(There are mosquitoes in Guangzhou! That's my biggest discovery. I'm gradually settling down and have discovered that the monthly ticket chart has been a bloodbath these past two days since I've been gone. It's truly terrifying. For those of you with monthly tickets, would you like to vote? Would you like to vote? Or would you like to vote?)

Few of the world's scholars and commoners are qualified to pay respects to Chen Yuan, the residence of Chen Pingping, the Director of the Qing Yu Nian Court of Judiciary, so in their eyes, the Xinyang Summer Palace, the Jianlu Sword Hermitage in Donggu City, and the Ming Garden of the Ming family in Jiangnan are the three most beautiful and wealthiest privately owned buildings in the world. Of course, this ranking naturally excludes the black-green mountainside palace in the Northern Qi capital, which is as beautiful as a celestial abode.

The Summer Palace is inhabited by dignitaries, and the Sword Hermitage is home to a Grandmaster, both of whom are quite distant from the common people. Only the Ming Garden, not far from the city of Suzhou in Jiangnan, offers the world's scholars and commoners more opportunities for close-up appreciation.

The Ming family has never been one to bully others with their influence, nor have they deliberately maintained the mystique of a noble clan. Therefore, many scholars from Jiangnan and tourists from afar will stroll through Suzhou city and then take the wide road through the woods, circling towards the outskirts of the city to catch a glimpse of that beautiful estate.

Although they cannot get close, this distant view is enough to delight the eyes.

The Ming family is understated and unsecretive, so this Ming Garden, which has been under construction for nearly forty years, also maintains the deep imprint of their family. Every brick, every tile, every tree, every step, and every pavilion is not dazzlingly luxurious, but rather exudes a faint sense of closeness. Moreover, the courtyard walls built along the foot of the mountain are not very tall, allowing tourists to see the overhanging eaves from the official road, and hear the gurgling sound of flowing water from inside as they get closer.

Closeness does not mean familiarity, and simplicity is certainly not simpleness. In the eyes of true connoisseurs, they can certainly see the impeccable details of every aspect of this vast estate, the ingenuity of every material and design. And in the eyes of soldiers, they can see that this estate, while seemingly lacking defensive capabilities, can be transformed into a fortress capable of holding out for half a year in a very short period of time with simple modifications...

The weather was not too good today. In the chill of early spring, a light drizzle fell. The young master Ming's carriage traveled alone on the road home, without the usual sight of two or three tourists and young women enjoying the spring scenery.

The carriage stopped strangely outside the side gate. Young Master Ming pulled open a corner of the curtain, revealing a section of his face filled with somber colors, as he looked at his own main gate.

It seemed that someone was being seen off. A middle-aged man in official robes was getting into his carriage with a face full of anger.

Ming Lanshi lowered the curtain and turned back to Zou Lei, saying with slight anger, "Speak of Guo Zheng, and Guo Zheng appears. How could your superior be so lacking in tact?"

Zou Lei remained silent. Guo Zheng was his direct superior, and last year he was still serving as the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Court of Judicial Review in the capital. After the Spring Examination Case, Guo Zheng led the joint trial of Fan Xian by the three divisions of the Ministry of Justice. At that time, relying on the support of the Eldest Princess, he forcibly beat Fan Xian several times, hoping to force a confession. But who would have thought that Fan Xian's background and support would be so strong? Not only did he fail to bring down the Fan family, but afterwards, because he offended Prime Minister Lin, the Fan family, and the Court of Judiciary, the three giants took action without making much noise, and simply got rid of Han Zhiwei, the Minister of Justice, while simultaneously exiling Guo Zheng to Jiangnan.

Grand Censor Guo Zheng's greatest loss in this life was due to Fan Xian, so he had always held a grudge. Now that Fan Xian had come to Jiangnan again, Guo Zheng seemed to be trying to provoke the Ming family to go against the Imperial Envoy.

That was why Ming Lanshi's face was so unsightly. He thought to himself that the old codger Guo was acting out of personal vengeance. Coming to his home today, he was probably going to exert those pressures again.

——————————————————————————

"Father, I have already given the instructions," Ming Lanshi said respectfully, standing below the stone steps of a small courtyard in a corner of Ming Garden, addressing the room inside.

From inside the room came the slightly weary and comforting voice of Ming Qingda, the current master of the Ming family: "Good. We must endure this year no matter what. Not only must the people in the clan be reminded not to be caught by the government, but also... Lanshi, you have always been calm and steady, and now you must be even more careful."

Ming Lanshi quickly nodded in agreement.

Ming Qingda walked out of the room slowly, with a trace of fatigue on his face. "Did you see Guo Zheng earlier?"

