Chapter 75#
Living in the comfortable surroundings of the government office, Wen Zhuo’s rest improved significantly, and his back no longer ached from the hard bedboard.
But there was one thing that wasn’t good at all—this government office had too many rooms, and he could no longer sleep foot-to-foot with Shen Zheng.
When he woke in the morning, Wen Zhuo instinctively reached out to touch the side beside him. His hand met empty space, failing to find Shen Zheng’s warm, solid chest. He immediately opened his eyes.
He half-propped himself up, gazing at the empty space on the wide bed, dazed for a long while, before throwing back the covers and getting out of bed, calling out in a raised voice for someone to bring water.
For a moment, he truly felt unaccustomed to it.
Once they returned to the capital, what would he do then?
The door creaked open, and someone entered carrying a copper basin.
Wen Zhuo’s eyes widened. “Why you?”
Shen Zheng placed the copper basin steadily on the iron rack, a smile curling at the corners of his lips. “Why can’t it be me?”
Wen Zhuo composed his expression, adopting a stern demeanor to admonish him. “How can I let Your Highness personally—”
Shen Zheng raised an eyebrow. “And what about when the teacher burrows into His Highness’s arms? When he stealthily slips his cold hands into His Highness’s sleeves to warm them? When he steals a kiss while His Highness is fast asleep?”
A series of pointed questions struck home, blocking Wen Zhuo’s grand lecture about the proper distinction between ruler and subject.
So he even knew about the sleeve-warming to warm his hands! And even that matter of the stolen kiss…
Wen Zhuo felt his teacher’s dignity wavering precariously. Hastily, he gathered his robes and turned away, hiding his flushed face behind his hand, tossing out a line about “the teacher suddenly feeling weary and needing to rest a while longer,” before making to burrow back under the covers.
Shen Zheng caught him around the waist. With a slight exertion of strength, he lifted Wen Zhuo horizontally, holding him steadily in both arms, taking in the reddened side of his face and the burning tips of his ears with perfect clarity.
Wen Zhuo’s feet suddenly left the ground. Startled, he instinctively wrapped his arms around Shen Zheng’s neck. By the time he steadied himself, his hair was slightly mussed, and he was nestled in the crook of Shen Zheng’s arm.
Wen Zhuo’s breath caught. He felt utterly like those dissolute young men from the capital, curled up in another man’s embrace, letting others witness his flustered yet secretly delighted expression, with nowhere to hide.
In his previous life, he had never had a good reputation. In this life… it seemed his reputation was also in dire straits.
“To be held by me like this, is that still considered improper?” Shen Zheng asked, looking down.
Wen Zhuo clutched his lapels. “…Naturally.”
“Then let it be improper.” Shen Zheng’s tone was calm, and he actually carried Wen Zhuo over to the bronze mirror, forcing him to look at his reflection. “I tossed and turned all night last night. Did teacher sleep well?”
Wen Zhuo dared not look at himself in the mirror. He quickly buried his face against Shen Zheng’s shoulder, his ears burning as he said, “Of course your teacher slept well.”
“I missed you so much, but couldn’t hold you. I endured it all night.” Shen Zheng lowered his head, gently inhaling the scent of Wen Zhuo’s jade-like neck, his voice deep and hoarse.
“…”
Wen Zhuo felt he was being stubborn, and his answer had been too hasty. He had missed him too, plainly, but he insisted on putting on a stern and serious front in front of Shen Zheng.
His heart softening slightly, he raised a hand and gently stroked Shen Zheng’s hair.
Shen Zheng nuzzled against his neck, soaking in the faint medicinal fragrance for a while, before finally setting him down. His smile fading into a serious expression, he said, “Business now. Huang Ting transferred a team of disaster relief veterans from Jingjing. They arrived this morning, waiting for your orders.”
“Oh?” Wen Zhuo’s spirits lifted, but he quickly pressed further. “Is the situation there any better now? There are many places that need manpower.”
Shen Zheng said, “Since he could spare the people, it means things are manageable there. And these officials and constables in Mianzhou really do need someone to lead them.”
Wen Zhuo nodded. After hurriedly washing up, tying his hair, and straightening his robes, he stepped out of the room side by side with Shen Zheng.
No sooner had they stepped out the door, before even seeing the relief troops, than an official came stumbling over, kneeling to report: “Lord Wen! Wen Yingjing and Wen Ze have arrived with their family assets—several large carts’ worth—and all the city’s citizens have seen them.”
Hearing this, Wen Zhuo let out a cold laugh.
He knew it. Even at death’s door, Wen Yingjing would put on a grand, righteous show to win a good reputation and use the people’s support as his own protective charm.
“Let’s go, let’s have a look.”
All the constables had been dispatched to work, and there were no court cases at the moment. The front hall of the yamen stood empty. The thick morning mist, touched by the sunlight, dissipated like little demons fleeing in all directions.
