Knowing what they most hoped to hear, Yun Ye didn’t conceal or cover up anything. He told them straightforwardly that they could enter the Academy, but after entering, they shouldn’t expect any special privileges from him. On normal rest days, they could return to the Yun household to lodge, but as long as they were at the Academy, every single rule there must not be violated. If violated, not only would they not receive reduced punishment—on the contrary, it would be even more severe.

Yiniang was a good girl and quite clever. Knowing her brother’s authority couldn’t be challenged, she didn’t dare come out openly to see the guests. She only revealed half a green embroidered shoe at the doorway, constantly moving the pom-pom on it. Through this method she expressed her dissatisfaction—the guests had been sitting in the hall too long. The conversation needed to end quickly.

“Alright, that’s all I have to say. Yanshou, Yanxi, Linghu—you’ve just arrived and haven’t yet toured Yushan. I’m giving you three days of leave. After three days, follow me to the Academy to study. You may not return home during the term.”

Under the three men’s respectful farewells, Yun Ye left the great hall with his hands behind his back. Without even looking, he said there was no need to study etiquette these next few days—accompany them and have a good time for three days.

But he heard a giggling laugh. Looking again, it was Runniang. He said as much—when did Yiniang have such courage? Moving forward, he grabbed Runniang’s ear and headed toward the rear courtyard.

The guests had Aunts to entertain them. Their status didn’t warrant Yun Ye’s company. If he sat there forcibly, they would be even more uncomfortable.

Steward Qian hadn’t been at the household these past few days. Ever since last time hearing from Dan Ying that the Yun family’s workshops now had blood and sweat factories appearing—this was something Yun Ye could not tolerate. Steward Qian had three months’ wages deducted. Furiously, he took the Yun household guards to carefully comb through all the Yun family’s enterprises. Yun Ye planned to see exactly how severe the situation had become.

In the afternoon, Steward Qian returned. Standing before Yun Ye, he reported on his five days of investigation. Just looking at his dusty, grim-faced appearance, Yun Ye knew things wouldn’t be good.

“Marquis, this old servant spent five days carefully combing through our family’s enterprises. There are many problems. Some places this old servant couldn’t even bear to watch, yet when spoken about, no one listens. Our family doesn’t have many shares in those workshops. The stewards are each arrogant beyond measure, fierce and malevolent. As soon as this old servant arrived, they wanted to drag me to Chang’an for drinking—refusing wasn’t an option. So this old servant grew vigilant, left the guards behind, and accompanied them myself. I also wanted to lead them away to facilitate the guards’ investigation.”

“Our family’s guards are all from our estate—all trustworthy. They used their own money to buy wine for the petty bosses at the workshops. Official practice is always to conceal from superiors but not from subordinates. According to what they said, the coal mine kills people every month. The most at one time—over a dozen people were buried in a collapse. The farmers who previously worked in the workshops have now all been replaced—all prisoners from jail, plus people brought back from who knows where working. Those people know nothing—only know to mine coal desperately. Our family previously used thick timber to shore up the tunnels securely before allowing coal mining. Even like that, you instructed not to dig beyond ten zhang in depth. Now they dare dig to over thirty zhang without any timber supports.”

“You said going deeper would accumulate poisonous gases. Now these murderous scoundrels dare dig to forty or fifty zhang deep. Coal sells without worry in Chang’an city, so they all have red eyes, driving people to death.”

“There’s also the cement kilns. Our family’s has no problems. No matter how hot the weather, no one dares remove their masks. The farmers have also grown accustomed to wearing masks. You later made them pig snouts—the farmers are obedient and all wear them. Ugly is ugly, but they know the Marquis does it for their good. So our family’s stewards take this matter very seriously—they’re all watching closely.”

“Marquis, the official kilns are impossible to look at. Cement is scattered all over the ground. When the wind blows, it’s so hazy you can only see people’s shadows. The craftsmen at the kilns—their mouths and noses are full of cement. This old servant went up to speak to the official steward about this matter and was even mocked. They said which farmer family doesn’t eat several catties of dirt—they’re all tough. They also said the Yun family has money to burn. The craftsmen wearing those things can’t catch their breath and would do much less work.”

“Outrageous!” Yun Ye could listen no longer. The terrible degree of silicosis was no less than consumption. Seemingly robust men, after contracting silicosis, found even walking difficult—a person completely ruined.

“How about the honeycomb coal, blacksmith, tin plate, and workshops in Zhaoguo Ward? Did they do as I instructed?” Right now Yun Ye could only first focus on checking his own people. He himself had released this fierce beast of industry—he must control it properly. If it lost control, better not to have these things at all.

“Why aren’t you speaking? I’m asking you—how is Zhaoguo Ward?”

“In reply to the Marquis—not too good. The blacksmiths still use the old ways. They don’t wear the protective equipment provided—they all keep it at home as new clothes to wear. Some families even altered the work clothes smaller to dress their children, saying this fabric is sturdy and durable. The other small workshops are all like this too.”

Yun Ye covered his forehead and said nothing. He finally understood why work uniforms in later generations were all so ugly—even if not ugly, they’d embroider various ugly logos on them. So the root was here.

“The day after tomorrow, call all the stewards from workshops, kilns, and construction sites back home. I need to hold a meeting with them. If this continues, the Yun family will be completely finished. Find the contracts for those kilns and mines jointly operated with the court. The Yun family doesn’t want them—doesn’t dare want them. Our family is an honest, upright household, not wild beasts drinking blood and eating flesh. No matter how much money, our family doesn’t want it anymore.”

