Making tinderboxes was not as easy as making ice. After several rounds of drying, it took three days for the first batch of tinderboxes to be made.

Inside the Hundred Treasure House on Splendid Plaza, shopkeeper Qin Su placed two tinderboxes on the counter.

The sky was a bit overcast today, but it wasn’t raining. He imagined that Qiu Baisan would come over soon.

The Qiu family had been merchants for many years, and they possessed many more novelties than the Hundred Treasure House.

However, since the Hundred Treasure House belonged to the Emperor, other powerful and wealthy families would come to patronize their business from time to time. Therefore, the Qiu family often sent over Qiu Baisan, their purchasing manager.

Qin Su had become acquainted with the man over the years, and when he received the tinderboxes today, he first thought of the Qiu family.

As long-time wealthy merchants, the Qiu family were the ones who had the most need and ability to buy tinderboxes in bulk.

The palace had already sent four boxes containing five hundred tubes, and the Qiu family would likely take them all.

It was already the seventh month, and in two more months it would be autumn, at which time the use of ice would decrease and the business wouldn’t last long. But although the price per unit of these tinderboxes was much lower than ice, the usage rate would be higher.

Those wealthy families certainly wouldn’t be stingy about a few coins, and this business could continue for a long time.

It was said that the south had recently suffered a disaster and need the court to provide disaster relief, which required both money and grain. If the income from ice was cut off, the pressure on the National Treasury would be unimaginable.

They still needed to find ways to broaden their sources, ah.

Qin Su frowned, fiddling with the abacus.

He’d recently heard that a certain spice had come from the Sai Kingdom in the Western Regions. When added to food, it would enhance its flavor and keep people coming back for more.

Whether it was true or not, he didn’t know. If it was, he would definitely try to bring the spice business to the Hundred Treasure House, so as to alleviate the pressure on His Majesty and the officials.

“Boss, Manager Qiu is here,” a worker notified him.

Qin Su snapped out of his daze and walked around the counter to approach Qiu Baisan with a respectful bow: “I am truly sorry that Manager Qiu had to make this trip personally on such a sweltering day.”

“Shopkeeper Qin is too kind,” Qiu Baisan replied with a smile and a bow.

This person was thin and dark-skinned, but had exceptionally bright eyes.

Just by hearing his name, one could tell that he was a servant born into the Qiu family and given the Qiu family surname.

His ability to become the purchasing manager spoke for itself; one glance was enough to tell a person that he possessed the shrewdness of a businessman.

Qin Su laughed heartily, and Qiu Baisan was not to be undone. The two exchanged a few more pleasantries.

Qiu Baisan finally inquired: “I wonder if Shopkeeper Qin sent someone to summon me here today because he has something good to offer?”

Previously, when the Hundred Treasure House started selling ice, it was the Lu family who got the first batch.

Shopkeeper Qin had personally invited him over this time, so perhaps he really had some kind of rare item.

“You guessed correctly.” Qin Su led him over the counter and picked up a tinderbox, saying, “Take a look at this!”

Qiu Baisan took it and studied it. It was just a bamboo tube.

In the Great Ning Dynasty, many commoners often carried water or food in bamboo tubes when they went out. But what could such a small tube possibly hold?

He carefully opened the lid, fearing that the water or food inside might spill on him.

But when the lid came off, he found that rather than water or food, it contained something he couldn’t identify.

“This…..” He sent Qin Su a confused look.

Qin Su smiled and said: “Please blow on it.”

Qiu Baisan didn’t understand, but he did as instructed.

With a single breath, the dark thing inside the tube suddenly burst into flames!

His hand shook, and he almost dropped the bamboo tube, but Qin Su had fortunately anticipated this and grabbed his hand to prevent him from letting go.

Qiu Baisan had seen a lot out in the world, and quickly collected himself.

Nothing showed outwardly, but only he himself knew how hard his heart was beating at this moment.

“This thing can actually hold fire?” Despite his attempt to suppress his emotions, some of his disquiet still crept through.

