Located approximately four thousand *li* northeast of Qing Kingdom's capital, within the ancient and magnificent city of Shangjing, the snowfall was heavy. Goose feather-like snowflakes fell in abundance, covering Shangjing's streets and alleys like a pure white wool carpet. Yet, upon the residences equipped with warming stoves, the snow dared not accumulate, revealing their black eaves, creating a particularly beautiful contrast.

From the city gates, one could see the palace built against the mountain in the distance. The palace eaves possessed a purer shade of black compared to the common residences. Layer upon layer of winter trees on the snowy mountain cliffs were adorned with frost, and the cascading waterfalls had weakened into icy streams. The stone paths were inclined and isolated, the winter mountain blending harmoniously with the Qing palace.

Since the end of summer, many events had transpired in Northern Qi. The most shocking was undoubtedly the assassination of Shen Zhong, the commander of the Zhenfu Department. Shang Shanhu, who once galloped through the streets on horseback, now remained confined to his residence. The attitude of the court and the palace was clear: immediately after Shen Zhong's death, numerous accusations were leveled against him, leading to the ruin of the Shen family. Only Miss Shen, familiar to the people of Shangjing, suddenly vanished without a trace.

Shen Zhong's sudden demise dealt a heavy blow to the Jinyiwei. The already somewhat weakened Northern Qi intelligence agency, subjected to clandestine maneuvers by the young emperor, appeared even more frail after losing a leader of considerable cunning. Even the Empress Dowager's voice seemed to have lowered considerably.

For months, all Jinyiwei personnel felt apprehensive, with no one stepping forward to take over the agency, unsure of the court's intentions. Fortunately, a few days prior, the court finally issued an explicit decree: Wei Hua, the young master of the Changning Marquis's household and Vice Minister of the Honglu Temple, formally assumed Shen Zhong's vacant position.

Previously, rumors in Shangjing suggested that the Empress Dowager favored the Changning Marquis for the position of commander, but the young emperor had resisted. Now, the imperial edict appointed the Changning Marquis's son, sparking discussions about whether the mother and son, constantly at odds, had finally reached a tacit understanding or compromise.

Today, the Jinyiwei regained their vigor, displaying their past ferocity and domineering nature as they began executing new tasks.

Over a hundred Jinyiwei members in brown official attire surrounded Xiushui Street, allowing the snowflakes to settle upon them.

Xiushui Street was no ordinary place; its shops possessed deep connections. In particular, the seven shops in the middle were all Southern Qing's imperial merchants. With the two countries currently enjoying a honeymoon period, it seemed illogical for the Jinyiwei, in the midst of self-rectification, to cause trouble.

However, events unfolded unexpectedly. The shopkeepers along the street emerged, rubbing their hands nervously in the wind and snow, watching as the Jinyiwei took away the wine merchant surnamed Sheng. This merchant, Sheng Huairen by name, was one of the heads of the Southern Qing Internal Treasury in Shangjing.

Shopkeeper Yu of the glass shop, leaning on the old door panel, said with a trembling voice, "How dare they arrest him?"

The shop assistant whispered, "They say a large batch of smuggled goods was discovered south of the capital, lacking customs documents and tax receipts. The Jinyiwei followed the trail to Shangjing and dug out this Mr. Sheng."

The wind and snow rushed past, swirling around him, appearing even brighter than the glass bottles behind Shopkeeper Yu. His face showed worry as he watched the Jinyiwei gradually withdraw. He was well aware of the Internal Treasury's smuggling activities to the north, a business originally orchestrated by the Eldest Princess. Northern Qi had always acquiesced, enjoying the benefits of lower prices. Why had they suddenly taken action today?

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Within the beautiful imperial palace of Shangjing, the young emperor was curled up in a warm mattress, feeding himself pastries with one hand while holding a scroll in the other, reading attentively and with great focus.

Wei Hua, the newly appointed commander of the Zhenfu Department, glanced at him cautiously, deliberating for a long time before gathering the courage to interrupt His Majesty's reverie. He said softly, "We arrested a few people... but the Cui family and the Xinyang side have helped the court a great deal in the past. It would be difficult to ignore the old ties, so following the Empress Dowager's instructions, those with status were eventually released."

The young emperor didn't look at him, but his eyebrows furrowed with displeasure. He said, "A woman's kindness. Now that we've turned our backs on them, why dwell on past affections?"

He was speaking ill of the Empress Dowager, so Wei Hua naturally dared not respond. The emperor shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the book. He continued, "However, whether we arrest people or not is irrelevant. How much of the goods... did we intercept?"