“Ye’er, our family not wanting that blood and sweat silver is a small matter—not wanting it, we won’t want it. But will doing this make the Empress lose face?” Grandmother didn’t know how long she’d been listening outside. Hearing Yun Ye make his decision, this time she spoke up to ask if doing this was appropriate.

“Grandmother, I can’t consider so much. Our family’s silver is all clean silver, not tainted with the slightest trace of blood. If this matter of earning blood and sweat silver spreads, the Yun family’s accumulated reputation over these years will be finished. Your grandson will enter the palace tomorrow and have a good talk with the Empress about this matter. If it cannot be changed, your grandson will immediately gift all shares to the Empress. Our family will never touch these industries again.”

“The day after tomorrow I’ll summon all the stewards and establish these matters as permanent precedent. No one may violate them. Whoever violates them, at minimum will be expelled from the family. For serious cases, I may invoke family law. The younger sisters must also attend tomorrow. Blood and sweat silver—not only will the Yun family not touch it, even after they marry in the future, they cannot touch it. Whoever touches it, I’ll immediately sever kinship—absolutely no mercy!”

Grandmother knew Yun Ye was angry. She hadn’t expected Yun Ye to be this angry. He doted on his several younger sisters to his very bones. Now speaking such words showed just how much he hated the official practices.

The family head had made his decision. Even Old Madam couldn’t override it. Even if it was wrong, Grandmother would firmly stand on Yun Ye’s side. Tonight she must call over all the household women to admonish them. This was her grandson’s bottom line—it must not be touched.

Yun Ye had once entered a blood and sweat factory. With his own eyes he watched as a coworker’s palm was crushed into meat paste by machinery, yet he was powerless to rescue him. The factory had virtually no safety measures yet required over ten hours of work daily. When accidents happened, the black-hearted boss with one phrase—”violation of regulations”—pushed away all responsibility completely. Watching the injured being carried away, their heart-rending wails, yet no one paid attention—Yun Ye turned around and handed his resignation letter to the boss. That time, of the factory’s four hundred-plus people, fully more than half left.

Distant mountains like painted eyebrows, bright moon like a hook—those departed past events appeared vividly before his eyes again. I am grassroots, always have been. Previously trampled by others, how is now any different? Before it was only the flesh suffering—now what suffers is far more than just flesh. People still need a bit of self-abusive spirit. Only through self-abuse can one burst forth with even more powerful strength.

Strictly observing the duty of being human—this was a precept Yun Ye set for himself in the Great Tang. Life had already begun anew—what matter couldn’t begin anew? In the past life, weak and incompetent—Yun Ye absolutely would not allow it to spread to this life. Like throwing stranded fish back into the sea from the beach—throw back one at a time. Matters that abuse and injure human life—stop them when possible.

Yun Ye wandered the rear garden for a long time. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sleep—he’d slept too much during the day and couldn’t sleep now. This matter of suffering—once is enough. If one suffered continuously, that would make one a gadfly-type figure—wouldn’t come to a good end.

Xinyue walked over with two maids. One maid still held a wooden tray. On the tray were several small dishes, a pot of wine. A wife is still best—just now he’d been anxiously scratching at his mouth, and now someone sent food over.

A plate of home-style tofu, a plate of cold mixed shepherd’s purse, several small fish fried crispy and dry, plus a plate of beef obtained from who knows where—Yun Ye was very satisfied. Rubbing his hands, he sat down at the stone table. Xinyue shooed him up again, spread a cushion on the stone stool, only then allowing him to sit. The lantern hung in the pavilion. Chasing away the maids, the small pavilion immediately became the world of husband and wife alone.

“Husband, don’t be angry. There are no clean matters in the imperial court. Our family just lives our family’s life. Out of sight, out of mind. You expect those fools to accomplish things to your satisfaction? Our family isn’t a small household that wants every bit of money. Grandmother told us the whole story tonight. Several younger sisters were all frightened. One by one they swore oaths saying they wouldn’t do immoral things. Just manage our family well—outside matters our family should mind less.”

Speaking thus, she poured wine for Yun Ye. Seeing Yun Ye drink, she poured another cup and continued: “You eat, you drink, listen to this concubine chat idly with you—it’ll ease your thoughts too. Every day laboring over government affairs, you don’t even care for home. Husband is mine—why should he constantly be vexed by disgusting matters?”

“You’re a wealthy person, born with a young master’s fate. I heard from Aunts—you were born when our family was at its most unlucky. Mother, to fight for your life, just after giving birth, rushed out the door holding you. Mother passed away, but you were taken away by the old immortal. The days you lived were even better than a rich family’s young master—you haven’t suffered a single day of hardship.”

“This means the Heavens don’t want you to suffer. Think of Mother, think of Father-in-law and them—weren’t they all risking their lives to make things better for you? So you should just lie comfortably at home, not think about those sordid matters. This concubine will attend you and enjoy blessings—that’s good.”

Hearing Xinyue’s nonsensical comforting words, Yun Ye didn’t know how to respond. Between tears and laughter, he pulled Xinyue into his embrace in one motion. Xinyue was startled, pounded on Yun Ye’s shoulder twice, then giggled and lay in his arms without moving.

The body temperature of young men and women runs high. In summer it’s also stifling hot. The two people pressed together soon broke out in sweat all over. Xinyue’s bodice was half-undone, revealing most of her soft bosom. A pot of wine between two people was quickly drunk clean. Xinyue’s alcohol tolerance was poor. Hugging Yun Ye’s neck, she had him smell the new perfume she’d just applied…