Qin Su nodded, explaining in detail: “This thing is called a tinderbox, and it came from the palace. It can keep a fire burning for up to three hours.”

He then picked up the other tinderbox on the counter and opened it. The wick inside wasn’t black, but looked like some crushed up weeds.

“This is what it looks like before it’s been lit. Before the one in your hand goes out, you can light the new one with it to keep the flame going.”

Qiu Baisan took the brand-new tinderbox and examined it closely, but couldn’t identify what was inside.

But since this thing had come from the palace, it must be the work of Grand Tutor Chu.

Another divine object, ah.

Qiu Baisan covered the lit tinderbox, waited a while, and opened it again.

There didn’t seem to be a fire inside, but when he blew on it, the flames suddenly reignited.

This was truly a rare, magical item.

For a merchant caravan like the Qiu family’s that traveled the world year-round, lighting a fire outside was always a laborious task.

There was flint available, and straw for starting a fire was easy to find, but each time they wanted to start a fire, they had to strike the flint many times to even get a few sparks out.

And if they blew on it too much or a gust of wind came along, the newly emerged sparks might go out. It was truly inconvenient.

This tinderbox would be much more portable and easy to use.

“Shopkeeper Qin has truly come to the right person,” Qiu Baisan said. “How long can an unlit tinderbox be preserved?”

“At least one month.”

“And the price?”

Shopkeeper Qin displayed a number on his hand. Qiu Baisan thought for a moment before saying: “Alright. How much do you have in stock?”

“About five hundred,” Qin Su said.

“Our Qiu family will take them all,” said Qiu Baisan. “I’ll trouble shopkeeper Qin to deliver these tinderboxes to the Qiu family, and then I’ll settle the bill with you.”

Qin Su said with a smile: “Then thank you, Manger Qiu.”

“My Qiu family would like to order another five hundred units. I wonder if they can be produced within three days?”

The Qiu family had two caravans that would be setting off for the Fujian and Zhejiang regions in a few days. If some tinderboxes could be prepared beforehand, it would be worthwhile to use them themselves or sell them at a high price in those regions.

“Don’t worry, Manager Qiu. I will urge them to complete your order soon as possible.”

“That’s settled, then.” Qiu Baisan glanced at the two tinderboxes in his hands again, and Qin Su immediately said, “These two items are Manager Qiu’s to enjoy.”

Qiu Baisan didn’t refuse: “Then thank you, Shopkeeper Qin.”

Not long after, Qiu Baisan returned to the Qiu family manor with people from the Hundred Treasure House. After instructing them where to properly store the tinderboxes, he settled the bill with the store.

After everyone left, Qiu Baisan went straight to find Elder Qiu Hongkuo.

At this time, family head Qiu Ren should be training the soldiers at his villa on the outskirts of the capital, and since the minister was still at the government office, the safest course of action was to consult the senior elder.

When he was announced by an attendant, Qiu Baisan entered the courtyard, then went through two gates before entering the back property.

A man in his fifties sat in a chair. His hair was streaked with white, and his straight back looked thin and frail. Holding a book in his hand, he slowly turned the pages while occasionally covering his lips and coughing lightly.

He truly appeared frail and sickly.

“Purchasing Manager Qiu Baisan greets the Senior Elder.” He kept his voice low, afraid of startling the man.

Qiu Hongkuo set down his book, regarding him with deep eyes. His voice was slightly hoarse, but still warm: “What good thing did you bring?”

Qiu Baisan immediately took the two tinderboxes from his pocket and raised them up with both hands.

The servant beside Qiu Hongkuo walked over and took them, then presented them to his master.

“These are tinderboxes, and seem to have been created by that Grand Tutor Chu in the palace…..” Qiu Baisan told the elder everything he had learned from Qin Su.

Qiu Hongkuo picked up one of the tinderboxes and opened it.

It happened to be the one that had already been lit.

He gently blew on the opening, and sure enough, a spark appeared which then burst into flames.

The firelight reflected in his eyes, flickering and swaying.