"A great deal," Wei Hua said, a hint of excitement in his eyes. "The information was accurate. The southerners didn't expect us to break the old rules, and they were caught off guard, suffering significant losses."

He suddenly thought of something and asked hesitantly, "This matter is a bit absurd. Even if Fan Xian wants to compete with Southern Qing's Eldest Princess for control of the Internal Treasury, there's no reason for him to send us such a large gift. With his current strength in Southern Qing, he could completely swallow these goods himself instead of letting them flow north."

The emperor still didn't look at him, saying coldly, "Sending me a large gift naturally means he wants something from me."

"The timing was perfect. According to news from the south, Fan Xian took action before us. The southerners shouldn't suspect that we're colluding with him to share the spoils; they'll only think we're taking advantage of the situation. But..." He suddenly slammed the scroll down, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Wei Hua, the warning in his eyes clear. He said, "Only five people in the court know about this matter. I don't want the news to leak out because of you."

Wei Hua was greatly alarmed, prostrating himself on the ground and making a solemn oath before saying, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty." Although he was the son of the Changning Marquis, he was actually closer to the emperor. He knew that being entrusted with the Jinyiwei, such a powerful agency, was an opportunity given to him by the emperor, and it was up to him to seize it.

"Are the Qing Kingdom's envoys still protesting?" the emperor asked with sudden interest.

Wei Hua nodded, smiling wryly. "That Lord Lin is making a scene at the Honglu Temple every day, defending the Cui family. He says the court is investigating and acting without proper investigation, forcibly detaining the Cui family's goods and money, which is an act of barbarism and greatly affects the friendly relations between the two countries."

The emperor cursed, "What is the Cui family? The biggest smugglers in the Qing Kingdom! I'm helping the southerners discipline their citizens, and instead of thanking me, they're blaming me. These southerners truly don't know etiquette."

Wei Hua smiled wryly, thinking to himself that while you are helping another country discipline its merchants, you refuse to return the goods and silver you've taken. How can you justify that? With the Cui family's incident, Lin Wen, the Qing Kingdom's plenipotentiary envoy to Shangjing, was unaware of the inside story, so of course he would fight for the interests of his own country's citizens.

"The most troublesome is still that Counselor Wang Qinian," Wei Hua said with a headache. "Lord Lin is only making a scene at the Honglu Temple, but this Lord Wang runs to the Taichang Temple every day, demanding to enter the palace to see Your Majesty, saying that the Cui family is a famous merchant of the Qing Kingdom and that as Qing Kingdom officials, they must protect the Cui family's interests."

Hearing this, the emperor was stunned, then laughed in extreme anger. "Interesting, truly interesting. Not only is Fan Xian interesting himself, but his confidants are also so unruly... It's clear that his own master wants to crush the Cui family, but by making such a scene, he not only clears Fan Xian's name but also smears me in the process."

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Still wary of his counterpart in the south, Wei Hua couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, if... the truth of this matter is secretly sent back to Southern Qing, letting the Southern Qing emperor know that Fan Xian is making a gift of state funds and secretly colluding with our dynasty, I fear he will be furious... Perhaps he will never be able to rise again."

The summer negotiations between the two countries had shown him the cold and ruthless nature beneath Fan Xian's gentle and refined exterior. As a result, after taking over as commander of the Jinyiwei, he immediately regarded Fan Xian as his greatest enemy, constantly thinking of ways to bring him down. Now, thinking of this poisonous plan that would make it difficult for Fan Xian to recover, he couldn't help but feel excited, looking at the emperor with anticipation.

To his disappointment, the emperor merely shook his head.

"Take a longer view," the emperor said with a mocking tone. "These goods of the Cui family were originally within our territory. What use is it for me to seize these goods? Do you think I covet the money of these merchants? ... The court has always been dealing with that Eldest Princess, and both sides have benefited greatly... Don't you understand why we are cooperating with Fan Xian this time?"

The emperor picked up the book on the table, reading as he said softly, "The Internal Treasury of the Southern Dynasty will soon bear the name Fan. If you don't have enough confidence to eliminate him, then it's best to be polite to him. The citizens of my country are still counting on that Commissioner Fan... to send some cheap goods every year."

After Wei Hua withdrew, the emperor's expression seemed to relax instantly. He stretched in an unseemly manner and yawned loudly. At this moment, a woman with a charming face and wearing luxurious palace attire lifted the curtain and walked out, looking in the direction of the departing new commander with wide, curious eyes. "What were you talking about? It sounded like it was related to Fan Xian."

