the master of the Ming family faintly showed a few threads of the confidence and pride that the leading millionaire of Jiangnan should have.

"Most important are those private salt dealing families." Ming Qingda furrowed his brows slightly. "Those salt dealers are ruthless figures who scoop money out between the space of life and death. They have enough spare money at hand. If they enter the matter of the bidding, it will cause some problems. Although it is nothing to be afraid off, it will just use more silver. The court regulations are fixed at a 40 percent deposit…" He shook his head and continued, "If we take too much, I'm worried the flow of money may not turn around fast enough during the first half of the year."

The wealthiest people in Jiangnan were the so-called royal merchants and salt merchants. The two minded their own businesses, but now that the Cui family had fallen, who knew whether or not the salt merchants were looking greedily at the palace treasury business. The salt merchants held a robust amount of capital in their hands, and had supporters in court. The Ming family were somewhat worried about this.

"I've paid a visit to all the salt merchants in Suzhou." Ming Lanshi thought about all that he had seen and heard over the last few days and said with surprise, "They said very straightforwardly that this year they will definitely not enter the palace treasury…I don't know what this is all about."

Ming Qingda was a bit surprised. He thought it about it before understanding what was happening. "It looks like everyone knows that Sir Fan junior is regulating the palace treasury export routes this year, and no one dares to, at the moment, make a grab for this bowl of rice to eat. They are waiting to see how we and the imperial envoy will clean things up. It seems like the salt merchants are preparing to enter the field next year."

Ming Lanshi raised his head and furrowed his brows. "Those salt merchants do not seem like such prudent people."

"Who is their support in the back?" Ming Qingda smiled coldly. "The parent official of our Jiangnan Road, Sir Xue Qing knows Sir Fan's intentions. At least within this year, he will suppress the salt merchants and not allow them to enter the palace treasury to cause trouble for Sir Fan. This is the face that Sir Xue is giving Sir Fan junior, the old Minister Fan in the capital, and the director."

Ming Lanshi was silent and had nothing to say.

"It's fine this way." Ming Qingda thought for a bit then said, "With the might of the imperial envoy holding down the fort, no one would dare enter and mess up the situation, and we can plan carefully. As long as we can get the bid and get through this year safely, everything will be fine."

"The imperial envoy…will let us?" Ming Lanshi asked.

Qing Mingda replied, "If we do everything in the open, why should we be afraid of the imperial envoy? In the matter of doing business, he can't be as good as us. As for the palace treasury opening bid, it goes to the highest bidder. There will be people coming from the Palace, and Jiangnan Road will be watching from the side. It is not something that the palace transport company can run by itself. As long as the Ming family is willing to spend the silver, Sir Fan junior can't hold on and refuse to give it to us."

"What I meant was, will the imperial envoy incite other families to purposely raise the price? This is the simplest method. They won't lose anything but can make us suffer a huge loss."

Ming Qing shook his head with great confidence. "There are probably none in Jiangnan Road who dare offend Sir Fan junior, but other than him, there are probably also none who dare to offend the Ming family. You have already asked about the news. Those families that have some capability should all be watching from the side this year."

"If he wants to find a puppet to raise the price," Ming Qingda furrowed his brows and said, "bidding needs visible silver. The imperial envoy does not have this much silver. He won't be able to raise it much."

A faint sense of mockery rose on his face. "Don't be blinded by that chest of 130,000 liang of silver. When it comes to beating people with silver, officials are still not very good."

As for beating people with silver, naturally it was the Ming family who did so the most shockingly by throwing out 400,000 liang of silver at one time in a magnificent, ever-changing, awe-inspiring way with the intention of knocking Fan Xian dizzy. Although it didn't work, this kind of boldness was not a realm that the bribes in the capital could touch.

"The father of the imperial envoy…old master Fan is the Minister of Revenue of our great Qing court and manages the national treasury," Ming Lanshi reminded him with a pained smile. "If we are speaking silver, he has much more than the Ming family."

"Minister Fan?" Ming Qingda said in a slightly mocking tone. "It would be fine if the Ministry of Revenue did not move. If the imperial envoy uses his father's power to suppress the Ming family, then this matter will become very interesting. Believe me, the Eldest Princess has been quiet for this entire time, she is definitely waiting for that moment."

…

…

It suddenly became silent in the Ming Garden. Ming Lanshi felt a slight chill in his heart. He knew that although it appeared his father was retreating step by step, he had long decided on a method to defeat the imperial envoy with the nobility in the capital. Who knew how much blood and danger was concealed behind the palace treasury bidding?

The matter involved the national treasury and the Minister. Ming Lanshi did not dare to keep asking these questions that should not be said aloud. He steadily changed the topic and reported, "Like the previous years, the money in Taiping money house is already prepared. You warned us repeatedly, so we have prepared an extra 30 percent of silver in case we are caught off guard during the bidding."

The palace treasury bidding used open bid and open money. Putting aside the 40 percent deposit after the deal, the bidding money itself needed to be prepared ahead of time. It was either real gold and silver or banknotes from court-recognized money houses. They both needed to be sent to a special location before the opening.

This was an accumulated amount that was terrifying. It was difficult even for a leading millionaire family of Jiangnan like the Ming family to immediately withdraw this much silver. After all, they couldn't sell land and houses, furthermore, 60 percent of the bidding silver would be immediately returned. Royal merchants didn't want to use their cash flow money and would borrow from outside. For large families like the Cui and Ming families, every year they needed a massive amount of money when it came time to bid. They had Taiping money house pull together the money and used their production goods as collateral. It had become a common practice.

Expecting there to be trouble at the palace treasury opening this year, Fan Xian would think of ways to make the Ming family bleed, so the Ming family had asked Taiping money house prepare an extra 20 percent of the banknotes they were issuing. This 20 percent was in itself a terrifying number that forced the Ming family to put up many things as collateral.

"Taiping money house can be trusted," Ming Qingda said in a serious voice. "It's an old relationship. Furthermore, it's a Dongyi business after all, and the Dongyi people will always depend on us to provide goods."

"Yes," Ming Lanshi agreed quietly. "Besides, we are not moving the money for nothing. There are always supercilious people in Jiangnan who want to laugh at the expense of the Ming family. If we can get the bid this time, it would be like a slap to their faces. At the same time, it will ensure that the imperial envoy knows the only family that can manage a business deal as big as the palace treasury is our family."

Ming Qingda looked at him with approval. "That is precisely our intention, so we must take down this bid. The regulations of the court necessitating this much money to be held in the transport company was originally meant to weed out those merchants who did not have the capabilities. At the same time, it has also swept away many of our opponents. Of the people who can move this much, one family has already fallen. Who else can there be? Unless the imperial envoy wants to watch as there is no one to take over the palace treasury goods next year, otherwise he has to give it to me. We have to make sure two things. First is the question of price. Iit can't be ridiculously high. Second is the question of binding. There will be pressure from the capital to pressure the transport company to follow the old rules and divide the 16 items into four groups of eight, six, one, and one. As always, we only want the eight."