Ming Lanshi frowned and replied, "Yes, Father. He came to the door so brazenly, I'm afraid it will catch the eye of the Imperial Envoy."

Ming Qingda smiled bitterly. "Forget it. The brand on us is deep enough. Trying to break away from that side now is impossible, and no one will believe it anyway. Don't think about these problems anymore."

"Did he... come on his own, or representing those people in the capital?" Ming Lanshi asked hesitantly.

Hearing this, the wrinkles at the corners of Ming Qingda's eyes deepened. After a long while, he sighed and said, "When can these officials have their own identities?"

Ming Lanshi's heart tightened, knowing the meaning of his father's words. It meant that Guo Zheng was there to convey the opinions of the Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince. He looked at his father with some nervousness.

"Don't worry, and don't pay attention to the capital's intentions. His Highness wants us to trip up the Imperial Envoy..." Ming Qingda, the contemporary richest man, sneered, "He wants to use us as a knife. Am I that stupid? Of course, on the surface, we still have to follow them, because no one knows what will happen in the future, and which one will sit on the Dragon Throne."

Ming Lanshi frowned slightly and said, "The order has already been issued. As long as the Imperial Envoy is in Jiangnan for one day, we will be quiet for one day, but... always showing weakness like this is not a good solution."

"It's a good solution." A faint smile appeared on Ming Qingda's face. "Fan Tisi is not a demon who eats people without spitting out bones. If he can't catch our handle openly, and he is wary of the backlash from the officials and gentry in Jiangnan, he can't possibly swallow us in one bite... If we are honest and give him enough face, I believe he will give us some face in return."

"This young Master Fan... doesn't even give the Second Prince face," Ming Lanshi said with a wry smile.

Ming Qingda smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "The identity of a merchant is always unpresentable on the historical level, but now it is quite the opposite. Master Fan is the son of Miss Ye back then. Observing his actions, he always harms officials but does not harm the people, and he has no prejudice against merchants. He doesn't give the Second Prince face, but he may not give us face. In the end, no matter how the Second Prince counterattacks, it is only setting traps for him in the officialdom. We... have the ability to leverage the power of the people."

"Of course, unless the situation develops to the point of bloodshed, never provoke him," Ming Qingda said.

Ming Lanshi was a little annoyed. He didn't know how many times his father had said it these past few days. His father's caution in this matter made him feel very uncomfortable. Although he understood the reason, it was still difficult to accept. Looking at the faint sorrow on his father's face, he couldn't help but comfort him: "Father, if it really doesn't work, let's stop."

...

...

The stone steps were quiet for a while. Ming Qingda, the richest man in Jiangnan of this era, slowly shook his head.

After a moment, a fierce look flashed in the eyes of this elder who was nearly fifty years old. "Some things are not something Father can stop if he wants to." He immediately sneered, "If we stop, what will tens of thousands of people in the clan eat? Don't forget that those nobles in the capital have so many dry shares. Even if we don't do it, won't they still reach out to me for silver? The Eldest Princess, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, the several major families in the capital, have gotten used to eating from us these years. If we really stop this time, and the momentum rises, who knows what they will do? Never underestimate the greed of the royal family and officials..."

Looking at his father, Ming Lanshi felt a trace of sympathy in his heart. Who would know that the richest man in Jiangnan also had so many difficulties.

Ming Qingda said with a face full of hatred, "The Ming family seems glamorous, but isn't it just a hen that lays eggs in their eyes? If the hen doesn't lay eggs, those who originally supported us will probably want to slaughter us more than the Imperial Envoy, and finally eat a fragrant chicken meal."

A look of hatred flashed across Ming Lanshi's face and then disappeared. He cursed in a low voice, "If those people in the capital didn't eat so much silver every year, we would be legitimately selling the products of the Inner Treasury, and it wouldn't be much different from now. Even if the Inner Treasury is intercepted by the Imperial Envoy, our family's industries all over Jiangnan can still maintain the clan."

Ming Qingda waved his hand, signaling him not to continue talking about this topic. He smiled coldly and said, "These years, my Ming family has been doing those shady businesses just to fill the stomachs of those people... This time, young Master Fan's descent to Jiangnan may also be an opportunity given to me by heaven, allowing me to take the opportunity to break away from those things. From this year onwards, gradually reduce the share going to the capital. The Eldest Princess and the others can't say anything. As long as we get the door open this time, and the bid we get is not less than 60% of last year's... Don't be like the Cui family, collapsing suddenly. Speaking of doing business properly, can't my Ming family do it?"

