Today, Feng Wenluan didn’t go to the Ministry of Revenue to report for duty. He remained at the Feng family’s main residence waiting for his eldest son, Feng Liao, to drag Feng Yi and Kong Xirong back.

Kong Xirong was Feng Wenluan’s nephew, and moreover, he was always led around by the nose by Feng Yi in everything. Feng Wenluan found it inconvenient to reprimand him harshly. But the way he stared at his third son, Feng Yi, his eyes practically wanted to skin him alive and devour him raw.

“The Han father and son harbor wolfish ambitions—how many wits do you have for them to toy with?” Feng Wenluan berated him furiously. “Do you think I’m not angry enough at you all, or did I never warn you from the very beginning?”

“You never specifically said to stay away from Han Qian. Besides, who can be certain the Third Prince definitely won’t succeed?” Feng Yi muttered quietly.

“What did you say?” Feng Wenluan was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead. The cane he’d been holding for ages without putting to use came crashing down on Feng Yi’s head and face. “You still think Han Qian giving you the position of revenue collector is some damned good appointment?”

Feng Yi was beaten until he howled in pain, scurrying wildly around the room, not forgetting to cry out to the outer room for help: “I’m going to be beaten to death! Going to be beaten to death! Mother, save me!”

“You all grab this little beast—today I’ll just beat this little beast to death!” Feng Wenluan instructed several household guards, deciding to give Feng Yi a harsh lesson today to prevent him from causing greater disaster.

“Yi’er isn’t the Feng family’s only seedling anyway. If you want to beat him to death, just do it. I don’t have many years left to live either. If I’m angered to death today, it’s my just desserts. Who told Yi’er to be raised and protected by me since childhood? Whatever wrongs he’s committed, I must bear them for him!” At that moment, heart-wrenching wailing came from the outer room. “Don’t any of you stop me—just let me bash my head to death and be done with it!”

Feng Wenluan’s raised cane somehow couldn’t bring itself to strike down harshly. In the end, he resentfully threw the cane aside and ordered those around him: “Drag this unfilial son out and lock him up—send someone to the Third Prince’s side to say this unfilial son has fallen seriously ill and needs to recuperate for several months.”

After the household guards helped Feng Yi out, more crying and wailing sounds came from the outer room. Feng Wenluan’s heart grew restless and irritated listening to it.

At that moment, a rather refined middle-aged woman walked in. Seeing Kong Xirong still sitting there, she glared at him and snapped: “Why haven’t you gotten out yet?”

Kong Xirong ultimately hadn’t dared to truthfully reveal everything about Chun Niang and the other matters. When his mother scolded him, he obediently walked out as well.

“Elder Brother, in my opinion, you should also learn from Han Daoxun and quickly find an opportunity to take office in the localities,” the middle-aged beautiful woman said. “His Majesty doesn’t trust the Xu clan but cannot move against them. If this drags on, who knows when chaos might erupt in the court—and it could be great chaos. Right now, the Feng family, large and small, are all in Jinling city. It’s too passive. I can’t sleep soundly at night. If Elder Brother could take office in the localities, then in the future, regardless of which family gains power, the Feng family should be more useful in their eyes, and those remaining in the city could be safer.”

“Aunt’s words are very true, but I fear that acting rashly now would only provoke suspicion from Anning Palace,” Feng Liao said.

Back when Anning Palace interfered to have Feng Yi, Kong Xirong, Han Qian, and others selected as study companions for the Third Prince, besides these several wastrel young masters having terrible reputations, there was somewhat of a forced hand involved.

From Emperor Tianyou’s continuous weakening of veteran ministers’ authority these past years, Feng Wenluan suspected that Emperor Tianyou couldn’t possibly tolerate the situation of maternal relative Xu Mingzhen controlling heavy troops to support Crown Prince Yang Yuanwo’s ascension after his death. Han Daoxun’s performance of feigning madness and foolishness, causing a great disturbance at court when remonstrating to drive away famine refugees, only to receive Emperor Tianyou’s severe rebuke, further confirmed this point.