When Wen Ze used to enter the Mianzhou yamen, wasn’t he always greeted by smiling faces and respectfully invited in?
He and Lou Changsui called each other brothers, conspiring secretly on great matters. Calling the yamen his second home wouldn’t be an overstatement.
Naturally, Lou Changsui’s smiling face was bought with Wen family’s real gold and silver. But as the saying goes, when one man attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Which official, from top to bottom, hadn’t benefited from the Wen family’s generosity?
But now, quick to change with the wind, seeing him and his father arrive, these constables all put on their official airs, assuming a strictly businesslike manner. They puffed out their chests, pulled long faces, and recited stiffly: “The two of you, the Governor-General requests your presence.”
Wen Ze was so furious his back teeth ached. He wanted to slap them all and make these snobs recognize his status!
But catching sight of Wen Zhuo’s vibrant crimson official robe in the distance, his legs instantly went weak. He could only forcefully suppress his anger and walk in with lowered eyes.
Wen Yingjing strode in grandly, carrying himself with a semblance of dignity. His eyelids were slightly relaxed, his gaze neither provocatively fixed on Wen Zhuo nor humbly glued to the floor. He simply cupped his hands in greeting: “To seek the welfare of the people and rescue them from dire straits is the inherent duty of our station. In ancient times, when the State of Song encountered a locust plague in Tao Yi, Fan Li acted with great righteousness, opening granaries to relieve the victims and funding the people to resume production. Thus it is said: gathering wealth is not as good as distributing wealth, distributing wealth is not as good as transmitting the Way, and transmitting the Way is not as good as achieving selflessness. I am unworthy, but I always take Lord Fan as my inspiration. Today, I am willing to donate all my family assets to help Mianzhou survive this tribulation!”
His tone made it sound as if he were the one volunteering to donate his family fortune for disaster relief.
Wen Zhuo knew he was putting on a show, and Wen Yingjing also knew that Wen Zhuo knew he was putting on a show. Yet he still insisted on uttering these sanctimonious words, simply trying to rile Wen Zhuo up.
Wen Zhuo lifted his eyes to sweep over the seemingly endless line of chests, his tone casual, carrying a hint of disappointment: “So this is the total wealth the Wen family has amassed over the past ten years?”
Wen Yingjing: “Indeed it is.”
Wen Zhuo: “Doesn’t look like much. Truly disappointing for this governor.”
Wen Yingjing gave a tight-lipped smile, responding, “I have always acted with integrity and worked diligently. Though profits are meager, I earn them honestly and sleep soundly.”
Wen Ze, listening from the side, felt boundless admiration for his father.
The more dire the situation, the more one must remain calm and composed, neither impetuous nor angry, to avoid losing one’s composure and revealing a weakness.
Wen Zhuo neither argued with him nor bothered to press further. He simply raised his hand and called for someone: “Liu Qiying, take inventory of these assets. You will be responsible for settling the grain merchants’ vouchers later.”
“Yes!” Liu Qiying acknowledged. As she left, her gaze cut towards Wen Ze like a cold blade, as if, were it not for the laws of the Great Qian, she would skin him alive right then and there.
Back when she had fled to Bozhou and was taken under Wen Zhuo’s protection, she had finally been spared a life on the run.
But the shameful brand burned onto her chest by Cao Fangzheng clung to her like a relentless disease, impossible to erase.
Though she possessed a resilient nature and immense endurance, she was, after all, only a sixteen-year-old girl. The scar robbed her of sleep at night and bred hatred in her heart.
Once, steeling herself, she had grabbed a short knife to cut out that piece of flesh, but her hand slipped, nearly costing her life.
When Wen Zhuo found out, he sat by her bedside. Holding a cup of Songluo tea, he took a sip and asked blandly, “Why seek death?”
Liu Qiying closed her eyes weakly, her voice filled with resentment: “I wasn’t seeking death! I just wanted to cut out this shame!”
Wen Zhuo looked at her stubborn, pale face and said slowly, “Cut out the brand, leave a bloody hole. What’s the difference?”
Liu Qiying bit her lip, stubbornly insisting, “There is a difference.”
“It’s just a mark. If you see it as an embroidered flower, it becomes an embroidered flower. If you see it as shame, it will forever be shame.” Wen Zhuo’s tone was light and casual, as if even his attempt at comfort seemed half-hearted.
Liu Qiying raised her hand to cover her eyes, hot tears streaming through her fingers. “How could you, milord, possibly understand my situation!”
Wen Zhuo looked at her quietly, then said, “I understand.”
It was then that Liu Qiying learned Wen Zhuo’s secret.
She learned the origin of that cruel and shameful burn scar, learned that Wen Zhuo had also walked the path of blaming himself, hurting himself, and ultimately forgiving himself.