One half of the items, yet the master of the Ming family still said "only." The confidence was clear in his words.

Ming Lanshi was happy to accept this. What looked like a tense situation became much easier after his father analyzed the court regulations. It seemed like only their family had this capability to win the big bid under the absurd rules the court had set.

"The matter on the sea is already settled," Master Ming said slowly. "Have that one in the family keep their mouths shut."

Hearing the matter on the sea was settled, Ming Lanshi couldn't help but feel his whole body relax. That was the biggest weapon against the Ming family. As long as it had been cleaned away, given the steady way the Ming family acted in Jiangnan itself, Fan Xian shouldn't be able to find any excuse to defeat him. However, hearing his father's last words, the young master of the Ming family still felt a chill.

He didn't know how his father dealt with the matter on the sea or how those pirates entrenched on the island were silenced. As for the help the Ming family received, a portion of it was certainly from the military side. However, his father kept his mouth closed tight so even him, the young master of the Ming family, did not know which military troops were mobilized by the capital this time.

The matter on the sea was solved by his father. The matters at home were up to him to solve. A ruthlessness flashed across Ming Lanshi's face.

…

…

As night entered, the young master of the Ming family was in an isolated golden room in Suzhou. He was lying on the bed staring at the sky, thinking about something. In his arms was a naked girl curled up as cute as a cat. Her slender fingers were drawing circles on his naked chest. She was Ming Lanshi's third concubine. Since her identity was special, she was always kept outside of the Ming Garden.

"Lanshi." The concubine's breath was warm. She said breathily, "I still want."

Men most hated hearing these words after the act. Ming Lanshi smiled coldly, "What else do you want? Do you not know how to be satisfied?"

Suddenly the concubine's face changed color and she ground her teeth. "What do you mean? Is it because the imperial envoy is keeping a close watch and ships don't dare to sail out, so you think my brother and I are no longer useful?"

Ming Lanshi smiled slightly and turned around. In a gently voice he said, "Darling, you've earned so much silver for the Ming family these years, how could you not be useful?"

As his words fell, his hands landed heavily on her snow-white buttocks, sending up a white ripple. She pouted playfully.

The concubine's eyebrows were thin like silk and full of expectation.

Ming Lanshi's face was all smiles. One palm chopped down on the back of her neck. He watched as the concubine gave a cry and fainted, then he wrapped his hands to steadily and emotionlessly choke the snow-white throat he had kissed countless times.

Chapter 358: Washing The Island

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

In the early hours, a large rock and burlap sack went missing from a dock outside of Suzhou. Everyone heard the splash of a heavy object sinking into the river. Immediately after, there were rumors of young master Ming's third concubine going home to Quanzhou to visit family. No one knew when she would return.

In the same grey morning fog, far away on an island in the sea near Quanzhou, savage meat-eating birds under the cover of the dawn light dived down quickly through the layer of cloud. They landed on the surface of the island, covering the ground densely. These birds greedily lowered their heads and used their sharp blood-covered beaks to tear continuously into something. Because there were too many birds, the fight for food was extremely violent. In no time at all, the birds began to fight and bite each other for the food. For a moment, feathers flew chaotically in the dim light, while blood and flesh sprayed all around.

The food they were fighting for were not the small chicks and turtle eggs they usually enjoyed, rather it was the bodies of people.

The entire island was, at this moment, covered with corpses. The iron stench of blood filled the sky. Fortunately, it was still the initial chilly part of spring so the nauseating stench of rotting was not too strong. Even so, all these bodies had still attracted the carrion birds from within hundreds of li.

What a feast.

It was possible to faintly see the structure of the dock on the island, but any traces of people were long gone. The dead had their eyes terrifyingly open. Their floating white eyeballs unable to move were covered in a film of death. It seemed as if they never expected anyone to come to the island and kill them.

With a screech, a bird accurately pecked out the eyes of a corpse. Holding the bloody eyeball, it proudly twisted its neck before shortly lowering its head again, as if afraid another bird would fight him for the food. It spread its wings and moved to a different location. Hiding below a rock, it began to eat, but found that this food was a little hard. It caught in its throat, and the bird croaked in panic.

On an island full of corpses, with the flesh flying away to reveal white bones, organs pecked out, blood stains, and flocks of birds that danced and battled, the aura of death and horror permeated on the ocean.

…

…

A hand, pulling weakly and with difficulty at the corpses above, carefully chased away the irritating carrion birds beside them. A pair of eyes peered out anxiously through the crevasse. After making sure that the troop of soldiers had left on the boat, only then did this pirate on the island, who had just managed to escape death, climb out from among his colleagues' corpses carefully and with trepidation.

The man had taken a strike to his shoulder, and the blood and flesh was blurry. If not for his identity, which allowed him to quickly sense the murderous intentions of the soldiers and react quickly by playing dead and using his colleagues' bodies to hide himself, perhaps he would have died long ago.

The soldiers that had come onto the island had been these pirates' colleagues. But the killing happened suddenly, and they struck with a difficult-to-express ruthlessness. It was probably not until everyone on the island had died before it occurred to the leader of the pirates that the Ming family had come to silence them.

The man who survived had a dark complexion. It was clear that he spent much of his life on the sea. His appearance was average, expression was determined, and eyes slightly narrowed. Having experienced this disaster, he did seem panicked. He panted and sat among his colleagues bodies, forcing his emotions to steady. He ripped off the clothing from his colleague's bodies beside him and tightly wrapped it around his wound, and then he rose to find clean water and food.

When the soldiers left, they thought everyone had died, so they did not destroy the clean water and food. Thus, giving him a chance to survive.

After he recovered his spirit a little, the sky had also brightened.

…

…

Facing the sun rising over the ocean, that man slowly sat on the dock, watching a group of birds not far away sometimes flying and sometimes landing. He looked at the friends he had known for many years and their tragic appearances after death. His lips began to turn white, but he resisted the urge to vomit. Instead, he flipped his hand and grabbed a bottle of clean water and gulped it into his dry mouth.

The dead people were all his friends, but he would not bury them. First, there were too many dead, and he could never bury this many bodies on his own. Second, as pirates, if they couldn't be buried in the ocean, it was not a bad end to be taken into the sky by these carrion birds. Third, these pirates had done plenty of terrible things in their lives. Things like murder and rape were commonplace. Now that they had been killed and turned into bird food, it was a kind of karma.

He was called Qing Wa'er from Quanzhou. His family background was common, and his ability was common. He had spent many years on the sea as a sailor. Sometime last year, the large ship he was on was captured by pirates. Somehow he managed to survive and even joined the internal department of the pirates. He began to become friends with the pirates and did some very ugly things on the torrential oceans outside of Quanzhou.

The pirates on this island were the biggest group, but it was very strange. They did not do much business, and the leader seemed to be purposely hiding the movements of this group. After being on the island for half a year, Qing Wa finally discovered that the main business on the island was to capture the goods ships the Ming family sent toward the Western Sea.

Every time they captured a boat, they never left anyone alive, especially the officials responsible for escorting the goods.

