His head hurt—his head hurt tremendously. His throat felt like it was on fire. His brain matter had completely separated from his scalp. He wanted to open his eyes but was powerless to do so. What was Xinyue doing? If she didn’t give him water soon, he would die of thirst.

His nose worked hard to sniff. Nearby was the scent of citrus. No wonder—the one nursing him was Xiao Miao. This girl loved citrus most, so when scenting her clothes she also used citrus peel.

Why did Xinyue have Xiao Miao come serve him? This was someone who could mount a horse and go to battle. Expecting her to nurse people was simply wishful thinking. Na Rimu would be one thing, though rough around the edges. At a time like this, Lingdang should come instead.

To prevent himself from dying of thirst, Yun Ye used all his strength to open his eyes. His whole body felt as if trampled by horses, not obeying his commands. With great difficulty he turned his head and saw Xiao Miao sitting at the bedside holding a Five Poisons vest, examining it. This was prepared for the unborn child. For a woman about to become a mother to transfer her attention to the child in her womb was not strange at all.

“Water, water…” Yun Ye called out in a low voice.

Xiao Miao glanced at her husband, put down the vest in her hands, raised her hand to grab the nearby teapot, stuffed the spout into Yun Ye’s mouth, and fed him water as if watering flowers.

Normally Yun Ye would find this distasteful, but today he let it pass. This method was just right. The tea was ice-cold, most refreshing and clarifying to the mind. After drinking a pot of tea, the burning heat throughout his body disappeared by more than half. He felt even his body temperature had dropped.

Xiao Miao shook the teapot. Seeing there was no more water in it, she placed the teapot on the table. With one hand supporting her husband’s back, she easily helped him sit up and placed two hard pillows behind him as a backrest.

Before Yun Ye could speak, Xiao Miao impatiently waved that Five Poisons vest before his eyes, saying proudly: “Look, this is a Five Poisons vest this concubine sewed herself. The toad pattern was the hardest to manage—so colorful. This concubine searched through many fabrics in the storeroom before gathering all the colors. Does it look good?”

Yun Ye tried hard not to think about those ruined fabrics. As long as Xiao Miao was happy, that was good. He smiled and nodded. They were all his own wives. Though somewhat clumsy, since he had already married her into the family, he should shut his mouth and endure it. Good or bad, it was all his own choice. There was no reason to blame others. Since he had coveted Xiao Miao’s superior martial skills back then, he shouldn’t expect her to be gentle and agreeable.

Having received her husband’s praise, Xiao Miao was very happy, constantly holding the vest up against Yun Ye’s body to measure, as if she could truly give birth to such a large child.

“This concubine knows the child will definitely resemble you, so I made this for the child after shrinking your measurements considerably.” Xiao Miao’s eyes curved with laughter, very beautiful, causing Yun Ye’s mood to immediately improve as well.

Placing his hand on Xiao Miao’s belly, he could clearly feel the child moving. In another month this child would be born. Yun Ye very much hoped to give this child a different world.

After accepting Xiao Miao’s vigorous massage, Yun Ye finally stood up. Though it was already late, he still wanted to see whether Dugu Mou had gotten up earlier than himself.

“That person was dragged back by his household warriors in a carriage. Just after collapsing, the maids changed his clothes and he was dragged away without stopping for even a moment. At noon, elder sister was still cursing, saying could it be that our Yun household can’t serve a single Marquis of Yunzhong?”

The alcohol effects still hadn’t dissipated. Yun Ye very much wanted to sort through the morning’s events again, but the more he thought, the more confused his mind became. In the end, his head started hurting again.

One tax in thirteen and flaying and stuffing with grass!

On one hand was a lenient tax rate, on the other a terrifying blade hanging high. The empire’s regulatory control over merchants had actually become greater. From ancient times to the present, the impression merchants left on people was truly too terrible. Whether Lu Buwei or Fan Li, both had investment mentality too strong, which was why they were viewed warily by the world.

And although Guan Zhong’s reforms made Qi prosperous for a time, they were also the root cause of Qi making no progress for two hundred years. Such circumstances objectively existed, so they were also feared by scholars and emperors.

That Li Er could let merchants have free rein was already commendable. Since the matter of the Commercial Code had been settled, the Emperor’s return to the capital should be soon.

Heavy snow had fallen all day. Everywhere was wrapped in silver. By evening, the moon had emerged. The earth was filled with light. Silver moonlight shone on white snow, so the entire world became silver. Only that vast black canopy overhead gave one the feeling of being in a world of stark black and white.

Yun Ye lost his sleepiness. Standing under the eaves, his entire person was immersed in the clear moon’s cold radiance. On a distant rooftop, Wu She was like a statue, sitting cross-legged on the roof. Who knew what he had comprehended from the moonlight? For a long time now, he hadn’t moved at all.

This wouldn’t do. For such an elderly person to remain motionless in the cold for so long—this would freeze him. Yun Ye hurried forward a few steps, came to the garden, and called out loudly twice. Wu She suddenly stood up and jumped down from the roof like a great bird. Watching made Yun Ye’s teeth ache. He prayed that when he reached this age, he would still have such vitality.

