Chapter 244 - 242: Decision
The Ritual Department was the heart of the Inner Court, and a Chief Eunuch wielded immense power.
’The Xiang Sect’s tendrils actually reached this deep?’
’Even a person of this stature is one of its members?’
But the next moment, an even more shocking thought flashed through Chen Li’s mind.
’How could a Jianghu sect, one branded by the Court as demonic and heretical, possibly infiltrate the Imperial Palace, let alone control a eunuch from the Ritual Department?’
’This was completely illogical!’
’Unless... the Xiang Sect itself is simply a pawn controlled from behind the scenes by the Inner Court.’
This deduction sent a chill through Chen Li’s heart.
’If this were true, these waters were far deeper than he had ever imagined!’
Seeing the murderous glint in Chen Li’s eyes, Liu Futian was terrified and hurriedly said, "Godfather, I am responsible for procuring silk for the sect. If... if you are willing to be merciful, Godfather, I can purchase all the silk you have.
"This is a guaranteed-profit deal for you, and for me, it’s a simple matter that also allows me to complete my mission for the sect. I can even purchase it at a high price!"
Chen Li stared at him, silent for a moment.
Liu Futian’s proposal was indeed extremely tempting.
This was, after all, his main reason for waiting for Liu Futian here.
He had wanted to control this man, open up the Xiang Sect’s distribution channels, and find a stable market for the silk his family was about to produce.
This was undoubtedly the best solution for his family’s future path of development.
But if the Xiang Sect was truly controlled by the palace, then this move was by no means an opportunity—it was a step into a bottomless abyss.
’Kyoto, the Royal Family, the Inner Court...’
’This is definitely not something a small family like mine can afford to provoke.’
’My control over Liu Futian via the Evil Suppressing Seal seems solid, but he is, after all, a palace eunuch.’
’Once he returns to the palace, there’s no guarantee the seal won’t be detected and broken by a Grandmaster, or an even more terrifying power.’
’At that point, not only would this pawn immediately turn on me, but the entire Chen Family would face annihilation.’
’The risk is too great.’
’I cannot, and must not, make this dangerous move!’
At this thought, killing intent flashed in Chen Li’s eyes.
With no further hesitation, he formed a sword with his fingers and struck like lightning at Liu Futian’s glabella.
"You..."
Liu Futian’s pupils dilated, filled with shock and indignation.
He seemed to have never imagined that after he made such a tempting offer, the other party would still kill him without a moment’s hesitation.
The Finger Force penetrated his skull, instantly obliterating his life force.
Liu Futian’s body stiffened. The light in his eyes faded completely as he collapsed to the ground, dead.
Seeing Chen Li’s sudden, lethal attack, Linglong, Shu Qi, and Bai San were stunned.
Linglong couldn’t help but ask, "My lord, weren’t we going to do silk business with the Xiang Sect? Why did you suddenly kill him?"
Chen Li glanced at Liu Futian’s body on the ground and shook his head. "That path is closed to us."
He turned to Bai San and ordered, "First thing tomorrow morning, go to the docks and rent another warehouse—a more secluded one. After nightfall, we’ll move all this silk to the new location."
He had already rented Warehouse Six and Warehouse Eight nearby.
But the two were too close together to be safe.
Bai San’s face puckered like a bitter gourd as he looked at the mountain of over a thousand crates. "My lord, with this many crates, it’ll take the few of us forever and a day to move them!"
Chen Li shot him a glance. "Move them anyway. Be careful, and don’t attract any attention."
The dock warehouses were teeming with all sorts of characters.
It was only safe to make a move after dark.
They’d also have to find a way to put the others to sleep beforehand.
Besides doing it all themselves, Chen Li couldn’t think of a safer way.
...
「Liyang Commandery Magistrate’s Office, the rear hall.」
Governor He Mingyun sat behind his zitan wood desk, reviewing official documents.
The sound of footsteps arose as County Captain Zhao Yuanhong entered the hall. "Your Excellency."
"Ah, Yuanhong..."