In just half a year, because of his calm and cold bloodedness, Qing Wa was able to receive the appreciation of his leader and become a small boss among the pirates. He began to gradually learn more and more details, and had the opportunity to come into contact with some very important things. It was unfortunate that a group of powerful sailors had found the little island and bloodily killed everyone on the island.

The rising sun touched his face, but it did not feel refreshing because he was surrounded by corpses and blood. Qing Wa's throat bobbed a few times. He recognized the pirate not far away whose leg was being eaten by the birds. It was Cai Zi, who lived in the same cave as he did.

Qing Wa's eyes blinked without energy, and he stood up with some difficulty. He walked to the side of Cai Zi's corpse and used the wooden stick in his hands to chase away the wretched birds. He looked at Cai Zi's body and had nothing to say for a while. In the end he slowly said, "If I get back alive, I will look after your mother and father well."

After saying this, he decisively threw down his friend's body and followed the dock to a hidden little path toward another direction. The boats on the island had all sunk, but there was the backup the leader of the pirates had kept. He wondered if the wooden boat would still be there.

Qing Wa did not walk quickly but was particularly determined. He had to hurry back to land. Although he had survived, the later intelligence reports had not been sent out. The commissioner should have started to get anxious.

As he walked he wiped away tears, resisting the urge to look back. Although the pirates behind him had all taken a path of death, he had interacted with them for half a year. Even someone with a stone cold heart could not help developing some feelings.

A fire named anger rose in Qing Wa's chest. He was so close to finding evidence of the Ming family colluding with the pirates…last night's troops had been powerful fighters, who exactly did they belong to? Since they came onto the island to silence everyone, it must be a military elder to be able to mobilize the powerful sailors beside the sea. Was it the Ye family? He did not have the authority to make the judgement, he could only hope to quickly get the intelligence report to Suzhou.

The crying Qing Wa was one of five crows of the Overwatch Council's outside second group of the inspection division located in Quanzhou. He was the spy that had once reported to Fan Xian about the connection between the Ming family and pirates.

Some distance from this island, outside of Suzhou, inside that Ming Garden that seemed as beautiful as if it could not be touched by the breath of the secular world, was the current master of the Ming family, Ming Qingda. He was respectfully standing in front of a chair and replying to the questions the person in the chair asked.

In the chair was a woman, an old woman.

Even in front of the Eldest Princess, Ming Qingda had no need to be so reserved and proper. But in front of this old woman, he need to lower his head because this old woman, who held the true power in the Ming family, was the old matriarch—his birth mother.

If it were not for the ruthlessness of this old woman—who poisoned the much-loved mistress of the master and who, after he died, chased the seventh brother out of the family home, the massive Ming family business would probably have long fallen into that person's hands. What share would Ming Qingda have?

Every time Ming Qingda saw his elderly mother, he could never think of the words "advanced in both years and virtue," rather he thought of, "to be old and not die is to be a pest." Seventh brother's body had probably already become white bones somewhere, right? Although he felt at east thinking this, he also felt a chill in his heart. As long as this old woman was alive, he could not be considered the true master of the Ming family.

"You acted too slowly," the Ming family matriarch said in a cold, mercilessly voice. "If you wanted to wash yourself clean, you should have started taking action two years ago."

Ming Qingda was considered intelligent by all, otherwise he wouldn't be able to control the massive industry of the Ming family. However, in front of his mother, he was scolded harshly. His face warmed and he furrowed his brows. "Why two years ago?"

"Because two years ago, the Palace decided to let Fan Xian marry Lin Wan'er!" A coldness flashed through the old woman's eyes as she spoke with hatred.

Ming Qingda's face appeared respectful, but he had other thoughts in his heart. Even if they guessed that Fan Xian would come down to Jiangnan to take control of the palace treasury at that time, who knew he was the Emperor's illegitimate child at that time? Who knew he was a descendant of the Ye family? Who knew he would control the Overwatch Council in the future? This old woman seemed like she was truly muddled.

The old woman scolded, "If I hadn't asked the military for help this time…if the Overwatch Council had found that island, given Fan Xian's personality, how would he deal with you?"

Ming Qingda smiled coldly and wordlessly in his heart, but his face was respectful as he replied, "I have made mother worry, I am not filial."

Chapter 359: Mother And Son Of The Ming Family

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

"How is Lanshi today?" The old matriarch of the Ming family looked coldly at her son as she showed concern for her grandson.

Ming Qingda narrowed his eyes and said, "The child knows what is important, besides, he has been good to her these few years."

The matriarch mockingly smiled. "Men are all like this in the end."

The old woman thought for a bit then shook her head and said, "Let Lanshi interact with Yuan Dajia. A few days ago, I heard that student of the imperial envoy was opening a brothel in the city. Lanshi sold Zhuyuan Restaurant and isn't feeling very happy about it. It's the perfect time for him to discuss with Yuan Dajia about how to ruin the imperial envoy's business. Since we have already set the rules, we cannot act in opposition to them."

She continued coldly, "Yuan Dajia is the heir's woman, so tell Lanshi to control his drooling. Besides, it's not like you don't know that the Fan family absolutely hates Yuan Meng. If Fan Xian finds out that Yuan Meng is in Suzhou, he would probably kill her at the first instant. It will be a little more dangerous for Lanshi [JW1] to interact with her."

Ming Qingda nodded in agreement and prepared to back out of the room. However, his mother had him stay. After a moment of silence she said worriedly, "Our plans are only our plans in the end. I keep thinking that after Sir Fan junior brought the palace treasury under control with an iron fist, so it shouldn't be so quiet."

Ming Qingda thought about it then answered heavily, "Be at ease, mother. After all, we are a large family with respect and prestige. Without actual evidence, even the imperial envoy wouldn't dare to strike out randomly."

The matriarch's eyebrows were all white, and the lines on her all showed a worldly-wisdom and coldness. She sneered coldly and said, "Not dare? He doesn't even want 400,000 liang of silver. What he wants must be more. Who else under heaven, other than the Ming family, can give him this much silver?"

Indeed it is so. To be able to pull together 400,000 liang of silver in such a short period of time and have it delivered to Fan Xian's hands—this kind of power was already enough to shock the world. Although Fan Xian, unbelievably, did not accept, this so-named world's largest bribe could be entered into the history books. Fan Xian did not want 400,000 liang silver, so what he wanted and sought must be even bigger.

"I think," Ming Qingda said without hurry, "it might not be a bad thing for the imperial envoy to not accept the silver. Look at September last year. The old Cui family once sent 20,000 liang of silver from Yishi Tavern. Sir Fan junior did accept it, but then he turned around and destroyed the Cui family. Whether or not he accepts the silver does not represent the thoughts of this strange man."

Ever since ancient times, taking money to handle matters was heaven's law and earth's principal. It was rare to see someone like Fan Xian, who took the Cui family's 20,000 liang of silver, but did not give them any benefit at all. Furthermore, in a lightning strike, he toppled the Cui family. This move completely destroyed Fan Xian's reputation in bribery among the jianghu. The merchants of Jiangnan still remembered this matter with deep hatred.