Truly miraculous.

How many of these items did that Grand Tutor Chu actually possess?

Qiu Hongkuo had never met that person, but after listening to all sorts of true and false rumors, he had a general understanding of that “immortal.”

What abilities that person had shown so far were just the tip of the iceberg.

What was truly formidable about this opponent was not the blocks of ice or the tinderboxes, but the weapon that killed three assassins on the official road that day.

And perhaps things even stronger and more precious than that weapon.

Such a person must either be eliminated or collaborated with.

Eliminating him was not an option for the time being, and collaboration was also difficult.

It was better to align themselves with him through shared interests rather than to become enemies.

The Qiu family owned caravans, and Chu Jiubian possessed countless valuable items capable of accumulating wealth.

If the two parties worked together, they would truly become wealthy beyond measure. At that time, they would hold the economic lifeline of all of Great Ning in their hands, able to turn the world upside down with a flick of the wrist. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

However, the means and intelligence of that Grand Tutor Chu were no less than those powerful nobles who had been immersed in power for many years. Relying on Qiu Heng’s trickery and scheming would likely not be enough to win him over.

He should meet that Grand Tutor Chu in person.

“What day is it today?” Qiu Hongkuo closed the tinderbox.

The servant replied: “It is the second day of the seventh month.”

The Great Ning Dynasty was more accustomed to calculating the days based on the lunar calendar, which also made it easier for the uneducated to calculate the four solar terms, unlike later generations who were accustomed to using the Gregorian calendar.

“The Qixi Festival is in a few days.” Qiu Honkuo instructed, “Once the minister has finished his duties, have him report to me.”

“Yes.”

*

*

Four more days passed.

As evening approached, the Ministry of Personnel continued its daily routine.

Chu Jiubian glanced at the latest memorial that had been delivered. He simply circled all of the tedious and unimportant memorials so that they wouldn’t be sent to the palace.

Since he was the one who would be approving them anyway when they were sent to the palace, it was better to finish approving them here.

Of course, aside from those useless memorials, there were those that were important or had a clear purpose.

Take this one for example.

Lu Yuan, the governor of Hexi Prefecture, reported that the construction of the dams had been completed without issue, and the common people were very grateful to His Majesty and to Jiannan-wang.

He then went on to praise the achievements of Jiannan-wang, praise himself, and commend some of his subordinates who had performed well on the construction fortifications.

He had promoted three subordinates in total, likely juniors he intended to mentor.

Among them, Prefect Zhou Boshan acted as the supervisor of this construction project, and had accompanied Jiannan-wang throughout the entire process. His contributions were actually greater than Lu Yuan’s, but the latter didn’t try to take over from him, as if he genuinely wanted to promote this person.

Chu Jiubian knew why this was the case – because Zhou Boshan’s wife was from the Xiao family.

He was probably the son-in-law of some marginal branch of the Xiao family, and wanted to gain merit by taking advantage of Jiannan-wang’s influence.

Besides Zhou Boshan, Lu Yuan also mentioned two others: Sun Chang, the warehouse clerk in charge of dam construction materials and logistics, and Meng Tian, the household clerk in charge of conscripting laborers.

These two officials held very low ranks. Chu Jiubian only knew that one of them came from Lixiang County, located on the border of the Shanxi and Henan provinces, and one of them was a local from Hexi Prefecture. They had both obtained their official positions through the same channels used by Zhao Qianhe, the former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Presumably, the reason Lu Yuan spoke so well of them was because they were very filial, or because they had already sided with him.

But it would be understandable for them to seek refuge with their superior.

The official system in the Great Ning Dynasty was unlike that of the Imperial Examination system, with no rules about transferring officials every three years. Nor did it prohibit officials from serving in their own hometowns, and many officials were actually appointed to positions in their hometowns or nearby prefectures.

Aside from promotions and demotions, most officials remained in their positions for their entire lives.