He wasn’t incapable of empathy; he was simply tougher than anyone else, like an immortal weed that refuses to wither even in the harshest winter.
The look Wen Ze received sent a chill down his spine, his heart full of confusion. When had he ever offended a maid in Wen Zhuo’s service?
After Liu Qiying withdrew, Wen Zhuo paid no further attention to the father and son. He turned instead to a constable and asked, “Has Patrol Inspector Song returned?”
“I’ll go check right away!” The constable turned and hurried out.
Wen Yingjing cupped his hands once more, seeking an opportunity to take his leave: “If the Governor-General has no other business, then I shall—”
But Wen Zhuo acted as if he hadn’t heard, simply getting up and walking behind the screen.
Wen Yingjing: “…”
Once behind the screen, Wen Zhuo said in a low voice, “Let them proceed with the relief work first. Your Highness, come with me to inspect the farmland in this area. I want to see just how much of the grain fields these incense merchants have occupied.”
Shen Zheng nodded, taking the opportunity to slip him a piece of sweet rice cake. “Alright.”
Wen Zhuo realized that Shen Zheng was becoming increasingly adept at these little intimate gestures. He nibbled on the cake, his eyes curving happily as he hid his mouth behind his sleeve, silently reminding himself to be more restrained next time.
Shen Zheng suddenly said, “Should we try to confirm whether Wen Yingjing has turned over everything?”
Wen Zhuo replied, “No need to confirm. I’m certain he hasn’t turned over everything.”
Shen Zheng was slightly taken aback. “You know?”
“I know him too well. This man won’t shed tears until he sees the coffin.” As he spoke, Wen Zhuo extended a hand from his sleeve, palm open, and gently weighed it up and down.
Shen Zheng glanced down and smiled, stuffing another piece of sweet rice cake into his palm.
But Shen Zheng vaguely felt that Wen Zhuo seemed almost eager for Wen Yingjing to be dishonest and hide some assets.
Without Wen Zhuo’s permission, Wen Yingjing and Wen Ze were left to wait awkwardly in the front hall.
This place, also called the main hall, was where Lou Changsui held public court. Hanging directly above was a plaque inscribed with the words “Bright Mirror Hanging High.” In the past, it hadn’t seemed particularly noteworthy, but today it looked glaringly out of place.
Before long, Patrol Inspector Song hurried back, holding up his official robe with a saber at his waist. He had no time for even a word of greeting with Wen Yingjing, his tone brimming with joy: “Governor-General! Thirteen grain ships arrived at Mianzhou Port today, fully loaded with five thousand shi of grain! They heard Mianzhou was buying grain at high prices and came specially. They’re waiting for you and the Fifth Prince to set the price!”
This was also thanks to Shen Zheng’s reputation as the Go Sage spreading far and wide, coupled with his status as a prince acting as a guarantor, which added to the merchants’ trust. So after Huang Ting’s efforts in promoting the plan in Jingjing, quite a number of grain merchants were willing to come and take a gamble.
The moment Wen Yingjing and Wen Ze heard this, their faces changed drastically.
Five thousand shi? Today?! How was that possible?
Wen Zhuo’s grain purchasing news had clearly only been announced at the incense fair. How could these grain merchants have such timely information and arrive so quickly?
“Father!” Wen Ze whispered, a note of panic already creeping into his voice.
Wen Yingjing remained silent, but his expression was exceedingly grim. In this slightly chilly day, cold sweat had even broken out on his temples.
He understood what Wen Zhuo was planning! If today these five thousand shi of grain were all purchased by Wen Zhuo at prices far above the market rate, then even more grain merchants would flock here upon hearing the news.
Once the news spread, it would be impossible to suppress. Eventually, the supply of grain would exceed demand, and prices would plummet to the level of cabbages.
Then, Wen Zhuo would only need to set up a checkpoint to make the merchants’ return journey difficult, allowing him to ruthlessly drive prices down, buy up grain in massive quantities, recoup all his initial investment, and even turn a substantial profit.
This move was unbeatable. At this point, the merchants, driven by greed, had no choice. Everyone thought they wouldn’t be the unlucky one left holding the bag, and would instead swarm towards the most profitable opportunity, ultimately finding themselves in a position of mutual ruin.
But the one thing Wen Yingjing couldn’t figure out was the timing!
Just when had Wen Zhuo started planning all this? Could it be that the Wen family had already been fish in his net?!
His heart trembled with fear, seized by a powerful sense of unease.
At that very moment, Wen Zhuo walked slowly out from behind the screen. “Excellent! Pass my order. Today’s grain price is five taels per shi. For any high-quality grain that passes inspection, this governor will purchase every single one and pay on the spot, no delays!”
“Under your command!” Patrol Inspector Song turned and went to deliver the order.