Shaking off the cold frost on his body, Wu She’s beard and hair were all adorned with ice pearls, yet his entire face was as rosy as an infant’s. He had become a monster. Wu She glanced at Yun Ye and said: “In the future, don’t call out when I’m entering meditation. It’s very easy for problems to occur.”

“Entering meditation? Zen meditation?”

“Perhaps. But that mysterious feeling cannot be explained to outsiders. However, what you said seems correct—when cultivation reaches profound depths, it’s either death or becoming the stone you spoke of in earlier years.”

After speaking, he looked at Yun Ye again and said: “Your mind is very unstable. You’ve been a high official for many years now. What matter can make you unable to eat or sleep peacefully? If people need killing, just tell me. This old man still has that much strength.”

“No killing, no killing. Today I already agreed with Dugu Mou not to kill people.”

“Foolish! Court winds and clouds surge intensely. Everyone’s mouth doesn’t match their heart. What you must do is bring out all your strength to struggle with others. Whoever holds back, whoever maintains a benevolent heart, will be defeated all the faster. I’ve lived in the Yun household all these years. This residence has already become my home. So sometimes, without you saying anything, I will also do some things I should do.”

After Wu She finished speaking, he left Yun Ye, still huffing with anger. The old fellow was already very bored from idleness. When people compete for power and profit, there’s always assassinations and stealing secrets. When he first came to the Yun household, it was agreed he was here to retire. As a result, he really did retire at the Yun household. This was something the proud Wu She absolutely could not accept.

Walking to Wu She’s courtyard, he heard Liu Fang, already so old he was nearly at his last gasp, wheezing as he admonished Wu She: “Just settle down for a while. I don’t have many days left to live. I just want to eat and drink quietly, then kick my legs out and finish this lifetime. Then you burn me, take the ashes to my grandson who’s an official in Jiangxi South Circuit to enshrine, and everything will be fine.”

“The family head is simply not someone who can employ death warriors. His word also counts. You should properly study how to live longer. Giving up comfortable days, you insist on finding trouble for yourself, don’t you? He’s already arranged everything. Your interference will only add chaos. I think this kind of struggle is quite good—at least it won’t create too great waves.”

Yun Ye crossed the threshold and sat between the two old men, saying sincerely: “You two are both treasures of the Yun family. As long as you two are alive, it’s the Yun family’s blessing. In early years, you two accompanied me to kill in Liaodong, later followed me to the great marshes of Yue Prefecture, the Western Region deserts. Your meritorious service and hard work are insufficient to repay your kindness. Now that we’re older, let’s live steadily together and not think of other things. Dugu Mou and I already have an agreement—no bloodshed. Great Tang has already shed enough blood.”

“You’re binding your own hands and feet. Say no more—such a stubborn fellow! This old man grew up in the deep palace and never found a single clean person. If you want someone clean, you can only look in the cemetery.”

Liu Fang also nodded and said: “Unrealistic. You cannot limit yourself to this vicious circle. Rather than relying on people’s hearts, rely on military force. People’s hearts are too greedy. Military force can suppress greed. Dugu Mou is building momentum for himself. He’s preparing to join the power struggle. You must be careful. The old affair of Zhao Jianzi cannot be repeated. How powerful the Zhi family was back then, but when the three families divided Jin, not one of Han, Zhao, or Wei belonged to the Zhi family.”

“The Yun family has no plans to divide Great Tang!”

“The Zhi family also had no plans to divide the Jin state!”

After being scorned by the two old men, he was driven out. Liu Fang secretly helped him, but when it came to the surface, he became one with Wu She, extremely skilled at playing both sides.

After thinking for a long time, Yun Ye felt he should still seek Dan Ying’s help. This fellow was now called the Great Magnate of Heluo. The Dugu family might be able to manage Hu County so tightly not even water could leak through, but surely Dan Ying should have a way to enter Hu County?

Last year at the venerable ancestor’s birthday, he had asked Dan Ying what his capabilities were now. Dan Ying said taking Li Er’s head wouldn’t be too difficult. This fellow never spoke false words—this was probably true.

He wrote a letter, still in pinyin script that Daya could read, entreating Dan Ying to help him watch Dugu Mou. Liu Fang spoke correctly—one should not harbor intentions to harm others, but must guard against being harmed. With Dan Ying watching Dugu Mou, he didn’t believe he could still play any tricks.

Having gotten up, he was unwilling to sleep again. Everywhere was freezing cold. From the windowsill he took two persimmons frozen hard as stones, knocked them together a couple times to remove the frost on top. Holding one in each hand, he entered the bedroom, preparing to read while roasting the persimmons over the fire until melted before eating them. For someone awakened from drunkenness, eating something cold was always good. However, before that, he should at least roast a flatbread to fill his stomach. Eating persimmons on an empty stomach easily caused problems.

When reading, having a beautiful companion naturally was quite nice, but when this beautiful companion endlessly nagged, it became annoying. Not only that, she tricked him into eating one of his persimmons. So, to let his ears have some peace, Yun Ye stood up and pushed Xinyue out of the study, picked up that copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals again, and began reading.