Because clan consciousness was so prevalent in this era, if officials from other locations were sent to local areas, they wouldn’t be able to suppress the power of the local families. Therefore, the emperors of previous dynasties simply allowed officials to govern their own local people.

However, the drawbacks of such a system were obvious: local forces and officials formed cliques, making the central government’s control over these areas very weak.

Chu Jiubian blew out a breath.

Then the Imperial Examination system was still necessary, ah.

It also seemed that both civil and military exams should be conducted together. When sending officials selected through the Imperial Examinations to local areas, it would also be necessary to send a military officer to protect them, or it would indeed be troublesome to deal with the local forces and clans.

Alternatively, instead of holding military examinations, Qin Xiao could simply send his own soldiers to accompany the officials, thus giving him more control over the regions.

But this was contingent on Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao continuing their cooperation.

If they really did end up on opposite sides later on, then these local military officers would be the biggest threat to Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian closed this memorial along with two other important ones, then left the Ministry of Personnel.

The more he got involved in Great Ning’s affairs, the more he realized that the situation was much more complicated than he had imagined.

His notion of using officials who passed the Imperial Examinations to control local areas was somewhat naive. 

This wasn’t something that could be accomplished overnight; it may take several years, or even a decade.

Ultimately, his goal was to help Bai Lihong bring Great Ning into a golden era, ideally with long-term cooperation with Qin Xiao.

But Qin Xiao was the main villain, and was destined to be Bai Lihong’s enemy later on. How would he deal with him then?

He would just have to take it one step at a time. At least for now, he and Qin Xiao had the same goals.

The powerful families and vassal kings, these malignant tumors and parasites, had devoured Great Ning to the point of ravaging it. They must be pried out one by one so that healthy flesh and blood could grow.

The sedan chair moved steadily toward the palace.

Inside Yangxin Hall, Qin Xiao had received the latest news from Qin Chaoyang.

The distance between Huguang and the capital was vast, and even with the fastest horse, it would take seven or eight days to travel there.

However, Qin Chaoyang’s messages arrived every three days, which was due to the messengers used to deliver them. They were all qinggong masters who had been trained by the Qin family for generations, and when they moved with speed, they were even faster than a horse.

Human strength had its limits, but Qin Xiao had plenty of martial artists under his command, so it would be no problem at all to replace one every half day.

Qin Xiao unfolded the confidential letter.

Qin Chaoyang had already sent a letter three days ago, recounting his initial observations and experiences upon entering the area.

He had brought more than fifty top martial artists to Huguang. Several people subsequently went to the disaster-stricken provinces, while those who remained in Huguang transformed into refugees and mingled with the victim groups in different counties.

The refugees had reached the point where they were forced to eat tree bark to pad their stomachs. Even though Huguang-wang was reluctant, he had no choice but to open the granaries and distribute grain in order to prevent the common people from rebelling.

But the local officials were a mirror image of Huguang-wang, constantly bemoaning their poverty to the refugees. The amount of porridge distributed each day was just enough to keep the people from starving, but the commoners were too weak to resist and were barely hanging on by a thread.

Furthermore, some guiding opinions had already emerged amongst the refugees, such as the idea that the cruelty of the world was a sign of the officials’ lack of virtue.

It was also said that the emperor’s ascension to the throne was illegitimate, bringing divine retribution upon them and causing the common people to suffer a complete crop failure.

Public resentment was slowly growing, even among some scholars and Confucianists in the regions. They had already written some cryptic essays, using treasonous words like “the wild sparrow occupies the phoenix nest,” and “vines intertwine to steal the spring sun.” 

They actually portrayed the emperor and Qin Xiao as villains who stole the throne to seek personal gain for the Qin family.

However, Bai Lihong’s Crown Prince Edict was genuine, and the inscription bore Emperor Yingzong’s name and seal. Apart from there not being a chance to hold the investiture ceremony, Bai Lihong was genuinely the Crown Prince.

When the father died, the son succeeded him; it was only right and proper for him to take over.

A person as intelligent as Qin Feng, having decided to face her death, would have naturally made every preparation for her son.