"Lili, you become so nervous as soon as you hear the name Fan Xian. Aren't you afraid I'll be jealous?" The young emperor pulled her into his arms, embracing her and teasing her. He whispered in her ear, "Fan Xian has attacked Xinyang in the south. I... am just cooperating with him a little."

Not a little cooperation. The Cui family's northern routes had been completely destroyed, and the detained goods and silver had all been confiscated by the Jinyiwei. One of the arms of this clan, known throughout the world for its business acumen, had been severed, while the other arm placed within the Qing Kingdom had long been completely severed by the sinister and terrifying Supervising Office.

Si Lili giggled in response. "Of course I'm nervous. Lord Fan is our matchmaker."

The young emperor thought that was right. If Fan Xian hadn't come up with that "strange idea" of having Granduncle Ku He take Lili as a disciple, it would indeed have been difficult for her, with her background and status, to enter the palace.

"What are you reading?" Si Lili asked curiously, snatching the scroll from the emperor's hand.

The emperor became anxious, grabbing it back. "The *Story of the Stone* that Fan Xian specifically sent to me. The latest chapter... unique in all the world. Don't break it."

Si Lili smiled brightly, nestled beside him, and said softly, "How dare Fan Xian... attack his own mother-in-law?"

The emperor shook his head and said, "That fellow's courage seems to be even greater than mine. That palace in the south is far more complicated than this one. Who knows?"

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The noblest river in Northern Qi is the Yuquan River, which flows down from the mountains, circles half of the palace, and then runs across the ancient city of Shangjing. The further upstream you go, the closer you get to the palace, and the quieter it becomes.

Today, the snow was heavy, and there were traces of ice on the riverbank, bitterly cold. In a place where you could already see the black eaves of the palace and the winter trees in the mountains, there was a small garden. No one knew what kind of person of status could live here.

A boy of about thirteen or fourteen was doing hard labor in the garden. The boy had a slightly chubby face and was pulling a stone mill in the garden, gritting his teeth as he went around and around. The stone mill made creaking noises, but his legs were shaking slightly. In this cold winter weather, his clothes were actually soaked with sweat on his back, making him look extremely pitiful.

After turning a few circles, the boy finally couldn't bear it any longer. He pushed the handle away and turned back to curse, "There aren't any beans! What are you making me grind this empty mill for! Can't you even afford a donkey!"

The object of his cursing was sitting comfortably under the eaves, lying on a recliner covered with thick cushions. Her bright but not overwhelming eyes were watching the snowflakes howling past the eaves, seemingly lost in thought. Hearing the boy's roar, she yawned, stood up, put her hands on her hips, and said lazily, "Where am I going to buy beans when it's snowing today? As for a donkey... aren't you here now? I sold the donkey a few days ago. The chickens and ducks in the garden need to keep warm in the winter, and that costs money."

These two people in this strange situation were naturally Fan Siz辙, who had been exiled to Northern Qi, and the most famous figure of the younger generation in Northern Qi, Haitang Duoduo.

Haitang Duoduo was wearing a cotton jacket with large floral patterns and her hands in her pockets. A hint of a smile flashed across her plain and unremarkable face as she looked at Fan Siz辙 and said, "Your brother sent me a letter a few days ago, telling me to take good care of you."

She shouldn't have said that. As soon as she said that, Fan Siz辙 really went crazy. He had been in Shangjing for some days, but he hadn't done anything at all. He had just been grabbed by this village girl and forced to do hard labor, and even Yan'er had been sent away by her!

What's more, this village girl had a high status, strong martial arts, and a quick mind. He had tried to escape many times, but none of them had worked. Life in Shangjing was truly extremely bitter. Thinking of this, he squatted down in anger and cursed, "What am I to you? Why do you have the right to take care of me?"

Haitang Duoduo smiled and didn't answer, just lay back down, her eyes slightly closed, as if she were about to fall asleep to the accompaniment of the wind and snow.

Fan Siz辙 looked at her, knowing that if he didn't listen, he probably wouldn't even have food to eat. He had no choice but to grab the handle of the stone mill again, gnashing his teeth in hatred. "You look like a village girl, and you still want to marry my brother! Don't think I'll recognize you as my sister-in-law in the future!"

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(My mind is uneasy, and there are some things going on around me. I may not have enough time to write more. Please be considerate, thank you.)