Chapter 168: Plotting (Part 2)

Over the past several days, Le Wuya's thunderous measures had come down like a storm, leaving Tongzhou's officials looking like a bunch of beaten dogs.

The most critical issue was that the officials, having been struck by a heavy hammer, still couldn't get a read on the Prefect.

They couldn't even answer the most basic question:

— Is the Prefect on the take?

After all, whether it was local specialties, land and property, or gold, silver, and fine silks, the Prefect accepted it all, no questions asked.

But he never made a single promise or gave even a half-answer.

He not only acted like he was saying, "Thanks for fattening up the treasury," but he also brought out a donation ledger, called out each name as he wrote it down, and handed it to the gift-giver to confirm that the gifts matched the entries, making them sign and stamp their seals before he'd call it done.

These guys were old pros at bribery, but they'd never had such a weird gift-giving experience in their lives.

So, a few officials who thought alike got together on the sly to hash things out.

Was the Prefect a clean official? Was he really asking them to donate silver to the treasury?

Was he corrupt? Putting on a show but actually funneling the money into his own pockets?

Was he both corrupt and clever? Taking their bribes but making them leave a paper trail so he could hold it over their heads?

Was he both clean and cunning? Acting like he was taking the money, but really just writing down the names of the bribers to settle scores later?

After talking it over, they all had different opinions, couldn't convince each other, and just sat there staring at each other, totally stumped.

The only thing they could agree on was: this Prefect was way too hard to read.

So now, they were scared of offending him if they didn't give, and scared of leaving evidence if they did.

Give, and you're wrong. Don't give, and you're still wrong.

So on the surface, nobody dared to act out anymore—they all tucked their tails between their legs.

Officials who'd been fleecing the people to line their own pockets put a stop to it for now.

The ones who liked hanging around brothels decided to take a break.

Bottom line: they figured the smartest move was to make their official track records look good first.

Only after scoring some points with the Prefect could they start digging into what he actually liked.

Everyone kept their eyes peeled, quietly watching what was going on at the government office.

As the crowd watched eagerly, a carriage rumbled up and stopped in front of the county office gate.

The curtain fluttered in the breeze, and Qi Hongzhuang stepped out.

In the bright daylight, she calmly looked up at the Tongzhou Prefectural Office.

Two rows of guards stood stiff and solemn under the signboard, holding halberds and clubs—a far cry from their usual sloppy look.

After she sent in her name card, it wasn't long before voices and footsteps came echoing out from inside, drawing closer.

Le Wuya wasn't in his official robes but in a red riding outfit with a headband—he'd clearly cut whatever he was doing short to come greet her.

He hopped down the steps in two or three bounds, all smiles: "County Princess, you're here!"

Behind him, Mu Jiazhi—who'd been dragged out halfway through something and forced to come greet the guest—turned his head away, unable to watch.

What a sight. Totally improper.

Qi Hongzhuang looked at him calmly, but a fire was burning hot in her chest.

He looked strikingly like that person.

But compared to that delicate, charming man, the sheer vitality radiating off Wenren Ming Ke was something she'd never seen before.

If only he could spare half of it for her younger brother.

...No, even a fifth would do.

Qi Hongzhuang lowered her gaze, and when she looked up again, she was once more the cold, aloof County Princess of Tonglu.

She said, "When I came here two months ago, this place was a mess. Now it looks like a whole new world."

Le Wuya, happy to see his old sister pleased and getting a compliment, beamed like a fool: "You bet."

Next to him, Guo Guzi couldn't help but crack a smile.

Whether he was the little magistrate or the big prefect, he was always so cheerful and easygoing.

Le Wuya showed Qi Hongzhuang to a seat in the flower hall, then went off to change into something more casual.

When he came back, Qi Hongzhuang was eyeing a few gorgeous flowers: "You've got 'Endless Thought' here too?"

Le Wuya poured her tea with extra care: "Old Sun hauled them all the way here; lost a few leaves on the road, so they're looking a little droopy."

Qi Hongzhuang: "Want me to take them back and nurse them back to health for you?"

"That'd be great."

Qi Hongzhuang touched a wilted leaf with her fingertip, her back to Le Wuya, and said slowly, "I hear Prefect Wenren is from down south in Jiangnan."

Le Wuya nodded: "Yep."

"Doesn't sound like it." She turned her head, her cold eyes burning with a bright fire. "Your accent sounds like you were raised up north."

"Is that so?" Le Wuya tugged at his collar. "Gotta learn some standard speech for the job. If the County Princess wants a bit of fun, I can do a few lines in Yizhou dialect, Tongzhou dialect, or even Japanese."

Qi Hongzhuang thought, if this man were her young husband, he'd be lying right now.

With people he didn't know well, he could spin lies and crack jokes nonstop without missing a beat.