When he heard these comments from the common people, Qin Chaoyang ordered his men to secretly spread alternative messages.

The common people had no knowledge of political maneuvering. They had never met the emperor or Ning-wang, and their resentment toward them was simply the result of needing an outlet for their pent-up anger.

So Qin Chaoyang and the others redirected their resentment toward the most urgent matter at hand – food.

“Have you heard? It’s said that the magistrate of Quanchun County just took a third concubine the other day, and even held a banquet with 108 dishes – how lavish!”

“I heard that too. It’s said that the merchants and officials who attended the banquet that day ate until their mouths were dripping with oil.”

“And then there’s the magistrate of Dayang County. Half a month ago, his youngest son married the third daughter of the magistrate of Hubei. The betrothal gifts practically took up the entire street.”

“Right, and it’s well-known that the magistrate of Nanxiang County held a full-month celebration for his grandson.”

“We can’t even afford to eat, yet these lords have the money and food to feast so lavishly?”

“This is an insult. In the eyes of those bigshots, the lives of us small people are as insignificant as ants. When you walk down the street, do you pay attention to whether you step on an ant?”

“Are you saying that those lords can put on such grand displays because they tread on the flesh and blood of ‘ants’ like me?”

“I didn’t say that. But I have a cousin who used to guard the granaries in Huaiping County, and he said that the grain inside was piled up to the brim, enough to feed us refugees for one or two years.”

“What?! Didn’t they tell us there was no food? Aren’t they just waiting for the Imperial Court to transfer grain from Southern Zhili?”

“You idiot, ah. That grain is meant for the lords. If they gave it to us, how would they continue their extravagant lifestyles?”

“Besides, with grain prices so high right now, who knows if the lords intend to sell that grain to merchants in the cities?”

“That’s outrageous!” A burly-looking refugee slammed his fist on the ground. “I know why those officials always have oily faces – it’s because us common folk are the only ones who have nothing to eat.”

“We really thought it was that one’s fault.” A man pointed at the sky, referring to the emperor. He then added angrily: “But it’s actually those corrupt Huguang officials harming us.”

“That’s right, I heard before that…..” Someone spoke in a low voice, “…..when that person ascended the throne, auspicious omens descended from heaven, and an immortal even came down to bestow blessings on him.”

“An immortal?” Everyone gasped.

“Yes, an immortal. Many people have seen him.”

“Goodness, then His Majesty has truly been acknowledged by heaven.”

“I went to Northern Zhili with a caravan a while ago, and the news has spread far and wide that His Majesty and Lord Ning-wang personally went to sell ice to those wealthy nobles so that they could use the profits to buy grain for us.”

“Yeah, but before the grain even reached our mouths, it was swallowed up by those corrupt officials above!”

“Corrupt officials! Corrupt officials!” The burly man glared with hateful, bloodshot eyes at the Huaiping County city gate not far away.

Many others reacted similarly.

Such rumors were spread by Qin Chaoyang and more than fifty of his brothers throughout most of Huguang. As a result, the refugees no longer cared about divine punishment; they only cared about these corrupt officials who had grain but wouldn’t give it to common people like them.

Public resentment grew and accumulated.

Qin Chaoyang planned to wait a few days until public resentment boiled over, then lead his men to storm the county granaries, at which point the entire Huguang region would descend into chaos.

But just then, news came from Guizhou.

A large number of grain merchants from Nanjiang had arrived in the three neighboring regions of Guizhou, Guangxi, and Sichuan, where grain prices were already fluctuating.

Qin Chaoyang then decided to observe the situation further and not take action for the time being.

This was all in the first letter he sent to Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao had known at the time that the sudden appearance of the grain merchants from Nanjiang might be the “solution to the drought” that Chu Jiubian had alluded to.

And after reading that news, he could already guess what would happen next.

Just to be safe, he sent someone to send Qin Chaoyang a token representing the emperor’s edict, which Qin Chaoyang would know how to use when the specific time came.