Both Feng Wenluan and Kong Zhou served at court. Even if they were inclined toward Anning Palace, they dared not reveal the slightest trace of it. Otherwise, they would become the first targets Emperor Tianyou would strike at. In contrast, officials in prefectures and counties had somewhat freer choices.

Therefore, for the Feng family, the best choice was to make no choice at all. Feng Wenluan had always specifically instructed Feng Yi and Kong Xirong to just eat, drink, and make merry beside the Third Prince. But who could have expected that the Han father and son would dig such an enormous pit, stirring the stagnant waters into such muddiness?

In over a year, Feng Yi and Kong Xirong hadn’t accomplished anything—they had merely maintained close relations with Han Qian. But just this alone was enough that they couldn’t wash themselves clean.

With the precedent set by the Han father and son, if he now sought ways to take office in the localities, what would Anning Palace think?

Feng Wenluan was extremely distressed. At that moment, another family member rushed in to report: “The Han residence has sent people over, saying there are eight hundred loads of tea leaves that our residence must receive. They also said it was agreed upon with the eldest young master, to be used to offset the four million coins of principal for the third young master and the nephew young master’s service as revenue collectors.”

“This scoundrel won’t be satisfied until he drags our entire Feng family into this muddy pit!” Feng Wenluan cursed furiously in exasperation.

Feng Liao’s expression also turned gloomy.

When he agreed on behalf of Feng Yi and Kong Xirong to undertake the position of revenue collectors for the Dragon Sparrow Army, he had merely thought they would contribute one or two million coins annually to the Marquis of Linjiang’s manor. The money and goods they privately offered as tribute to Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s side each year far exceeded this amount. Even if everything were eventually laid out for accounting, it couldn’t be considered much of a stain.

Feng Wenluan having Feng Liao lead people to intercept Feng Yi and Kong Xirong at Lanting Alley, as well as Feng Liao publicly agreeing to the terms Han Qian proposed, also carried the intention of proving their innocence.

However, frequent large-scale movement of goods and personnel—that was the most impossible entanglement to untangle or explain clearly.

But now that Han Qian had people directly deliver the eight hundred loads of tea, should they receive them or not?

And given the calculations and strategies of the Han father and son, if they refused the eight hundred loads of tea at their gates at this time, would the other side really back down?

“Whether it’s Ever-Normal Granary directorships or the revenue collectors established by the previous dynasty, official provision of principal is customary practice—there’s no way not to accept it,” Feng Liao furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment before saying to his father. “Moreover, when I led people this morning to intercept Feng Yi, others could also see that they intended to force these eight hundred loads of tea on us. If we accept them, it’s merely reluctant compliance.”

“Accept them for now!” Feng Wenluan said irritably, not expecting that at this point, he actually had no way to deal with this young upstart.

……

……

Fan Dahei led people to deliver the eight hundred loads of tea to the Feng residence, then led his men out of the city to rush to Taowu Market to meet up with Han Qian.

At that time, the Xuzhou fleet carrying polished rice, wheat, iron materials, homespun cloth, and other supplies had just docked at the wharf of the garrison military headquarters at Taowu Market. Over two hundred men were orderly carrying sacks of grain on their backs into the military headquarters’ great granary.

When Shen Yang first arrived at Taowu Market, he had only temporarily requisitioned the Zhang family’s large residence outside Qiuhu Mountain Villa to serve as the military headquarters office. After the new year, Han Qian suggested constructing fortifications—specifically, building a rammed earth wall around the outer perimeter of the military headquarters office first.

Now upon entering Taowu Market, one could see an earthen city measuring three to four hundred paces square standing at the foot of the southern slopes of Baohua Mountain.

A stream that couldn’t be called very wide flowed close along the western wall of the earthen city, merging into Chishan Lake five or six li away.

Following the stream upward led to Qiuhu Mountain Villa located in a valley on the southern slopes of Baohua Mountain—also the true core of the planned garrison military headquarters.

