景翰 Eleventh Year, Second Month, Sixth Day, Bianliang.

Having shed the winter's chill, the capital city had begun to warm up. Verdant new leaves sprouted on the trees lining the streets, and a few birds chirped, occasionally flitting across the sky. It was morning, and the sun, hidden behind the unfolding clouds, generously showered its warmth. Inside the Ning Residence, Su Wending and others, having finished their breakfast, were leaving one after another.

These days, the members of the Su family each had their own responsibilities, and most were on the right track. Su Wending was in charge of the Su family's newly opened cloth shop in the capital. Being new to the area, the cloth shop hadn't yet gained a foothold, so for the time being, just opening it was enough, treating it as a practice run for him.

Su Wenfang managed the operations of the large compound outside the city, overseeing the daily life, meals, rewards, and punishments of the artisans and servants within. With Ning Yi still handling the overall strategy, his work was mostly routine.

Su Yanping's affairs were relatively more numerous, involving the production, transportation, and sales of new honeycomb briquettes and coal stoves. Both workshops were still small, and they were now intertwined with Zhuji, relying on Zhuji for survival. Ning Yi still handled the major deals, and he was in the learning phase, guarding what he had and slowly developing according to Ning Yi's instructions.

Having come all the way from the south, these were the closest members of the Su family. There was also Su Wenyu, who had now returned to Dulonggang to manage his labor camp. In addition, some of the Su family's managers, accountants, and even their available sons, who had come up with Su Tan'er, had now been assigned to various positions, starting their work and studies.

These Su family members, who had previously been relatively idle, were, in terms of talent and aptitude, quite ordinary. But the difference between people is actually not that great. As long as they have enough opportunities and guidance, managing affairs in a step-by-step manner is always possible. And with more experience, they will naturally become smarter and more shrewd. Compared to IQ, Ning Yi believed more in the experience gained through training.

Over the past few months, although none of the Su family members could be considered fully independent, they had all found ways to move forward and had developed a slightly more steady demeanor. In the feudal era, although there were smart people, most people rarely had much experience in their lives. After being trained by Ning Yi, they could actually be considered quite outstanding young people. Many scholars who studied in poverty, or even students who came to the capital to take the imperial exams, could hardly match their current style.

"I heard before that the old patriarch of the Su family treated Second Sister the best. Now that the family has been divided, it's clear that the Su family has probably sent all the useful young people to Bianliang. The old patriarch has really high hopes for Second Sister..."

Born into an official family, Song Yongping wasn't too surprised by the current state of Su Wending and others. He had heard his father's assessment, knowing that none of the younger generation of the Su family was reliable. Although there had been some interactions, he was young at the time, and Su Wending and others were also young, so he couldn't see much. After these few days of contact, he could only draw this conclusion. Watching them joke and laugh during breakfast, and talking about their affairs with spirit and ease, he felt a little envious—but this was just a good showing among merchants, and ultimately not stable enough—they were even urged to practice martial arts every morning, and although the Six Arts of the gentleman also emphasized physical fitness, the kind of kung fu that led to bloody noses was too vulgar.

Eating his morning porridge, he thought about these things and looked towards the host's seat, but it was empty.

"Second Sister's husband went out early this morning, something about Zhuji. After all, today is Miss Shishi's performance," Su Wenxing said to Song Yongping, and then asked, "By the way, Little Fourth, do you want to go and see it tonight? We'll all be rushing over in the afternoon."

"Uh... I'll pass," Song Yongping said with a smile. "After all, the metropolitan exam is coming up soon, and I still have some books to read, so I don't plan to go out today. If anything interesting happens, you brothers must tell me when you get back."

Although he had wanted to see the number one courtesan in the capital ever since arriving in Bianliang, he didn't want to go this time. It was indeed because the metropolitan exam was imminent, and truly nervous examinees had already begun to close their doors and calm their minds. This was the main reason, and the other small part was a slightly arrogant or dark psychology that he didn't even want to think about himself.

He still couldn't see through what kind of person this brother-in-law was. Of course, he had no intention of exploring these things before the metropolitan exam. His father had said that the other party was very good, and had also suggested that he make friends with him. The other party had a reputation as a talented person in Jiangning, and he had read his poems, which were indeed very impressive. But literature was a matter for the ages, and after the Tang Dynasty, few people could become officials based on poetry. Writing some poems was ultimately a minor pursuit. On the other hand, he was good at business, and could also invite Li Shishi, which should also be considered a powerful ability. However, for a man with some talent, obsessively drilling into money, what should have been an elegant meeting with Li Shishi seemed inevitably vulgar in today's situation.

These things only turned over in his mind. After all, they were family, and Song Yongping still felt a sense of closeness. Even if Ning Yi saw it, he would only think it was youthful exuberance, subconsciously comparing himself when meeting outstanding peers. He stayed at home to read books that morning, and before long, someone came to visit, a scholar he had met in the capital a few days earlier. They came today to exchange ideas in preparation for the exam in a few days.

Juan'er, who was staying at home to take care of the children, asked the servants to bring tea and snacks, and the group discussed poetry in the courtyard. After talking for a long time, when the atmosphere became warm, the topic turned to other things. When they heard that Song Yongping's brother-in-law was that Ning Liheng, everyone was quite surprised. Then they talked about Zhuji, Li Shishi, and the new poems that would be announced during today's performance.