In today’s letter, Qin Chaoyang briefly explained the subsequent events.

The emergence of the Nanjiang grain merchants was an unexpected variable, causing grain prices in Sichuan, Guizhou, and other places to plummet.

In fact, the refugees in the south all had some money to spare, but the exorbitant price of food had relegated them to their current status.

However, if grain prices really came down, coupled with the grain transported from Southern Zhili, the crisis in Guizhou and Guangxi would surely be resolved.

And as for Sichuan —

When the multitude of Nanjiang grain merchants flooded the area, Pingxi-wang Bai Lizheng received the news.

And at the same time, he received a confidential letter from Nanjiang-wang.

After reading the letter, Bai Lizheng’s brow, which had been furrowed for over a month, finally smoothed out. He immediately summoned his subordinates and said: “Pass down the order that from today onward, the porridge should be cooked thicker, and palm-sized flatbreads should be made to distribute among the refugees each day.”

A subordinate said anxiously: “Your Highness, if we do this, I fear our grain reserves won’t last much longer.”

“It will be fine, just do as I say.”

“Yes.”

Nanjiang grain merchants had already entered the heart of Sichuan, the region most affected by the disaster. At this point, it wouldn’t be worthwhile for them to turn back and go elsewhere.

They could only sell their grain to the people of Sichuan.

Furthermore, according to Bai Lihao’s letter, these Nanjiang grain merchants had already been outmaneuvered once, so they certainly wouldn’t dare to gamble on how much surplus grain the Sichuan granaries actually had. Fearing that they would be stuck with unsold grain, they would definitely lower their prices in order to sell it.

Even if the price of grain didn’t drop to the level it was before the drought, Bai Lizheng could still buy back grain and give it to the refugees.

After that, all they needed to do was wait for more rain, and the drought would be over.

But just in case the rain didn’t come, he planned to secretly buy more grain from these merchants and store it as a precaution.

Qin Chaoyang back in Huguang naturally understood Pingxi-wang’s intentions after receiving the news from his subordinates in Sichuan, and immediately put a stop to his plan to rush the granaries.

Then, he turned around and told the Huguang refugees about Pingxi-wang and Nanjiang-wang’s great deed of “distributing grain to relieve refugees.”

They were all living in fiefdoms, and the common people of Huguang had always felt that they lived more prosperous and comfortable lives than the people in those two places, so why were they worse off during the famine this year?

Naturally, this was because of Huguang-wang’s incompetence and immorality. Since he didn’t value the common people of his fiefdom, how could the people respect and trust him in turn?

As this public opinion spread, the resentment of the refugees toward Huguang-wang reached its peak.

Upon hearing the news, Bai Liyue was so furious that he smashed an entire set of white jade tableware.

“Very good! Bai Lizheng, Bai Liahao, you two are truly my good brothers!” Bai Liyue gritted his teeth. “Someone come over here!”

“This subordinate is here.”

“Give this order: all counties and prefectures must open their granaries and distribute grain for this king. Make the porridge thick and rich, and the flatbreads large and substantial, so that all of my people may be well-fed and healthy!”

The common people of Huguang were overjoyed to suddenly find their meals improved, and most of their previous resentment dissipated.

Under the deliberate guidance of secret actors, many common people even began to feel grateful for Huguang-wang’s kindness.

Qin Chaoyang and others secretly spread rumors such as, “We should thank Pingxi-wang. If he hadn’t been good to his people, Huguang-wang wouldn’t have been good to us.”

This would both infuriate Huguang-wang and sow discord between him and Pingxi-wang, achieving two goals at once.

After doing all of this, Qin Chaoyang led his men to the grain convoy from Southern Zhili and accompanied it to Guizhou and Guangxi.

The magistrates of these two places, under instructions from the Xiao and Lu families, had deliberately delayed their reports of the disaster situation. Now they were watching the refugees loudly voice their complaints, but yet still refused to release grain.

Even when the group of Nanjiang grain merchants arrived and prices dropped slightly, they couldn’t tolerate it, and instead created the illusion of a grain shortage and drove up grain prices again.

