Fortunately, Lu Shaozhi was not yet married, so his home could barely accommodate three rooms for the guests Shen Mingyuan had brought back.
After having the servants settle them in, only Shen Mingyuan and Lu Shaozhi remained in the study.
Lu Shaozhi closed the door securely. "There's something I need to tell you."
Shen Mingyuan seemed completely oblivious to his seriousness, his tone casual. "What is it?"
Lu Shaozhi simply pretended not to notice and said, "Not long after you left, the Sixth Prince paid a visit."
"The Sixth Prince? Yun Shen?"
Lu Shaozhi rolled his eyes. "Calling a prince by his name—your audacity grows by the day. I should keep my distance from you in the future, lest your blood splatter on me."
Shen Mingyuan urged him on. "Go on, what did Yun Shen come for?"
When it came to the Sixth Prince, his attitude suddenly became much more serious.
Suppressing his curiosity, Lu Shaozhi continued, "He heard that the Yan Gui Merchant Guild had made a fortune in Luming and came specifically to ask me about the livelihood of the people there. I didn’t tell him that it was a rumor you and I had deliberately spread. I only said that the government had purchased the grain and distributed it to the people, so they were still able to survive. He was in a hurry to head to the border and didn’t stay long. Once he learned the people were safe, he left."
Shen Mingyuan nodded with satisfaction, boasting to Lu Shaozhi, "See? What a fine young man."
Lu Shaozhi was speechless. "What does that have to do with you? Are you his father? Shen Mingyuan, you’re getting more and more outrageous. You actually want to be the emperor."
Only after saying it did he realize how treasonous his words were, and he quickly shut his mouth.
"What about you? How did things go in Yuzhou City?"
"With me personally handling it, of course, everything fell into place."
Shen Mingyuan recounted the events in Yuzhou City in detail.
Over the past half month, Yuzhou City had become the center of attention throughout Da Yin, and Lu Shaozhi had already heard about some of the events. Still, he listened intently.
"And what about the child you brought back?"
"He came to me on his own. The Prefect of Changning City imposed exorbitant taxes, shamelessly forcing the people to pay taxes even for his own birthday, which utterly ruined the city’s residents. Countless people were left homeless, frozen to death, or even beaten to death for failing to pay. Ji Zhi escaped and sought to appeal to Prince Qi for justice. Unable to meet Prince Qi, he came to me instead."
Lu Shaozhi’s expression grew increasingly grave as he listened, his brow furrowed. "The Prefect of Changning City, if I’m not mistaken, is surnamed Guo, isn’t he?"
Shen Mingyuan replied, "Exactly."
"He’s related to the current emperor’s father-in-law." Lu Shaozhi gave a bitter, self-mocking smile. "How can this be dealt with? I’m afraid even if the emperor finds out, he’ll let it slide lightly."
The emperor and empress were deeply devoted to each other, which was why the Guo family dared to act so recklessly.
Shen Mingyuan said, "I dealt with it."
"Don’t be impulsive…" Lu Shaozhi instinctively tried to dissuade Shen Mingyuan, only to realize he hadn’t said he "intended to deal with it" but that he already "had dealt with it."
Lu Shaozhi paused. "What did you do?"
Shen Mingyuan smiled. "I wrote a letter detailing what Ji Zhi told me and sent it to Prince Qi."
"Prince Qi?" Lu Shaozhi was puzzled. "Will he intervene?"
That was his maternal relative, a part of his power base.
Shen Mingyuan said lightly, "If someone else had complained to him, he wouldn’t have intervened. But since I gave him this letter, he definitely will."
Lu Shaozhi pondered deeply, vaguely sensing some clues, yet they remained as indistinct as flowers seen through mist.
Lu Shaozhi cupped his hands respectfully. "I would like to hear the details."
Shen Mingyuan once again assumed that supremely confident demeanor of his. He fanned himself with a folding fan and lifted his chin slightly. "Lu Shaozhi, what kind of person do you think I am in Prince Qi's eyes?"
Lu Shaozhi was puzzled. "A brilliant and talented individual whom he can employ?"
Shen Mingyuan showed no modesty whatsoever. He only denied the first part of the statement, speaking meaningfully, "I am someone he can employ, but not someone who can only be employed by him."
He gave a light snort. "I helped him once—the disaster relief in Yuzhou allowed him to gain immense prestige. But what does that signify? My interests are not tightly bound to his. I can still abandon him and choose someone else."
Lu Shaozhi understood. "Given the talent you have displayed to him, he would never be willing to give you up. Therefore, if you send him evidence of the Prefect of Changning City's crimes, even if only to win you over, he will surely handle it flawlessly."
"Win me over?" Shen Mingyuan shook his head with a smile. "No, he is promoting himself."
Shen Mingyuan gestured for Lu Shaozhi to pour him some tea. "I have already proven my worth to him. Now it's his turn to prove his competence to me."
Youthful arrogance and spirited confidence—it seemed as though no hardship in the world could ever break his pride.
Lu Shaozhi chuckled helplessly and poured him a cup of tea.
Though he often grumbled and complained about Shen Mingyuan, he had never denied his talent.
He also hoped that Shen Mingyuan could remain proud forever.
"It sounds like you're not particularly satisfied with Prince Qi? Are you still testing him now?" Lu Shaozhi didn't quite understand why Shen Mingyuan insisted on getting involved in the messy struggle for the throne.
Shen Mingyuan took a leisurely sip of tea. "Not exactly. I never intended to choose him in the first place."
"Huh?" Lu Shaozhi was taken aback. "You helped him achieve a great merit, win the people's hearts, and even risked offending other wealthy merchants. Doesn't that count as choosing him?"