The skin and flesh on the old matriarch's cheeks was droopy. When she smiled, it was particularly terrifying. She mockingly said, "The Cui family was too petty and did not see the situation clearly. That precious son of theirs had offended Fan Xian in Shangjing, Northern Qi and was forced to kneel as punishment for half a night. Do they think 20,000 liang was enough to smooth things over? Sir Fan junior accepted the silver but not to do things for the Cui family. He only took it to show that he no longer bore them ill will about the Shangjing matter. As for what will happen, who knows?"

The old woman then furrowed her brows and asked, "How is Hui'er?"

Ming Qingda replied, "Her mood is better."

Under the secret arrangements of the Eldest Princess, the Cui and Ming families had joined in marriage. Hui'er was a third generation of the Ming family, Ming Lanshi's proper wife, Cui Zhiui. Although the leading figures survived under the protection of Yan Xiaoyi, the family was scattered and their wealth went with the wind. It was difficult for the new wife entering the Ming family to not feel frightened. Every day her face was awash with tears.

Finished speaking of these family matters, the matriarch pulled the topic back onto the proper track. She narrowed her eyes and said, "A while ago, the shopkeeper of Taiping money house came to say that the silver deposited was almost ready. But, a few days ago, you told me about Zhaoshang money house…what is that about? How come I've never heard of it?"

"I am a bit worried about Taiping money house," Ming Qingda furrowed his brows and said. "I heard that Shi Chanli has taken a few large caches of silver from that money house. If the court, or imperial envoy have laid some kind of trap, I'm afraid things will go wrong when the time comes."

He saw that his mother was deep in thought, so he continued, "Zhaoshang money house is a new one. They only started appearing in Dongyi last year. As you know, most money houses come out of Dongyi. I've had some people look into the shares and background supporting them, so it shouldn't be a problem. I was thinking that if the palace treasury bidding is raised by the imperial envoy, our future cash flow needs to have a guarantee. Other than Taiping, we should leave another road."

The matriarch opened her eyes and said with a cold smile, "What background do they have for you to trust them like this? Our family does the business of the palace treasury. We need silver like flowing water; how could a small money house have enough turnaround? Fan Xian's trip to Jiangnan has played havoc with your thoughts…how immature."

Ming Qingda felt a slight rage but maintained a slight smile. "Most importantly because their supporter is reliable. Guess who is behind that Zhaoshang money house?"

"Don't play these game with me." The old Ming matriarch stared with annoyance at her son.

Ming Qingda coughed a few times and said, "The investigation was clear. The majority of the shares of the Zhaoshang money house is property of the Shen family. The Northern Qi court pursued them relentlessly. The man who used to manage the Shen family accounts back then escaped to Dongyi, and then started doing this business."

"The Shen family?" A spark of interest finally appeared in the old woman's eyes. "Northern Qi's arbitrator of the Discipline Commission, Shen Zhong?"

"Yes."

She was silent for a while then laughed dryly. "The Northern Qi court raided the Shen family. The lady of the Shen family escaped, so there is a portion of the fortune that was never raided. Back in the day, Shen Zhong and the Cui family collaborated to control the smuggling from the palace treasury to Northern Qi. Who knows how much silver they saved away. If it is their family, this money house does have some wealth."

"Most importantly, the true mountain behind the Zhaoshang money house is a powerful family in Dongyi." Ming Qingda struck while the iron was hot. "Shen Zhong was killed by the Emperor of Northern Qi. It should have some connection to Sir Fan junior. Thus, Zhaoshang money house would certainly not work with the court or Northern Qi."

Other than the massive wealth hidden in the Ming family fields and manors, the silver they used to do business with was mostly all deposited in Taiping, and the stamp to move money from Taiping has always been in the hands of the Ming family matriarch. Ming Qingda only had the empty title as master of the Ming family. In reality, he was only a puppet. Who knew what his true intentions were today in recommending Zhaoshang money house to his mother.

It was difficult to tell whether or not the old matriarch noticed her son's thoughts. Her smile instantly vanished and she said icily, "Did you not find out how much Shi Chanli can mobilize in Taiping?"

Ming Qingda felt a drop of cold sweat trickling down his back. He forced himself to be calm and replied, "I put some pressure on Taiping, and the old shopkeeper could only break the rules and give me an actual number. It is unclear where the money Shi Chanli can use is from. It should be the Fan family's. The total amount should be around 50,000 liang."

The old Ming matriarch only sneered coldly and did not speak as she stared at her son.

Ming Qingda became nervous.

After an indeterminable amount of time, she finally sighed and said, "Don't rush to contact Zhaoshang for now. First, the silver Shi Chanli can move is not much. It is not enough to cause trouble for us at the bidding. Second, behind Taiping money house is that strange Sigu Jian person. What this money house values the most is trust. You had them break their rules because Sigu Jian needs the Ming family to deliver goods to Dongyi. If you turn around and flirt with Zhaoshang money house, how could they be comfortable in their hearts? Third, even if it is the Shen family money behind Zhaoshang money house, that is not much. Even if there is the big family, you said in Dongyi…but Dongyi is very chaotic. The so-called big family might be a pain in Sigu Jian's side. Why should we offend Sigu Jian?"

Ming Qingda raised his head. It seemed like he had never thought his mother would speak to him so warmly.

The old matriarch finally came to a conclusion. "There can be some small interactions with Zhaoshang money house. As for the palace treasury, we must still use Taiping money house for the purpose of safety."

Ming Qingda did not dare to say anymore. He always felt that behind his mother's warmth was a knife that killed without showing blood. However, he felt unsatisfied in his heart. When doing business, it was important to put money in different places. How can everything be put in Taiping?

The judgments of the mother and son deviated a little from each other. It was this slight deviation that caused very troublesome matters.

…

…

"If the imperial envoy can suffer us for a few years, then we will do as you intend and go on like this. If he…is set on condemning the Ming family to certain death, you know what should be done."

Ming Qingda bowed and acknowledged his mother's words. A moment of silence later, he said, "The Junshang conference begins next week; I'm worried there isn't enough time."

The matriarch looked at him coldly. "Killing is not a job to be rushed. As for the Junshang conference, the Ming family has nurtured the Jiangnan martial artists and protected them under the gaze of the court for many years. Shouldn't they repay us in some way?"

The killing mentioned was about Fan Xian, and the Junshang Conference was certainly nothing like the Martial Conference Zou Lei had wanted to use to defeat Fan Xian.

Qing Kingdom had a so-called jianghu, but the real jianghu looked nothing like the stone stage beside West Lake.

There were so-called aces among the wilderness. No one knew in how many places the aces at the level the Jiangnan water bandits worshiped were hidden.

The Junshang Conference was where the so-called aces of the so-called jianghu truly gathered. The Junshang conference was never known by people, and no one knew just how powerful they were.