"Speaking of which, I've been to that Zhuji place. The layout is quite good, grand but not extravagant, but that's about it. But everyone is really looking forward to Miss Shishi's new work this time. Song brother, since you live here, have you had the chance to see it in advance?"

When everyone asked about this, Song Yongping smiled and waved his hand, saying that he had been focusing on preparing for the exam these past few days and hadn't been paying attention. In fact, he had thought about chatting with Ning Yi about poetry the first two times they met, but Ning Yi had no interest in poetry, and Su Wending and others had also confirmed this with some wry smiles, so Song Yongping hadn't talked much about it. Of course, he wouldn't mention this to outsiders.

After saying a few more words, a young man named Zhang Xilian, who came from an official family in the capital, said, "Speaking of Miss Shishi's performance at Zhuji today, I heard a piece of news, and I don't know if it's true."

"Please tell us, Brother Zhang."

"I'm afraid someone is going to cause trouble," Zhang Xilian said, stroking his chin. "When I went out this morning, I vaguely heard someone talking about going to make trouble for Zhuji. That person is a capital playboy who doesn't do anything serious on weekdays and only hangs out with a bunch of other playboys. Miss Shishi has a great reputation in the capital, and there are many cases of people fighting over her affections. Maybe your cousin-in-law's fanfare this time is too big and has aroused jealousy. At the time, I seemed to hear that they were also going to find someone to beat him up..."

Zhang Xilian's father was an official in the capital, although not a very high-ranking one, but he still had various connections. After learning about Song Yongping's family background, he also had the intention of making friends. After everyone discussed this for a while, Song Yongping paced around the courtyard for a while, and then made a decision.

"Since there is such a thing as Brother Zhang said, after all, we are family, and I cannot stand idly by. In the afternoon, I will have to rush over to Zhuji. If you all have something to do, please feel free to leave. I know that the capital is a dangerous place, and it's best not to get involved in these troubles if you can avoid it..."

As he said this, everyone quickly stood up and protested, "Does Brother Song not consider us friends!"

"How can you say such a thing..."

"The capital is under the feet of the Emperor, a land of law and order. I don't believe anyone would dare to act recklessly. We'll go over today to see if such a thing will happen."

Zhang Xilian laughed and said, "Brother Song, you're being too polite. We've known each other for a while, so naturally I can't stand idly by if anything happens. To be honest, although my father's official position in the capital isn't high, he still knows some people and has some influence. Even if the matter is brought before the Prefect of Kaifeng, there's nothing to fear..."

Song Yongping quickly thanked him, but he was already devising a plan in his mind. There were countless powerful figures in the capital, and his father was a prefect in another place, so he might not be useful here. But in any case, if a conflict really arose, it would always be better for an official's son to come forward than a merchant. He understood these officialdom dealings very well from his past experiences in the provinces, and he knew how to measure his words. If something really happened, it would be best for him to take the lead for his brother-in-law. After all, they were family, and he should help where he could.

As for Zhang Xilian, it was still uncertain whether his connections would be useful, but he might as well do him a favor. But if things really didn't work out, he could even bring up his relationship with the Right Chancellor's family to put on a show of power. This way, he could also prevent them from looking down on him.

Thinking like this, he happily set off for Zhuji's Evening Glow Pavilion with the others in the afternoon, and Song Yongping also felt that his outing had meaning. As for the others, they were thinking that they might be able to speak up for justice in front of Miss Shishi and show off their faces.

They arrived a bit early, but Zhuji had just finished serving lunch, and many scholars were already in the pavilion sipping tea and waiting. Just as they entered the pavilion, they happened to meet Ning Yi. Seeing Song Yongping come over, Ning Yi greeted him with a smile, and then met everyone one by one. Ning Yi seemed to have other matters to attend to, so he asked a waiter to lead them to a private room on the second floor to sit down for the time being. Song Yongping had come to resolve the trouble, but he hadn't yet figured out the situation, so he naturally couldn't mention it to Ning Yi.

On the way up the stairs, Zhang Xilian also spotted a few familiar faces in the capital's scholar circles. He got up to greet them, also to inquire about who Ning Yi had offended. Song Yongping looked for Ning Yi's figure upstairs, thinking that even though it was a matter of life and death, he didn't know where this cousin-in-law was busy with. Then he curled his lips. Oh well, no matter what, he had to do his best to help.

He sat back down in his seat and chatted with the others. Before long, Zhang Xilian returned with a frown, and after sitting down, his expression was a little strange.

"Your cousin-in-law... what kind of person did he offend..."

"Who?"

"Flower-like Grand Duke Gao Mu'en..." Zhang Xilian frowned deeply, and after saying this name, seeing that Song Yongping didn't quite understand, he added, "Young Master Gao, the son of Grand Commandant Gao Qiu."

Song Yongping was stunned there for a long time.

At the same time, outside Zhuji, Ning Yi, Wenren Bu'er, along with Zhu Biao and many members of the Secret Intelligence Division, were busy with some minor matters outside of the Zhuji performance.

On one side of Bianliang, under the leadership of Wenren Bu'er, more than ten people were encircling a quiet little courtyard.

Ning Yi was driving a carriage on the city streets. After only turning two streets, he said something to Zhu Biao next to him. Zhu Biao's eyes sharpened and he nodded.

Light filtered in through the window lattices. In the room, Chen Fan poured himself a cup of water, and just as he raised the cup, he suddenly stopped there.

More than ten members of the Secret Intelligence Division drew their swords and swords, and jumped over the courtyard wall!