But when he lied to someone close to him, it was like he couldn't breathe—he'd always tug at his collar before he spoke.

After the small talk, Qi Hongzhuang cut to the chase: "Prefect, go ahead and say what you want to say."

Le Wuya: "Two months ago, when I first got here, I ran into that big mess and let the County Princess see my dirty laundry. Thanks to you lending me a place to hide and thirty thousand taels of silver, I'm truly grateful for your kindness."

Qi Hongzhuang waved a hand: "Thirty thousand taels was just talk, nothing worth mentioning. In the end, you solved the mess yourself; I just said a few words."

"You didn't know who I was or what I could do back then, but you still said that—I'm deeply grateful."

Le Wuya leaned in, eyes shining: "To repay your kindness, I've got a deal in mind. Would the County Princess be interested?"

Qi Hongzhuang narrowed her eyes slightly: "Please, do tell."

Le Wuya: "I hear you have seventy-five weaving houses and seven dyeing workshops, with three original color patterns—'Tonglu Snow,' 'Blossoms of Wealth,' and 'Three-Color Spring'—quite the rage in Tonglu County. Am I right?"

Seeing Qi Hongzhuang nod in acknowledgment, Le Wuya raised a hand with a flourish: "Would you be interested in expanding beyond Tonglu, sailing down the river, passing through Puluo and Qingkou, entering Yizhou, and taking your business to both banks of the Jiangnan region, making it famous across the land, known to every man, woman, and child?"

Qi Hongzhuang remained silent.

She rubbed the fabric of her sleeve between her fingertips, pondering slowly, then said: "No."

Le Wuya raised an eyebrow: "Why?"

"I don't accept favors I haven't earned. A tall tree catches the wind. Are those two reasons enough?"

"First, you're by no means without merit; second... forgive my bluntness, but if you feared the tall tree catching the wind, you should have closed your doors long ago, made your own goods and lived off them, and led a leisurely widow's life. Why bother doing business?" Le Wuya smiled sweetly, starlight gleaming in his violet eyes. "You're fobbing me off."

Qi Hongzhuang: "My late husband left me with little. I have neither relatives nor children. If I shut myself away, sooner or later someone would bully me. I've put a great deal of effort into building this business; I don't want to take risks."

"To run a household, a single tofu shop would be enough. Seventy-five weaving houses—that's not running a business, that's ambition."

Le Wuya smiled at her: "Ambition, in the end, comes down to just four words: 'the more, the merrier.' No risk, no reward."

Qi Hongzhuang said nothing.

"Give me a straight answer, County Princess Qi."

The flower hall was as warm as spring, and Le Wuya, dressed in clothes too light for autumn, felt no chill.

He lounged with his legs crossed and said: "If we're going to work together, we should be honest with each other."

After a moment of deliberation, Qi Hongzhuang said: "I was born a commoner and raised in the countryside. I've seen a snake swallow a frog and lie still for a long time before it can move again. Wouldn't a snake trying to swallow an elephant be asking for death?"

"You're still young, County Princess—your best days are ahead. Why bring up 'death'?" Le Wuya drew a thin sheet of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Qi Hongzhuang. "Take a look at this—might it help you stomach the idea?"

At first, Qi Hongzhuang paid it little mind, given his casual attitude, but as she took it and looked, her expression changed.

She frowned slightly and read it through carefully, from start to finish.

The official seal was intact, the contents complete—it was no forgery.

Qi Hongzhuang looked up, her slender phoenix eyes showing both doubt and a spark of excitement: "A maritime trading license? For me?"

Le Wuya beamed: "Yes. I took the liberty of arranging it."

The Dayu dynasty had banned overseas trade but not domestic shipping. To sail, all you needed was an official permit.

But that was easier said than done.

Getting such a permit was unimaginably complicated and difficult.

With this in hand, Le Wuya's outlandish proposal could actually become real.

But she still didn't take it. She set the thin, priceless sheet down on the small table, waiting to hear what he had to say.

If there was nothing more, she'd pass on the tempting bait.

Le Wuya seemed to see right through her and said outright: "Japanese pirates are a scourge on the seas. I have five hundred garrison soldiers I can lend you in shifts to guard your merchant ships."

Qi Hongzhuang leaned back, a wry smile on her lips: "You're quite generous, Your Excellency. I'm impressed."

"Don't sell yourself short, County Princess Qi."

"You're overestimating me." Qi Hongzhuang stood up, her dark eyes turning stormy as she saw through Le Wuya's true intent: "You want to use the pretext of escorting convoys to wipe out coastal pirates—and use me as your shield?"

"Exactly." Le Wuya also rose to his feet. "You'd be doing business and protecting the people of Tongzhou at the same time. In the future, you'll be remembered not just in the annals of virtuous women, but in the history books. Doesn't that sound more interesting?"