If Fan Xian truly wanted to exterminate the Ming family, a centuries-old large family, they would have ways to counterattack. The Shadow of the Sixth Bureau and the professional assassins were playing a game of hide and seek all over Jiangnan with the Dongyi swordsmen. The defensive power around Fan Xian was not as tight as it looked.

It was clear that Ming Qingda did not approve of this suggestion and mockingly said, "Someone that even Dongyi can't kill? I don't believe the Junshang Conference can do it. Besides, don't forget, mother, the imperial envoy is a martial ace in his own right. He also has the Tiger Guards the Emperor gave him and, most importantly, that Northern Qi sage girl, Haitang, should also be around him."

The old Ming matriarch looked pityingly at her own son. "Killing someone is to be done at all costs. It is not a game of looking at the possibilities of success. If other people want to kill our whole family and you are still considering whether or not you can kill the other party, then you will never have a chance to kill them."

Qing Mingda gave a pained smile. "So what if we can kill Fan Xian? The Emperor will be angry; the world will be angry. Will we still be able to survive?"

"Naturally, it has to be done perfectly. We have to give the people under heaven a believable answer," the old matriarch said coldly. "If we can kill Fan Xian, then it would be Dongyi's Sigu Jian who did it. What does it have to do with us? Besides, Sigu Jian has already been a scapegoat for many things these years, so one more won't matter."

Ming Qingda mockingly said, "Perhaps this excuse can only fool ourselves. It won't be able to fool the people under heaven. It will fool the Emperor and the Overwatch Council even less."

"If we can kill Fan Xian, maintaining the peace would be best," she said expressionlessly. "However, if such a day comes, I believe that our heroic Emperor of Qing Kingdom will not shake the foundations of his rule or the entirety of Jiangnan just for a dead illegitimate child. If the matter can be suppressed, the Emperor will be sure to do so."

"One live Fan Xian is worth more than 10 Ming families, but 10 dead Fan Xians cannot compare to one broken Ming family. The Emperor does not like our family, but he cannot destroy us. So the Emperor hopes that Fan Xian will be able to bring us in good shape into the hands of the court…if you can understand this point, then I can hand this family to you with ease in my heart."

A thread of hatred rose on the old matriarch's face. "At that time, I will throw in this life of mine too."

All sorts of feelings welled up in Ming Qingda. Crying, he said, "What nonsense are you saying, mother?"

He smiled coldly in his heart. The old woman had indeed become old. She saw the situation in a truly muddled way. If we acted as you intended and killed Fan Xian, how could the Emperor leave the Ming family alive? Throw in your life? Do you really think your old life is worth that much?

Chapter 360: A Good Man With His Body In Suzhou And His Heart On All Under Heaven

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

Shi Chanli walked out of Zhuyuan Restaurant and let out a breath as he wiped away beads of sweat from his forehead. The building behind him was being renovated. It would still some time before the opening. The process of expanding Baoyue Brothel into Jiangnan had been going smoothly, except some problems occurred when buying girls in Suzhou the past two days. Although using the power of the Third Prince to dig out girls from their colleagues had gone well, he did not find many outstanding ones.

Every time he thought of this matter, Shi Chanli got a bit of a headache. Jiangnan women were beautiful; they were famous for it. How come he could not find any decent looking girls? Was someone hiding them? He originally had other options. He had gone to a broker, but the girls the old broker woman had shown him were pitiful children from Jiangbei escaping disaster. Although she said the parents were selling them, she could not produce their deeds. Shi Chanli could not bring himself to buy them. He was also afraid that Fan Xian would be angry.

Thinking about his teacher made Shi Chanli's head hurt even more. He truly had no idea what that young master was thinking. Arriving back from the palace treasury the day before yesterday, he plunged himself head first into the garden of the manor the salt merchant lent them and stayed behind closed doors. He didn't seem to have made preparations for the opening bidding of the palace treasury.

Shi Chanli was wearing a thick cotton robe. Although he now had the identity of a merchant, he could not put away the scholarly mannerisms a dozen years of cold bitter studying had instilled in him. His hands touched the smooth walls of the carriage, but he didn't get in.

The guards beside the carriage looked at him curiously.

Countless people walked by the carriage. On this wide street in Suzhou with endless horses and carriages, Shi Chanli's mind suddenly wandered. He gazed at the Jiangnan commoners, whose expressions were happy and peaceful, and furrowed his brows slightly. Thinking back over the events of this year, he felt a few extra threads of fear concerning the choices he had made.

He thought about what Yan Wanli said in Hangzhou. Although the people accepted Fan Xian as their leader and determinedly stepped toward an unknown future, Shi Cahnli was not the same as those three classmates. His desire for an official career had already dulled. He had begun to manage some secretive things for Fan Xian and knew some secret information. He more and more felt that Fan Xian was difficult to understand. People like himself wanted to help the world and nurture the people, but what exactly was his teacher thinking?

He understood that one of the reasons for the Baoyue Brothel expansion was so that outside of the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian would have a second way of finding information. A more important purpose was for the convenience of Fan Xian laundering money. Perhaps all that the teacher did was for a kind purpose. In the process to achieve this purpose, much had to be sacrificed—the lives of innocents, the scholar's tradition of righteousness, the…conscience everyone should have.

Shi Chanli knew that Fan Xian was still a powerful official and not the good official of his dreams. However, he knew even more that if one wanted to be a good official to be remembered in the annals of history, grabbing power was necessary. In this process, the word "good" would seem too stupid.

This was a difficult quandary in philosophy. Shi Chanli was trapped within it and could not find any answer. He could only climb silently into the carriage and put his bet on the trust he had in his teacher.

The carriage headed toward Taiping money house. Shi Chanli had been moving money from there to be used all around. The full 50,000 liang of silver truly scared him a little. Sir Fan junior perhaps had a bit too much silver. He only hoped that once he had sufficient power and money resources, he would remember what he had thought earlier and do something for the world.

…

…

"I am very clear about what I am doing." Fan Xian's expression was calm as he looked at Yang Wanli in front of him. After returning to Suzhou from the palace treasury, he had transferred Yang Wanli over. Although according to the rules, Yang Wanli could not leave his post on his own. Fan Xian was one who gave absurd orders. With the identity of an imperial envoy, he thought the officials of Fuchun County and Shangzhou would not dare to point the finger of blame toward Yang Wanli.

Yang Wanli sighed and said, "Teacher, I am just worried that the officialdom is dangerous and very able to lure people in with extravagance and power…"

Although he didn't finish what he was saying, his meaning was clear.

Of Fan Xian's four students, the one he liked best was Yang Wanli because he spoke straightforwardly and never forgot the bitterness of his childhood. He was always upright, plainspoken and honest, and had self-control. He was also a strange one. Although Fan Xian was not an honest official, this did not stop his appreciation of honest officials. Even though Shi Chanli was honest and bright in his heart, he could only keep things sealed inside it. As for the other two, Cheng Jialin sought too much of the ordinary. It was only Hou Jichang, a talent who was equally famous back in the day as He Zongwei, whose thoughts were sharp. He was indeed a good choice for getting things done. It was a pity that he was in another province, and Fan Xian could not use him for a while.