Ming Lanshi bowed slightly and said, "Father is right." But he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart. Giving up the smuggling route to Dongyi City and cutting off the overseas branch of pirates would probably mean earning too much less silver this year. Those dry shares in the capital still had to pay dividends. In this way, the clan would definitely lose money this year and have to fill it with capital. If the Imperial Envoy stayed in Jiangnan all the time, would his family have to keep filling it with silver? Even if his family was rich and powerful, it couldn't withstand ants moving a mountain...

Knowing what his son was worried about, Ming Qingda didn't want to explain or comfort him too much, because that was the fact. If the Ming family wanted to separate from the past and protect themselves, then the necessary price had to be paid in these two years.

Speaking of the Inner Treasury opening for bidding, Ming Lanshi thought for a while and then said softly, "I met with everyone these past two days."

The so-called "everyone" in these words referred to the wealthy merchants in the Jiangnan area who were famous and had the strength to participate in the Inner Treasury bidding.

He continued to report, "I have asked a few familiar families. The Xiong family in Lingnan and the Sun family in Quanzhou all know the current situation. Although they look very greedy for the Inner Treasury's sales rights, they are still focusing on those shares left by the Cui family. They also assured me that they would not raise prices against us."

Ming Qingda nodded and said, "Which family doesn't want to hold this golden rice bowl? But since we have already made arrangements, they can't openly oppose us unless they don't want to do business in Jiangnan anymore."

Speaking of this, the master of the Ming family faintly revealed a few traces of the confidence and pride that the richest man in Jiangnan should have.

"The key is those private salt dealers." Ming Qingda frowned slightly and said, "Those salt dealers are ruthless characters who make money between life and death, and they have enough spare money. If they participate in the bidding, it will be a bit troublesome. Although we are not afraid, we will have to spend more silver. The imperial court is chaotic and dead. The 40% deposit..." He shook his head and said, "It's too much, I'm afraid we won't be able to make ends meet in the first half of the year."

The richest in Jiangnan are the so-called imperial merchants and salt merchants. The two were originally like well water that doesn't interfere with river water, but now that the Cui family has fallen, who knows if those salt dealers will be greedy for the Inner Treasury's business. Those salt merchants have extremely strong funds and also have backers in the court. The Ming family is a little worried about this.

"I have visited the salt merchants in Suzhou City these past few days," Ming Lanshi said with some surprise, thinking of what he had seen and heard these past two days. "They were very straightforward and said that they would definitely not enter the Inner Treasury this year... I don't know what's going on."

Ming Qingda was slightly stunned, thought for a moment, and then understood what was going on. He smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "It seems that... everyone knows that young Master Fan is rectifying the channels for exiting and selling goods this year, and they don't dare to grab this rice bowl at the first time... They are preparing to see how we and the Imperial Envoy will end up. Those salt dealers seem to be preparing to enter the market next year."

Ming Lanshi raised his head and asked with a frown, "Those salt merchants... don't seem like such forward-looking people."

"Who is their backer?" Ming Qingda sneered, "Our parent official of Jiangnan Road, Lord Xue Qing... Xue Qing knows Master Fan's intentions. At least in this first year, he will suppress the salt merchants and not let them enter the Inner Treasury to cause trouble for Master Fan. This is Xue Qing giving face to young Master Fan, old Minister Fan in the capital, and that Director."

Ming Lanshi was silent.

"That's good," Ming Qingda said after thinking for a while. "Being suppressed by the Imperial Envoy's heavenly might, no one is entering the chaotic situation, so we can also plan. As long as we get the bid, we can get through this year safely."

"Will the Imperial Envoy... let us?" Ming Lanshi asked his father tentatively.

Ming Qingda said, "As long as everything is done openly, why should we be afraid of the Imperial Envoy? He is always not as good as us in doing business... Regarding the Inner Treasury opening for bidding, the highest bidder wins. People from the palace will come, and Jiangnan Road will supervise the bidding. It is not something that the Inner Treasury Transportation Department can handle alone. As long as my Ming family is willing to spend silver, young Master Fan can't forcefully suppress me."

"What I mean is, will the Imperial Envoy secretly instigate other families to deliberately raise prices? This is the simplest trick. They don't need to lose anything, but they can make us suffer a big loss."

Ming Qingda shook his head confidently and said, "There may not be anyone on Jiangnan Road who dares to offend young Master Fan, but other than him, there may not be anyone who dares to offend our Ming family. You also went to ask about the rumors earlier. Some of the stronger families should be spectators this year."

"If you want to find a puppet to raise prices," Ming Qingda said with a frown, "Bidding requires clear silver. The Imperial Envoy doesn't have so much silver, so he can't raise prices much at all."

A faint look of ridicule appeared on his face. "Don't be dazzled by that box of 130,000 taels of silver. If you want to use silver to smash people, officials are still not good at it."