Shen Mingyuan explained, "He achieved a great merit, gained immense prestige in front of the emperor and court officials, and I also made a notable appearance. Now, those who pay attention know that Prince Qi values me, which will make things more convenient in the future. We each got what we needed—in fact, I came out ahead. As for the people's hearts, he and I share them fifty-fifty. The low-priced grain sales were carried out in the name of Yan Gui. It's just that he is a prince, so rumors tend to favor him more."
"Moreover, he was indeed the person in charge of this disaster relief effort. The smooth progress of the operation was partly due to his cooperation. A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. Regardless of why he was willing to cooperate, as long as the people did not suffer, there's no harm in letting him share some of the people's goodwill."
"As for offending other wealthy merchants…"
Shen Mingyuan laughed lightly, speaking as if it were nothing. "So what if they were offended? What are they worth? Believe me, after Yun Qi returns, he will definitely find a way to compensate Yan Gui. If Yan Gui becomes a royal merchant, will we still worry about making money?"
It sounded as though he had a clear understanding of his goals this time—first, the people; second, the benefits he gained. Prince Qi, on the other hand, was not within his considerations.
This indeed did not seem like choosing a master or testing one.
A chill ran down Lu Shaozhi's spine, and he exclaimed in alarm, "Are you still thinking about rebellion?"
Shen Mingyuan blinked innocently. "If I were to rebel, Lu Shaozhi, would you help me?"
Lu Shaozhi replied expressionlessly, "I would sever ties with you."
Shen Mingyuan laughed with sheer delight. "Then you must remember what you said."
Just as Shen Mingyuan had anticipated, news soon spread that the Prefect of Changning City had died suddenly from illness.
Yun Qi intended to deal with him but could not make his crimes public, for doing so would implicate the Guo family, the Empress, and even the Crown Prince and himself. Thus, he had no choice but to eliminate him in secret.
To prevent the current state of Changning City from becoming widely known, the newly appointed Prefect was one of Yun Qi’s trusted confidants.
Yun Qi was now at the peak of his influence. The emperor had always favored him, and now the treatment he received even surpassed that of the Crown Prince. For something as minor as the appointment of a Prefect, if Yun Qi spoke up, the emperor naturally would not refuse.
This also stirred the thoughts of many, for the emperor was still in his prime. Tying oneself solely to the Crown Prince’s ship at this point seemed premature.
Moreover, Prince Qi and the Crown Prince were born of the same mother. Although over a decade of effort meant they would not easily change sides, the cost of truly making up their minds would not be too great.
The most crucial question was whether Prince Qi himself harbored such ambitions.
But all this was a matter for later.
Zheng Honglin and You Zhonglun officially began their indentured lives in Luming County.
Backed by Prince Qi, the Yan Gui Chamber of Commerce expanded rapidly, leaving Zheng Honglin and You Zhonglun utterly miserable. They felt as though the moment they opened their eyes each day, they were already burdened with dozens of documents awaiting approval.
Lu Shaozhi could not help them, for he was struggling to keep his own head above water.
For some reason, Shen Mingyuan’s mind was always brimming with novel ideas. In the morning, he would be inspecting the growth of the medicinal fields, and by the afternoon, he would declare that the roads in Luming County needed to be completely renovated.
The next day, he would launch large-scale construction projects, talking about building bathhouses, private schools, and orphanages. But as soon as the foundations were laid, he would come up with new money-making schemes and turn to torment Zheng Honglin and You Zhonglun instead.
Lu Shaozhi was overwhelmed. Every decision Shen Mingyuan made on a whim fell to him to execute and clean up afterward.
The key was that he could not refuse Shen Mingyuan’s ideas, because Shen Mingyuan covered all the expenses.
Lu Shaozhi: "…"
Forget it, just keep going… When will this ever end?
For the time being, the development of Luming County went unnoticed. In comparison, the easing of the drought in Guanzhong and the sudden rise of the Yan Gui Chamber of Commerce drew more attention.
The merchant caravans spreading across Da Yin seemed to breathe life into the stagnant and desolate dynasty. Noble families could always acquire some novel trinkets, while the common people gained an additional source of income.
Some of these novelties were Shen Mingyuan’s inventions, while others were the result of exchanges between the north and south.
Over half a year passed, and the lives of the people seemed to have improved significantly. Even remote areas like the borders felt this burgeoning vitality.
Originally intending to take advantage of the chaos and fish in troubled waters, seeing Da Yin recover from the famine and Yun Shen’s proven prowess in battle, prolonging the stalemate offered no benefits.
Thus, Wuhuan took the initiative to propose a ceasefire and dispatched envoys to Shengjing to negotiate a truce with the emperor of Da Yin.
Du Xiao reported to Yun Shen: "The King of Wuhuan seeks to marry a princess, saying he wishes to forge a lasting alliance of marriage with Da Yin."
"A marriage alliance?" Yun Shen replied without hesitation. "Absolutely not."
This world constantly reminded him of his incongruity, but his homeland had forged his backbone. Some things were so deeply ingrained that even burning them would leave behind ashes.
—A marriage alliance was an act without integrity, a disgrace to those who defended their homeland.
Moreover, on a personal level, the only princess of marriageable age in the palace who remained unmarried was the Fifth Princess—the sole member of the imperial family who had shown him kindness.
When he was young, if it weren't for the Fifth Princess always secretly bringing him food, he might not have lived to the age of fourteen to go to the battlefield.
Yun Shen wiped the dried bloodstains on his helmet, his gaze resolute: "Bring paper and brush. I must report to His Majesty, requesting that he not agree to Wuhuan's demands. Give me three more months, and I will return to him a peaceful Mobei."
That Wuhuan King is already over fifty years old—how could he possibly be worthy of his Fifth Imperial Sister?
Author's Note:
Every day when Lu Shaozhi wakes up, he mourns the carefree days of his past.