He waved his hand to stop Yang Wanli's excessive worries and smiled. "My nature is determined. Why do I need you to worry? Don't always worry that I am sliding into evil and have become so used to darkness I cannot stand to see the light."

Yang Wanli paused slightly and remembered what kind of person his teacher was. How could he be so useless? Perhaps his own worries were a little over the top.

"Money is only a tool," Fan Xian said. "For those of a greedy nature, they always need money to obtain some kind of physical or mental excitement. But for someone who has enough money, being greedy…if it is not to count the money, then it must be for some purpose."

Yang Wanli shook his head and said, "Insatiable greed. There is too much of this in the world." Although Fan Xian often jumped out with some strange words, Yang Wanli had already gotten used to it. He could understand the basic meaning anyway.

"It's not like I am a eunuch," Fan Xian laughed and said. "I have no particular love for things like silver."

Yang Wanli gave a pained smile. If you did not love silver, then why use Shi Chanli's name to run a brothel? Particularly the move this time targeting the Ming family and the palace treasury. It is very clearly about intercepting silver, and when it comes time to hand it back to the court, how much will there be?

Fan Xian ignored his student's unspoken criticism. "I have called you here this time because there are some matters I need to tell you about."

Although Yang Wanli did not approve of some of the methods Fan Xian used, and had some conflicting emotions in his heart, he always carried out Fan Xian's instructions with great diligence—as long as they did not break the law.

He saw Fan Xian's serious expression and thought it was about government affairs, so he changed the way he referred to Fan Xian and said in a serious voice, "Please give me your orders."

Fan Xian glanced at him and said with some consideration, "There will an appointment from the capital very soon, moving you to the Ministry of Works. I am letting you know ahead of time in case you are confused later."

Yang Wanli was surprised to hear this and was indeed confused. He had been doing well in Fuchun County. Following the convention, he would be able to enter the provincial government next year. Not only was his official career going well, this was also the proper path. Although he was an honest man, he did understand the disputes in the officialdom. Of course he understood why, after the spring examinations, teacher had the three of them enter various provinces and counties rather than finding ways to stay in the various ministries in Jingdou.

Because the Fan family's power in Jingdou was sufficiently strong and solid, they needed more help from outside counties. This was the reason Yang Wanli had been sent to Fuchun Country.

Hearing now that he was going to be transferred to the Ministry of Works, Yang Wanli could not understand why this was so. Given his ranking, he could help his teacher do some things outside of the capital. After he returned to the capital, his office would below. He wouldn't even have the opportunity to speak. He wondered what deeper meaning there was behind his teacher's arrangement.

Seeing his confusion, Fan Xian gently explained, "By convention, when moving from a regional post into the Ministry of Works, your ranking will go up half a level. Don't think that this is my interference. As for why I am having you enter the Ministry of Works, you don't need to guess anymore."

Yang Wanli nodded with confusion.

"There are four departments under the Ministry of Works." Fan Xian stared into his eyes. "When making new policies during the first year of the Qing calendar, the Water Department was changed to the Clear Water Department…this time, the department you are entering is the Clear Water Department."

Yang Wanli opened his mouth slightly. He could guess what his teacher was planning to do. His delicate face flushed bright red. "Sir, although it takes a great deal of silver to fix the riverbanks, this money…cannot be moved."

Fan Xian was startled. Shortly after he laughed and cursed, "What kind of pig head do you have? Have all the cursing in Hangzhou not awakened you?"

Only now did Yang Wanli get his sense back. If teacher wanted to take silver, why would he ignore Jiangnan's Ming family and the palace treasury right in front of him and stretch his hand into the repairs of the riverbank. He must have thought wrong, and he sighed repeatedly with embarrassment.

Fan Xian glared at him in bad humor then sighed and said, "You need to change your rude and impetuous temperament. It's fine in front of me, but after you enter the Ministry of Works and face the sly and cunning officials like this, how can I let you go with assurance?"

Yang Wanli clenched his teeth and said, "I will listen to teacher's words. I will be steadier and calmer in the future. Please give your instructions."

Fan Xian was silent for a while. He slowly raised his head and stared at Yang Wanli's. He stared until Yang Wanli began to feel uncomfortable before evenly saying, "The Clear Water Department in the capital is responsible for auditing the silver the court disperses along the river for necessary repairs. The amount is very large, particularly since the banks of the Yangtze River burst last year killing and injuring countless people. This year, as long as the national treasury has a slight turn for the better, the Emperor will certainly spend sufficient silver. I am sending you to the Clear Water Department in the capital so that you can keep an eye on this silver.

Yang Wanli was frozen in his chair and didn't recover his wits for a while. River repairs? Riverbanks bursting? Flooding? Silver like a flood? Everyone knew that the river transport was one of the most money-consuming matters concerning the country's well-being and people's livelihoods. Particularly in Qing Kingdom these dozen years, every year the rivers are repaired, and every year the banks burst. Silver flowed into it like a flood and never made a sound.

On one hand, it was the heavens not giving them any face. On the other, it was manmade disaster. From Jingdou to the Ministry of Works, then from the manor of the governor of river transport down to the various officials, who knew how much silver was scooped out of this massive amount of silver. The disaster of corruption was more than that of the floodwaters.

Naturally, the Emperor knew of this matter. Four years ago the banks of Yangtze River burst and a thorough investigation by the Overwatch Council was done. It was said that when the court killed that governor of the river transport, the accumulated wealth in his family held back the country and the supporting mountain behind him was the empress dowager. However, despite the Qing Emperor's ruthless killing, it could not stop the corruption among the river works. The position of governor of river transport had remained empty four years, with no one to take over.

In addition to that, the returns of the palace treasury had gotten worse each year. They were fighting a battle on two fronts. The national treasury was empty, and the irrigation facilities on the two banks of the Yangtze River were old and in need of repairs. This then caused the terrifying consequences last year that were brought on by the banks of the river bursting.

How could he deal with a problem that even the Emperor could not completely solve?

This reality did not allow Yang Wanli to be stupid, he knew himself. Perhaps he had the capability to govern a county or a province, but to govern a river? That involved the lives and deaths of tens of thousands of people under heaven. He did not dare to make such a boast.

He bowed before Fan Xian in terror and tried to reject the position.

Fan Xian looked at him and shook his head. "What are you panicked about? I am just sending you to watch the silver. It's not like I'm having you go fill in the dirt on the river."

"To ensure the safety of the Yangtze, why should I be afraid of filling in dirt on the river?" Yang Wanli said with a pained smile. "Since teacher has thought of river work, then you know that this matter is a great responsibility. If anything is even slightly wrong, it is a tragedy that will drown tens of thousands of people. I cannot dare to accept."

Fan Xian smiled coldly and said, "Didn't you want to be an official that goes down in the history books? I am asking you to go to the darkest nest of the most corrupt officials in the Qing Kingdom, and you don't dare to go?"

Yang Wanli's face flushed red, and he slowly lowered his head.

Fan Xian did not say anymore and just looked at him coldly.