He Mingyun didn’t look up, his brush continuing to glide across the document. "What is it?"
Zhao Yuanhong’s expression was grave. He spoke in a low voice, "Your Excellency, Yun Ya and her son, Liu Yunfeng, have been missing for over ten days. I fear... they have met with foul play."
The brush tip paused, and a drop of thick ink nearly blotted the page.
He Mingyun put down his brush and looked up, his sharp gaze fixed on Zhao Yuanhong. "Missing?"
"Yes."
Zhao Yuanhong nodded. "That day on Mirror Mountain, Yun Ya left with her son. We all assumed they would return to Jiangzhou."
"But yesterday, the Jiangzhou Textile Bureau sent an official dispatch asking for Yun Ya’s return, which is how I learned they never went back. The Jingwu Bureau checked the Tooth Token registrations along all likely routes, but there was no record of them."
He Mingyun leaned back slightly, lost in thought.
The hall fell silent, the only sound the faint drone of cicadas outside the window.
’Two branches of the Liu Family wiped out, and the Jiang Family, too...’
’Who could it be?’
’Is this the usual dog-eat-dog struggle between the Noble Families, or has some uncontrollable power—one I was completely unaware of—quietly infiltrated Liyang’s territory?’
He Mingyun’s brow furrowed.
Initially, he had believed that the only ones with the power and motive to commit these acts were the other Noble Families.
With the critical period of the capital evaluations at hand, he had no desire to dig too deep, hoping only for a smooth and stable transition.
He knew full well that the waters in Jiangzhou ran deep.
The various powers there were a tangled, complex mess.
Be it a feud or a struggle for profit, as long as it didn’t spill into the open and disrupt the peace, he was content to feign ignorance.
Therefore, regarding both Liu Gongquan and Liu Gongchang, he could only—and had only ever intended to—report them as missing.
After all, there is a world of difference between death and disappearance.
The distinction was immense.
If a series of shocking cases involving the annihilation of officials and Noble Families were to break, the Court would brand him with the label of "incompetent local governance"—a label he could neither afford to wear nor bear the weight of.
Before he began overseeing the policy to "replace rice with mulberry," his Master had warned him that the success or failure of the policy was secondary. The most critical thing was that nothing go wrong.
He had always treated this as his guiding principle.
’Don’t strive for great achievements, just avoid making mistakes. To be without fault is, in itself, an achievement.’
But now, the situation had developed to a point where he could no longer afford to ignore it.
If the situation continued to deteriorate and spiral completely out of control, he feared that his own He Family would be implicated.
At this thought, a flicker of resolve crossed He Mingyun’s eyes. He asked, "Was there anything unusual about Yun Ya before she disappeared?"
Zhao Yuanhong replied, "There’s been no word of her since she interrogated the Liu Family’s Eldest Branch on Mirror Mountain. I believe it’s most likely that she went to find the Eldest Branch in private."
"The Liu Family’s Eldest Branch?"
He Mingyun’s gaze narrowed.
"Yes."
Zhao Yuanhong briefly explained the grudge between the Liu Family’s Eldest Branch and its three collateral branches.
He Mingyun nodded slightly. "If it’s an internal conflict, with trouble brewing from within their own walls, then it’s a private family squabble and has little to do with us."
After a moment of thought, he added, "But don’t be careless. Personally supervise a detailed investigation of the Liu Family, especially the recent movements of the survivors from the Eldest Branch."
"Also, get to the bottom of that Chen Family from Mirror Mountain. They knew they were wading into the muddy waters of the Liu Family’s infighting, yet they still dared to shelter members of the Eldest Branch. Who gave them the nerve? And what is their ulterior motive?"
Zhao Yuanhong added, "According to reports from informants planted by the Jingshan County Magistrate’s Office and the Jingwu Bureau, after Liu Zongying, Liu Ruoyi, and the others moved into the Chen residence, they’ve kept to themselves. Aside from their daily routine of teaching the Chen Family’s children Martial Arts, they’ve shown no unusual activity."