Not to mention the common people, even small business owners with some spare funds were beginning to struggle financially.

The Imperial Court was unjust, and His Majesty was without virtue.

With the deliberate guidance of those working in the shadows, this notion gradually took root and sprouted in people’s hearts.

At this particular moment, they also received news that the refugees in areas controlled by those vassal kings were able to eat their fill. At once, some of them began to flock to the territories of those three vassal kings.

In this era, which commoners would be willing to leave their ancestral lands?

But if they stayed here, they would starve to death. They could only go elsewhere to find food.

At least for Pingxi-wang and Huguang-wang, their territories were vast and sparsely-populated.

A large amount of uncultivated land required people to work it, and the expansion of the army also required more manpower. Therefore, population was a necessary condition for the development of power.

With refugees from Guizhou and Guangxi now flocking there, both of them were ecstatic.

There was enough food now, and they could afford to feed more people.

After the drought subsided, the wastelands would be cleared and new crops would be grown, and they would be able to collect more grain taxes. This tax money, if used for infrastructure development or military training, could significantly strengthen their power.

In the end, the vassal kings lost nothing; on the contrary, they gained renown and a higher population, as well as a series of related benefits.

Only the Imperial Court gained nothing but resentment, and also lost the support of the common people.

When they received the news, the reactions of the assorted parties in the capital naturally varied. On the one hand, they felt that it was a good thing to dig a pit for Qin Xiao and Bai Lihong, but on the other hand, they didn’t want to see the vassal kings grow in power. But a vassal king was still a vassal king, and couldn’t enter the capital without being summoned.

Therefore, they didn’t pose as much of a threat as Qin Xiao and Bai Lihong.

If incidents like the one in Guizhou and Guangxi occurred again, and the Imperial Court repeatedly let down the common people, then they would naturally blame all of their misfortune on Bai Lihong.

And with a little guidance, the focus could be shifted from Bai Lihong to Qin Xiao.

Once Qin Xiao fell from power, Bai Lihong would become a true puppet emperor, and whoever gained the upper hand in the court would become the next regent, second only to the emperor.

Of course, they knew that Qin Xiao wouldn’t be so easy to deal with, and the grain from Southern Zhili had already been transported to Guizhou and Guangxi.

But public resentment was currently boiling over. Even if the grain was delivered, the seeds of resentment had already been sown in the hearts of the common people, and would easily fester there in the future.

After reading Qin Chaoyang’s letter, Qin Xiao realized that although the descriptions were simple and it was only a few paragraphs long, it had thoroughly explained the twists and turns of the situation at that time.

And all of these changes had begun when Chu Jiubian had assured him that “news would come from Nanjiang.”

First, Nanjiang-wang obtained grain, then the Nanjiang grain merchants went to various other regions. Pingxi-wang seized the opportunity to cooperate, which forced Huguang-wang to release grain as well.

Now that the grain convoy from Southern Zhili had traveled to Guizhou and Guangxi respectively, with Qin Chaoyang holding the token Qin Xiao had given him, he could lay all of the blame for “the court not releasing grain” at the feet of those corrupt officials.

It was the corrupt officials who had caused this crisis, and it was only due to His Majesty’s benevolence toward the common people that the disaster relief grain was sent.

His Majesty also detested corrupt officials, so he would directly issue an Imperial Edict ordering the immediate execution of the corrupt officials in both regions, including the magistrates, in order to appease the common people.

Even if the two magistrates had prepared in advance and blamed the embezzlement on their subordinates, they would still be guilty of dereliction of duty, and there would certainly be suspicions that they had participated in the embezzlement.

Qin Chaoyang could then “escort” the two back to the capital so that they could explain themselves to His Majesty.

After this group of corrupt officials were killed, the common people of Guizhou and Guangxi would hate not the Imperial Court, but the corrupt officials who had exploited them.

The same principle applied: the common people had never met His Majesty or Ning-wang. They only knew the local officials closest to them.