After a long while, Yang Wanli finally lifted his head bravely. He clenched his teeth and said, "As you wish." In his heart he thought that even if he was sinisterly killed in the river transport yamen, he could at least help. Just as his teacher said, since one is working for the benefit of the world, what was the purpose of holding onto oneself?

Approval flashed through Fan Xian's eyes. "He who is not afraid of death by a thousand cuts dares to unhorse the…ahem, governor."

Yang Wanli froze, thinking that the sentence was a little strange.

Fan Xian hid his smile and said, "Furthermore, right now the position of river transport governor is empty. With the Fan family and Overwatch Council watching you…Even though the river transport yamen is deep like a dragon pond, if those corrupt officials want to use insidious methods to get rid of you, they'll have to see if I agree."

Yang Wanli thought about it. That's right! He has his teacher, this giant mountain, why would he be afraid of what they could do? His heart turned around quickly. An eager-to-try spirit rose on his face, as if he was preparing to rush back to Jingdou right now and report, and then hurry to the banks of Yangtze River to watch the court's silver and see if it was being spent where needed.

Looking at his expression, Fan Xian couldn't resist laughing. Shortly after he became serious and said, "But there is one thing you must remember well."

"Please instruct me."

"You can only manage the silver. You cannot manage the river work." Fan Xian looked at him severely.

Yang Wanli was a little startle. He thought repairing the river was good for the country and, why could he not do it?

Fan Xian stared into his eyes and said seriously, "The river repairs will naturally be done by the professionals in the Ministry of Works. You just have to ensure that the silver is being spent on the proper things. You cannot interfere with the river work. In this world, the scariest thing is when amateurs manage professionals. Do you think repairing the river is as simple as building the river banks higher?"

An expression of "what else would it be?" rose to Yang Wanli's face.

Fan Xian sighed in his heart and warned, "I am sending you to the Ministry of Works only because of your honesty and sincerity, and inability to turn a blind eye, not because I value your less-than smattering amount of ability to govern a river."

He saw that although Yang Wanli had accepted it, he still did not seem to have really taken it to heart. Fan Xian then laughed coldly and said, "Don't think that my words are a joke…Yang Wanli, you listen to me carefully!"

Yang Wanli unconsciously stood up.

Fan Xian stared at him and said each word carefully, "If I hear that you dare to criticize or instruct on matters of specific river repairs, if you dare to use my name to give out random ideas…I will immediately send people to have you broken into 36 pieces."

Yang Wanli shivered under Fan Xian's chilly gaze. He knew that his teacher serious about his instructions. He quickly adjusted his attitude and accepted it sincerely.

The two discussed some more about the details after he took the post, such as the matter of who to trust in the river transport yamen. It was at this time that Fan Xian believed Yang Wanli was not as simple-minded as he previously thought. For the matter he handed down, he should be able to solve it smoothly. Fan Xian then began to talk about the purpose of their meeting today.

"I am having you go to the Clear Water Department in the capital not because I expect you to get rid of the old winds of corruption in the river works," Fan Xian said thoughtfully. "The Overwatch Council has plenty of spies over there, but there are too many officials with too deep connections to the court. Moving one person moves the whole. It's not easy to deal with."

Although Yang Wanli was slightly surprised, he had learned to be clever and did not ask questions. He listened silently.

"The silver the court sends to Yangtze…in the end, will never be enough," Fan Xian said mockingly. "It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not, but in the end the situation will always become like this. Even if the Emperor sends down 2 million liang of silver, the Ministry of Revenue will still say it is not enough."

"Originally, if we planned this slowly, there was still a chance to turn this situation around." Fan Xian narrowed his eyes. "Only there is not enough time. Last year the Yangtze burst its banks and destroyed a number of dams, further weakening the old and unrepaired defenses and irrigation facilities on the sides of the bank. When the water dried up in the winter last year, it was the perfect opportunity to repair the river, however, it just happened that the national treasury was empty at that time…so what will we do this year?"

"If it doesn't flood this year, then the Qing Kingdom is fortunate." He smiled coldly, "If there is another flood, it won't be held back. The matter of the river works still depend on those officials, and so it is not appropriate for the Overwatch Council to make many major moves."

At this moment, Yang Wanli faintly sensed that while his teacher's body was in Suzhou, his heart was on all the people under heaven. He felt his heart warm and probingly asked, "The national treasury did not mobilize enough silver, furthermore, it is already spring. Even if we can make it past the spring floods, more silver will still be needed."

"This is the real reason I am sending you to the Ministry of Works," Fan Xian said calmly. "I will pull together a huge sum of silver. Part of it will enter the national treasury through the Ministry of Revenue and then be transferred to the river transport yamen. But as I said earlier, it will be siphoned off along the road, and I don't know how much will be left. Most importantly, I am worried that there won't be enough time, so I will directly transfer another portion of the silver to the river transport yamen with you taking charge."

Yang Wanli paled with shock. The large amount of silver that Fan Xian spoke off must be a terrifying amount and most likely from the palace treasury. Only, this silver should, logically speaking, belong to the palace treasury and shifted to the national treasury by edict of the Emperor. To directly shirt the silver as Fan Xian said…on the lighter end was using national funds privately, on the heavier end, it was not that different from rebellion.

"Time is too tight," Fan Xian said helplessly, "In the past, moving the silver uses up half a year. At that rate…my god, the Yangtze would have burst its banks long ago. Bureaucracy kills."

Yang Wanli knew that Fan Xian was certainly not doing such a dangerous and non-beneficial thing in a life-threatening way for his own gain. He truly wanted to urge the matter of repairing the river onto the right track. Although Yang Wanli felt moved, he was still worried about his teacher. He anxiously urged, "Sir, you must do this carefully. If someone were to find out…then what will we do?"

Fan Xian smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? Could the Emperor bear to have me killed?"

Yang Wanli thought about it and realized this was indeed the case. Although the source of this silver could not be explained, as long as it was used on river works and not privately hoarded, why would the Emperor not forgive his own son?

"Where is the silver from?" he asked carefully. In reality, he knew very well that the source of the silver was certainly somewhere shady. But if he didn't ask, he would always feel uneasy.

"Swindled and stolen. I am one who lives to eat up rich families." Fan Xian smiled. "The opening bid for the palace treasury is about to start. You don't have to worry about the silver. The important thing is to use this silver well. The Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council will help you deal with specific matters, and there will be people in the Ministry of Works who will help you conceal it. You don't need to overly worry."

Hearing these words, Yang Wanli understood that this large amount of silver must be channeled into the river works through unusual channels. Naturally, it needed the higher levels of the court to turn a blind eye. Perhaps the main schemer behind all this was his teacher's father, the always silent Minister of Revenue.

"I will have more and more silver," Fan Xian sighed and said. "There will be more each year. Right now I am not worried about how to earn money, but how to spend money, and spend it happily."

These words were a bit of an exaggeration. He had not yet tricked the Ming family silver into his hands, but he was already thinking about how to spend it. This matter couldn't help but be a bit absurd.