Before the locust plague, the grain price in Mianzhou was not even 1,200 coppers per shi. Wen Zhuo was offering five taels per shi!
Wen Ze felt his chest churn with anger and blood. “It’s not his money, so he doesn’t care about spending it!”
Wen Zhuo slowly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the father and son. “Why are you two still here?”
“Five taels, you—” Wen Ze, enraged and impulsive, had just blurted out three words when his wrist was firmly grabbed by his father.
Wen Yingjing’s face was somber and stern. Without a word, he slowly backed out of the hall.
The moment they stepped out of the yamen’s main gate, Wen Ze shook off his father’s hand and cried out frantically, “Father! He actually has grain to buy?”
Wen Yingjing looked up at the vultures circling and screeching in the sky, murmuring to himself, “This move is ruthless, but it has one fatal flaw. If Wen Zhuo doesn’t have enough silver reserves to last until the grain run collapses, he’ll lose everything.”
“Then that’s good… that’s good!” Wen Ze patted his chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
But Wen Yingjing’s brow did not relax.
He had been so certain that Wen Zhuo had no grain to buy, that even if he had money, he couldn’t spend it. But now, grain ships were arriving in droves, while his silver was finite. What would happen if one day Wen Zhuo’s coffers ran dry?
Would Wen Zhuo show mercy for Yingniang’s sake and spare half of the family assets?
Wen Yingjing suddenly realized how foolish it was to pin his hopes for a comeback on someone else’s whim.
On this day, the Mianzhou yamen spent a vast sum to purchase 4,900 shi of grain. The grain ships didn’t even enter the city; they were directly routed by sea and shipped to various coastal townships and counties.
On the morning of the fifth day after Wen Zhuo announced the relief effort, the common people finally drank their first bowl of hot, thick congee with plump grains in half a year.
The desperate refugees, barely clinging to life, trembled as they held their coarse porcelain bowls. Staring at the rising steam, breathing in the rich fragrance of rice, their clouded eyes gradually began to brighten.
They knew, at last, that they could survive.
Another day passed, and even more grain ships gathered at the port, bringing in 3,400 shi of grain. Wen Zhuo again gave the order, setting the price at five taels per shi.
The grain merchants made a killing, every one of them beaming with smiles. This grand, extravagant display of disaster relief shocked the surrounding regions. News sprouted wings, riding the wind to spread for miles around.
On this day, grain began to be transported to inland townships and counties far from the coast. Refugees who had received their congee wept in embraces with their families, scalding tears streaming into their bowls, mingling with the congee, giving birth to a bitter yet hopeful sweetness.
On the final day of the seven-day agreement, 4,300 shi of grain arrived at the port. This time, Wen Zhuo set the price at four taels per shi.
Four taels per shi was still a price far above the market rate. Though the grain merchants who arrived later regretted missing the best opportunity, they were still satisfied.
On the same day, the common people who were still risking their lives searching for ambergris along the sea cliffs also received the news. Half-believing, they turned back and returned home.
When they saw the steaming congee boiling in their pots and heard that all debts owed to the Wen family were cancelled, and that all the children from the cliffside caves would be returned to their families, everyone was moved to tears. They knelt on the ground, kowtowing in gratitude for this grace of being given a new lease on life.
In just three short days, Wen Zhuo had purchased 12,600 shi of grain, spending 58,700 taels of silver.
Liu Qiying hurried into the inner hall, clutching the account ledger. “Milord, we currently have 300 taels in vouchers yet to be redeemed. The remaining silver in the yamen is all but depleted. If we continue purchasing at this price, we won’t last two days. The moment we start making promises on credit, word will spread fastest among the merchants. In a few days, no more grain ships will come!”
Wen Zhuo was completely at ease, idly playing with an ink brush on the desk. He asked, “How many days has it been since the incense fair?”
Liu Qiying replied, “Today is the eighth day.”
“How many townships and counties have yet to be reached?”
“There are still seven. It’s not that we don’t have the grain, but these places have rugged mountain roads and we’re short on manpower. Transporting the grain requires taking long detours, so it’s taking more time.”
Wen Zhuo nodded. “How long can our current grain reserves sustain the congee distribution?”
“If we’re careful, it can last fifteen days. But if we could get just one more month, Mianzhou could make it through the coldest period. Then, people could start planting things in the ground, and they would truly have weathered the storm.”
“Since some townships and counties haven’t been reached, it means that this governor’s agreement with the people of Mianzhou has not been fulfilled.” Wen Zhuo’s tone was calm, but a flicker of coldness passed through his eyes. Fearing Shen Zheng, who stood beside him, might notice, he quickly suppressed it. With a stern air, he declared, “This governor cannot break his word to the people. Summon a squad of constables. You will accompany me personally to Liangping County to make an arrest!”