Instead of hating those faraway people, it was better to hate those corrupt officials that were visible to them.

In this way, the plans of the Xiao and Lu families were all for naught, and they also lost two powerful local officials.

Once the two were escorted back to the capital, they would be spared the punishment of execution, but would never be able to return to officialdom.

All of this had begun with the sudden surplus of grain in Nanjiang.

And that grain must have something to do with Chu Jiubian.

How exactly had he managed it?

Where had that grain come from? And how had it been transported to Nanjiang?

When had Chu Jiubian made contact with that region?

And what about the so-called High Priest of the Northern Desert? Who was he, and what was his relationship with Chu Jiubian?

These countless questions needed answers, and the answers seemed to point to only one possibility – that Chu Jiubian was truly a god.

The look in Qin Xiao’s eyes was dark and unfathomable.

After a long while, he picked up his brush and wrote a few words down, then folded up the paper.

A person dressed in black appeared in the study and bowed.

“Send this to Qin Lie.” Qin Xiao handed the folded paper to the guard, who responded with a low “yes” and disappeared.

Qin Xiao opened the tinderbox beside him, then proceeded to burn Qin Chaoyang’s letter to ash and throw it in the nearby trash bin.

He’d learned of trash bins from Chu Jiubian. There were several in the other party’s residence, placed by the table, the bed, and even in the courtyard.

They were very useful.

“My Lord, the Young Master is almost here,” a palace attendant announced from outside.

Qin Xiao was currently in Yangxin Hall’s western courtyard, in his own study.

Upon hearing this, he said: “Invite him over.”

“Yes.”

He ordered cups of tea to be served, and Chu Jiubian arrived just as they were being placed.

This was Chu Jiubian’s second visit to the western courtyard. However, he had fainted last time and departed quickly upon waking up, so he hadn’t had a chance to look around.

Now, he saw everything clearly.

There was one main room and two side rooms.

The study was located in the outer area of the main room, separated from the dining table by a screen. The layout was the same as his Yaotai Residence.

The design of the study was also similar to the one in Yaotai Residence, with a chair behind the desk and two wide chairs facing each other with a tea table between them.

When he saw him enter, Qin Xiao stood and paced to the side, where he sat in the chair closest to the desk. He gestured to the chair opposite him and said: “Please have a seat.”

Chu Jiubian didn’t stand on ceremony, and simply went over to sit down.

He picked up the cup of tea from the table and mentally notified the System: “No need to test it.”

[Okay.]

The System’s tone remained unchanged, but Chu Jiubian inexplicably sensed that it was regretful.

It really wanted to deduct points, didn’t it?

Luckily, he had the foresight to anticipate this.

“Has something good happened?” Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian glanced up at him.

“You seem to be in a good mood.” 

Qin Xiao, also in a good mood, drank his tea.

Chu Jiubian smiled and said: “I’m so-so. But you seem to be in high spirits. Did Qin Chaoyang send you a letter?”

“En.” Qin Xiao was looking at him with an expression he had never seen before.

Chu Jiubian didn’t understand, but he didn’t ask.

After a moment of silence, Qin Xiao spoke again: “Did you have something to do with the extra grain in Nanjiang?”

Chu Jiubian smiled and took a small sip of his tea.

Qin Xiao smiled as well, and didn’t press the matter.

In short, the drought was resolved, and he owed Chu Jiubian a large favor.

“Tomorrow is the Qixi Festival. Would you like to go for a stroll?” he asked.

Chu Jiubian set down his teacup and gave him a meaningful smile: “What a coincidence. Someone just invited me to celebrate the holiday together.”

Qin Xiao paused, then saw the young man take a letter from his sleeve and unfold it.

He got up and moved next to Chu Jiubian’s seat, taking the letter.

Three lines of text were written in a gentle, warm script: 

I cordially invite the Young Master to join me for a lakeside stroll and lantern-viewing on the night of the Qixi Festival. Your presence would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Xiao Zimei.

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Chapter 33 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 35