Qi Hongzhuang reached out, took the permit, and slipped it neatly into her sleeve: "How do we divide the profits?"

"I provide the men and the permit. If there's profit, we split it sixty-forty—sixty for me, forty for you."

"You certainly know how to do the math, Your Excellency."

"I'm not done. If there are losses, I'll cover half—either way, you won't lose everything."

"Who provides the ships?"

"You pay for them. I'll handle the design, assembly, and repairs. I want to put some little gadgets on them."

"How are the soldiers maintained?"

"Once they're assigned to you, I'll pay their wages and you'll feed them."

Qi Hongzhuang bowed gracefully: "I'll go home and think about it."

Le Wuya held out his hand: "Give me back the permit."

Qi Hongzhuang hesitated for a moment, then her gaze hardened with resolve: "I brought my seal. I can sign a contract right now."

Meat delivered right to her door—she'd sink her teeth in and not let go!

Le Wuya looked into her eyes, which held raw wildness and fierce determination.

After a long moment, he broke into a grin.

Sister Qi was still Sister Qi, after all.

With that fierce nerve—like someone crouching at a door with an axe, waiting to take a head—she was born to set sail!

Seeing that smile, Qi Hongzhuang felt a faint flutter in her chest.

She felt as if she were back in the days when she was still Lady Le. One day, while she was tidying the house, Le Wuya lay ill in bed. Seeing his spirits lift, he eagerly joined in, bustling around like a fox, asking her how to arrange the books, wearing that same clean, handsome smile.

She had the urge to ruffle his hair.

Luckily, she held herself back.

A good deal was right in front of her.

Why mix emotions with business?

...

After briefly receiving Qi Hongzhuang, Mu Jiazhi went off to patrol the streets of Tongzhou.

Since taking charge of military affairs, he'd become half a street patrol inspector. No matter how busy he was, he made a point of walking the streets every few days.

Perhaps spurred on by something he'd seen in Zi Yongshou, Mu Jiazhi, though still wearing that grim, coffin-faced expression, had gained a bit more warmth than before.

He'd casually ask about a patrol officer's day-to-day life, or suddenly ask a young guard at the city gate if his mother was feeling any better.

Despite feeling somewhat uneasy, the results were good in the end.

Many lower-ranking officials started giving him tentative smiles, and they also got their work done faster than before.

Mu Jiazhi mulled over what had caused this shift, unable to figure out why just remembering their names and family details could make them so happy.

Even now, he was still thinking about it.

Therefore, when he passed by a handsome, well-bred young man, Mu Jiazhi didn't react right away.

Once he recalled where he had seen that person before, his eyes lit up, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

He turned around to double-check, then quickly wheeled his horse around, jumped off, and hurried to catch up with the young man who was walking along, taking in the sights.

The young man he stopped looked confused: "You...?"

Mu Jiazhi didn't mind that the man didn't recognize him.

At Lord Feng's birthday banquet that day, all the attention had been on Prefect Wenren; he was just a nobody, so it made sense he'd been forgotten.

He lowered his voice and asked, "Seventh Young Master, what are you doing here?"

Zhi Jie: "?"

He'd seen Zhi before?

He straightened up, opened his fan to hide the lower half of his face, and asked, "And you are?"

Mu Jiazhi stood with his hands hanging respectfully at his sides, but his quick, hushed words gave away his urgency: "Seventh Young Master, although Tongzhou has been relatively stable lately, traveling with so few guards and wearing such fine clothes is bound to attract attention. The moment you leave Tongzhou, bandits might set their sights on you."

He emphasized his tone: "Please come back to the office with me."

Zhi Jie could tell this patrol officer meant well.

Though he usually dressed simply, not like Little Seven with his golden yoke and jade crown, he was still not in coarse cloth and hemp garments like a commoner; one glance would reveal that his family had some wealth.

Such attire of a modestly wealthy household was indeed prone to robbery.

He said gently, "Thank you for your trouble."

Mu Jiazhi felt a sense of relief.

This Seventh Prince, contrary to his seemingly reckless and unrestrained exterior, spoke with reason and propriety.

Mu Jiazhi instructed the minor officials to continue their patrols while he escorted the prince toward the government office.

Zhi Jie had never played the role of Little Seven before, and it brought a novel sense of amusement.

Adopting Little Seven's teasing tone, he asked, "Is Prefect Wenren in the office?"

"Yes," Mu Jiazhi answered truthfully. "The Prefect is currently receiving County Princess Tonglu."

Zhi Jie halted mid-step, standing in the middle of the road.

Mu Jiazhi noticed his expression gradually darkening and, suspecting he might not know who "County Princess Tonglu" was, added, "To answer Seventh Young Master, she is the former Princess Xiaoshu, the widow of Le Wuya."