On the mountain ridges surrounding the villa, five watchtower compounds ranged from sixty to seventy paces to one hundred paces square in size. They perfectly controlled the gaps entering the valley, actually forming a relatively complete defensive system together with the office’s earthen city.

Once enemy situations arose, the Dragon Sparrow Army soldier-households and their dependents from the outer perimeter could all withdraw into Qiuhu Mountain Villa and its attached estates, which actually had a depth of three to four li, relying on the earthen city and five mountain ridge watchtowers to seal enemies outside.

The garrison settlements outside the military headquarters’ earthen city had protective walls of rammed earth only two chi thick—very flimsy—and also merely over one zhang high. They could guard against thieves and bandits but were insufficient to resist powerful enemies.

Moreover, the twenty-five garrison settlements were built along the lake in a narrow elongated distribution, easily allowing powerful enemies to thrust directly through from Chishan Lake.

Fan Dahei walked over and heard Han Qian discussing with the Third Prince, Chief Administrator Shen Yang, and others about rushing to cover this rammed earth wall around the military headquarters’ outer perimeter with city bricks before year’s end.

Fan Dahei’s heart filled with dismay.

Although the protective walls of the five watchtower compounds totaled fifteen to sixteen hundred paces in length combined, roughly equivalent to the circumference of the military headquarters’ city wall, the watchtower walls themselves were built on险要 terrain—one zhang high was sufficient.

But the military headquarters city wall not only needed to be built two zhang five chi high, both inner and outer sides also needed to be covered with city bricks. The quantity of bricks consumed alone would be five times as much. Furthermore, the consumption of glutinous rice-lime mortar would simultaneously also be five times or more.

Although they mined coal in the back mountain, and burning coal to make bricks saved nearly half the labor compared to burning firewood, previously rushing to complete the five watchtower compounds and the earthen city in four months’ time had already been their limit. With less than three months remaining before year’s end, how could they fire seven to eight hundred thousand city bricks?

Seeing Han Qian pause his conversation with the Third Prince, Fan Dahei walked over to report that the tea had been delivered to the Feng residence, but added with some concern: “The Feng family accepted all the tea leaves, but they haven’t mentioned settlement at all. I’m afraid it will be difficult to address the urgent need?”

The fleet had already entered Taowu Market. As far as the goods escorted by the four surnames were concerned, they had reached their destination. Their side couldn’t delay for several days—they would need to settle the accounts.

Although the garrison military headquarters consumed sixty to seventy million coins annually, seeing Shen Yang and Zhou Yuan’s troubled expressions, Fan Dahei estimated they couldn’t raise four to five million coins in a short time.

“That’s easy. The money the Feng family owes us—they surely wouldn’t dare default on it. In the next couple of days, first find out clearly what goods the Feng family’s warehouses have. When Feng Zhang and the others return, they’ll also need to purchase raw silk, cotton, silk cloth, paper and inkstones, and other products from Jinling to transport back. At that time, just go directly to the Feng family warehouses to extract goods of equivalent value to offset the debt,” Han Qian said. “If they’re unwilling then, I’ll drag His Highness along to personally collect the debt.”

“Ah?” Fan Dahei was slightly stunned, not expecting the young master’s plan was actually bartering goods for goods. Calculated this way, the Left Transport Office on this ship run could still retain medicinal materials and other goods worth roughly over two million coins.

“What matter?” Yang Yuanpu had been talking with Shen Yang ahead. Hearing Han Qian mention him, he stopped to ask.

Han Qian stepped forward with a smile, saying he wanted to drag him along to collect debts. But turning his head and seeing Fan Dahei standing in the back, chatting and laughing with Zhou Yuan, his brow furrowed slightly. However, he was leaving Fan Dahei in Jinling to be responsible for the investigation office and workshop, so having close contact with Works Section Adjutant Zhou Yuan was actually normal. He didn’t think much more of it.

Yang Yuanpu had unknowingly been deeply influenced by Han Qian. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with Han Qian using such methods. But hearing this, Shen Yang and the others couldn’t help shaking their heads with bitter smiles.