"The governor position of the river transport has been empty four years," Fan Xian smiled slightly and said to his most stubborn student. "I hope that in the near future, you will be the Qing Kingdom's river transport governor, and the first…not corrupt river transport governor in history."

Yang Wanli stood upright and unafraid. A sun rose in his chest, and he felt bold and unconstrained.

…

…

The reason Suzhou's silver was being transferred into river works was to take advantage of time—trying to get in before the autumn floods to make the minimal amount of repairs to the heavily damaged river banks. Yang Wanli would not stay. He quickly said his farewells and left. He had to return to Fuchun County to explain, then enter the capital to report, then he had to double back to the river transport yamen. These tens of thousands of li [JW1] indeed needed him to rush around and work hard.

Fan Xian sat comfortably in his chair and waited for the person who was going to arrive.

After a short wait, Haitang pushed opened the doors and came in. She looked at Fan Xian like an immortal and only said, after a moment of silence, "The question is, where did you get all this silver from?"

"Tomorrow, the bidding opens of the palace treasury," Fan Xian smiled and said. "If Xia Qifei is not an idiot, he will certainly be able to raise the price an appropriate amount. Forty percent as deposit is not a small sum. Since the Ming family is so kindly offering the silver to be held at the transport company with both hands, I'll have to spend it so as to not let down the Ming family."

Haitang shook her head and said, "There is already an Imperial Censorate here from the capital, and the Jiangnan governor will send someone to watch from the sides. You won't be able to move much of this stash of silver. Even if Xia Qifei manages to take over the Cui family routes, it will require at least seven months for the goods to turn into silver cash."

Fan Xian smiled as he looked at the girl. "In any case, the goods are being shipped north, and your Emperor will send out the silver. Furthermore, I am holding enough silver here at the transport company yamen. After the matter is settled, I will transfer money from Taiping money house to use for now. I think you all won't mind too much."

Haitang was slightly startled but gave a pained smile shortly after. "This is not a bad idea. After seven months you'll have to be able to repay. However, the Emperor does not know of your arrangements. Besides, using the many years of hard-earned silver from my Northern Qi court to repair the river banks of your South Kingdom…there is no way this makes sense, right?"

Not only did this matter not make sense, if the intelligent young Emperor of Northern Qi knew that Fan Xian was doing such a thing, he would probably vomit blood in anger.

Fan Xian spread his hands and looked at Haitang. Bemoaning the state of the universe and pitying the fate of mankind, he said, "Duoduo, you once said, 'all the people under heaven are loved by heaven. We must treat everyone equally.' If the Yangtze bursts its banks and the people who drown are those of my South Kingdom, are they not people? Do you have the heart to see this scene happen? The silver of the Northern Qi court. The silver of the Ming family. The silver of the court…are these not all the people's silver? I am just taking a huge risk to use it on the people under heaven. What is wrong with that?"

Haitang smiled slightly and nodded. "There is nothing from with using the people's silver on the people. Only, if Northern Qi has natural disasters in the future, I hope that Sir Fan will not be miserly with his support."

Fan Xian didn't even think about it before smiling and saying, "Naturally."

Haitang did not seem to expect him to answer so quickly. She couldn't help pausing for a moment. She didn't know if the other party really thought this way or if he was just saying it without much thought. After all, those people who truly had no sense of nation…was too rare.

Haitang shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about the matter of silver for now, but what you did today truly surprised me. I have seen too many corrupt and powerful officials, but I never thought you would use the money you took from corruption and use it on this matter."

Fan Xian slowly raised his head and gave a sly smile. "Is it difficult to understand? It's actually very easy to understand…it is just like what I said to Wanli earlier. Money is just a tool. It is only a method to obtain happiness in life and in your heart. Earning money is difficult, and spending money is even more difficult. How do you spend it comfortably? Some people like to buy horses. Some people like to buy beautiful woman. Some buy manors and become landlords. Some like to buy official positions."

"And all these, for me, are all too simple matters," Fan Xian continued. "Since I am going to spend money to buy happiness, then I will spend the largest amount of silver to buy the world's biggest happiness."

"Your own happiness…everyone's happiness…enjoy happiness?" Fan Xian began to use Mencius' teachings to educate Haitang.

Haitang smiled slightly and said, "In the end, you still just want your life to be better. Just like what you wrote in your letter before. You wish that this world could be a little more perfect, so your life in it would be a little more comfortable."

"Correct," Fan Xian smiled and said. "Even if I have a life of luxury, with wealth and power, if one day the country collapses and the people die, how will I enjoy life? Even if I raise my voice to sing, with beauties to accompany me as I travel the world without carrying a shred of a cloud, but my body is hungry and rotting with black crows pecking at food, how could I be happy? To raise a dog to bite people and to laugh, this is a hedonistic lifestyle with no character. I cannot find joy in that."

He finally came to a conclusion. "If one person is happy and tens of thousands are not, that is not good…if everyone is happy, then that is truly good."

…

…

Haitang stared at his eyes and suddenly couldn't resist shaking her head. "I really can't tell which words are true and which are false. Just what kind of person are you exactly?"

Fan Xian thought about it and then said with great sincerity, "Why does no one believe, I am…actually a good person."

Haitang lowered her head, hiding her eyes that were as clear as lake water. In a quiet voice she said, "A good person…tomorrow the bidding opens of the palace treasury. Do you plan to keep being a good person?"

Fan Xian's expression calmed. "Sometimes, not only am I not a good person, I am even a bad person. A murderous dictator. However, these two sides are not conflicting."

Haitang did not continue this topic and seemed to ask very casually, "These two mornings, you've began to cultivate again. Has the condition of your zhenqi improved?"

Actually, he had begun in Hangzhou beside West Lake. Every day at dawn and dusk, during his routine meditation, he had begun to recover. However, for some unknown reason, he was unconsciously hiding from Haitang, as if there was something he was hiding from the other.

Haitang asked him to his face, but Fan Xian did not agree, he only smiled and shook his head.

Haitang smiled shallowly and asked again, "Your argument on spending money earlier was very new. However, there are many injustices and suffering people who are waiting for help. Why did you choose river works as your first project?"

"There will be benevolent courts gradually opening in various locations," Fan Xian said calmly. "The court will think of ways to settle the refugees around Jiangbei. I discussed this matter with the Emperor before. I must hold at least part of the palace treasury's silver in my hands, and then use it to do some appropriate things."

"Is this the wish of some elder?" Haitang asked.

Fan Xian smiled and did not say anything,

"You still haven't answered me. Why did you choose river works for your first project?"

A picture, for no reason, rose in his head. On the picture was a beautiful woman in a yellow coat. She was standing on a rock mountain beside the banks of the river. She watched with worry as she looked at the aggressive and dragon-like flood waters; she watched the hard-working commoners on the other bank.

"Go rest first," he said in a gentle voice. "Tomorrow, when the palace treasury opens, there will be a battle to fight."

[JW1]The name "Wanli" has the same characters as "tens of thousands of miles," so it is a pun on his name.