"Then let’s go fishing."
A cold smile touched He Mingyun’s lips. "Send a man to Qingshui. Tell Hu Zhijie to deliver the Liu Family’s liquid assets to the Commandery Magistrate’s Office as soon as possible."
"Furthermore, we can begin preparations to sell off the Liu Family’s confiscated farmlands and Textile Workshops. Put out the news and see who shows a special interest."
Zhao Yuanhong hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Your Excellency, should we inform Gongting about this first?"
He didn’t say it outright, but He Mingyun understood his meaning.
By Court regulation, a son succeeds his father, and a younger brother succeeds his elder brother.
Legally speaking, Liu Gongquan’s assets still have an heir.
If the Commandery Magistrate’s Office sells them off like this, things could get difficult if that heir becomes angry.
But He Mingyun waved his hand. "It’s fine. I’ll inform Gongting. He’s far away in Liujiang; he won’t be part of this game."
"Yes, sir!"
Zhao Yuanhong accepted the order. Saying no more, he bowed and exited the rear hall.
He Mingyun picked up his vermilion brush again. He had just marked two lines of text when more footsteps sounded from outside.
Deputy Governor Yan Wenlu hurried in, his face grave.
"Your Excellency."
Yan Wenlu lowered his voice. "I just received a report. Miss Zhou, Zhou Qingyi, took a group of Honored Guests and stormed into the... Sun Family’s Textile Workshop. They smashed several looms and injured a few people."
The hand holding the brush paused, and He Mingyun sighed. "Wenlu, go handle this yourself. The Zhou Family is, after all, a family of officials. Their ancestor, Extraordinary Minister Zhou, still has an untarnished reputation, so we must give them some face."
"She’s a young woman, and after such a tragedy befell her family, she is bound to act impulsively. If no lives were lost, a minor punishment will do. Give the Sun Family an explanation, but don’t make things too difficult for her. However..."
His tone hardened slightly. "If a life was truly taken and the nation’s laws were broken, then as officials of the Court, you and I absolutely cannot bend the law for personal reasons. Remember, even the Emperor himself is subject to the same laws as the common people."
Yan Wenlu understood perfectly. "I understand. I will handle it with the appropriate discretion."
With that, he quietly withdrew from the study.
Watching Yan Wenlu’s retreating back, He Mingyun finally allowed a faint smile to grace his lips.
...
「Lingxi.」
Chen Li stayed at Jiangkou for another half month.
Once all the silk had been dealt with, he left Bai San, Shu Qi, and Linglong behind and returned home alone.
"Husband, you’re back."
Upon seeing Chen Li, Song Ying hurried forward to greet him, her face showing a hint of exhaustion.
"Ying’Er."
Chen Li pulled her into his arms and held her for a moment.
His gaze swept over the faint shadows under his wife’s eyes. "Did you run into some trouble? Why do you look so haggard?"
As they walked toward the study, Song Ying sighed softly. "It’s not that I’m troubled, but seeing all this silver flow out like water makes my heart uneasy."
Chen Li smiled. "Money that needs to be spent must be spent. What have you been spending it on?"
Song Ying spread the account books on the table, pointing to the expenditures one by one.
They had already built five hundred thirty-seven silk-reeling machines.
That was more than enough, not just for now, but even for when all the mulberry fields reached peak production.
The looms, on the other hand, were a much slower affair.
Even with the guidance of the ten masters from the Zhou Family, the craftsmen had only managed to build three.
After a long period of adjustments, they had only become truly operational a few days ago.
The cost of building these machines and the new silkworm nurseries alone had already exceeded seven thousand taels of silver.
And that was just the beginning.
Song Ying was worried. "Husband, have you made any headway finding a buyer for the silk?"
Chen Li fell silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "Not yet."
Hearing this, Song Ying’s brow furrowed even more tightly.
Without a buyer, wasn’t this massive investment just like throwing silver into a bottomless pit?
Seeing his wife’s concern, Chen Li comforted her, "We’ll find a way. Don’t worry."