When it comes to using silver to smash people, of course, the Ming family smashes people the most shockingly, creating myriad images, swallowing wind and clouds, and throwing out 400,000 taels of silver at once, intending to knock Fan Xian unconscious. Although it didn't succeed, this kind of courage is not something that those bribery-takers in the capital can come into contact with.

"The Imperial Envoy's father... old Minister Fan, is the Minister of Revenue of our Qing Dynasty, and he is in charge of the national treasury," Ming Lanshi reminded him with a wry smile. "When it comes to silver, his silver is much more than our Ming family's."

"Minister Fan?" Ming Qingda said with a slight sarcasm, "The Ministry of Revenue is fine if it doesn't move, but if the Imperial Envoy uses his father's power to suppress my Ming family... This thing will be a little fun. Believe me, Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess has been so quiet all the time, she is definitely waiting for that time."

...

...

Ming Garden suddenly became quiet. Ming Lanshi's heart was slightly cold, knowing that although his father seemed to be retreating step by step, he had already discussed with the nobles in the capital how to deal with the Imperial Envoy. The background of the Inner Treasury bidding hid an unknown amount of bloodshed and danger.

As it involved the national treasury and the Minister, Ming Lanshi didn't dare to continue this unspeakable topic, and changed the topic steadily, reporting, "According to the usual practice, the silver from Taiping Qianzhuang (Peaceful Money House) is ready. Father told me to be tight, so this time I have prepared 30% more silver, so as not to be caught off guard during the bidding."

Inner Treasury bidding uses clear bids and clear silver. Not to mention the 40% deposit after the transaction, the bid silver itself requires prior preparation, either in real gold and silver, or in banknotes from money houses recognized by the imperial court, which must be delivered to a special venue on the day of opening.

This is an incredibly terrifying amount. It is difficult for a wealthy merchant like the Ming family to immediately take out so much cash, after all, it is impossible to sell land and houses, and 60% of the bid silver can be recovered immediately after winning the bid. Imperial merchants do not want to occupy the flow of money, so they will borrow from outside. And large households like the Cui and Ming families need a lot of cash when bidding every year. They raise silver through Taiping Qianzhuang, using the production of goods as collateral, which has become a common practice.

This year, anticipating that there would be some trouble with the Inner Treasury opening, Fan Xian would definitely find a way to make the Ming family bleed more, so the Ming family asked Taiping Qianzhuang to prepare two more shares of the banknotes to be issued. Don't underestimate these two shares. The base is too large, and two shares are already a very terrifying amount, causing the Ming family to mortgage a lot of things.

"Taiping Qianzhuang can be trusted," Ming Qingda said in a deep voice. "It's an old relationship, and after all, it's Dongyi City's property. Those Yi people still have to rely on us to supply goods."

"Yes," Ming Lanshi replied softly. "And we are not just transferring silver for nothing. Now there are always some white-eyed people in Jiangnan who want to see the Ming family's jokes. If we can win the bid this time, it will be a slap in their faces, and it will also let the Imperial Envoy understand that only our family can act as an agent for such a large business of the Inner Treasury."

Ming Qingda looked at him appreciatively and said, "That's what I mean, so we must take this bid. The imperial court's system needs so much silver to be held in the Transportation Department. The original intention is to eliminate those merchants who are not strong enough. Similarly, it also eliminates many opponents for my Ming family. One family has already fallen among those who can transfer so much silver in the world, so who else is there? Unless the Imperial Envoy wants to watch the Inner Treasury's goods next year with no one to take over... Otherwise, he will only give it to me. What we need to ensure is, first, the price issue, not too outrageous, and second, the binding issue. Pressure will come from the capital, pressing the Transportation Department to follow the old rules and divide the sixteen items into four parts, six-eight-one-one. We... still... just want that eight."

Half of the share, the master of the Ming family still said "just want," showing his confidence in his words.

Ming Lanshi was sincerely convinced. The seemingly very tense situation became extremely easy under his father's analysis of the imperial court's system. It seemed that only his own family had the ability to win the big bid under the provisions of that absurd system of the imperial court.

"The matter at sea is settled," the master of the Ming family finally said slowly. "Tell that one in the family to shut up too."

Ming Lanshi couldn't help but feel relaxed all over when he heard that the matter at sea was settled. That was the Ming family's biggest handle. As long as it was cleared away, Fan Xian should not be able to find any reason to deal with him based on the Ming family's stable actions in Jiangnan Road. But hearing his father's last sentence, the Ming family's young master still couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

He didn't know how his father had settled the matter at sea, or how those pirates entrenched on the island had been silenced. Some of the Ming family's assistance must have come from the military, but his father was extremely tight-lipped, so even he, the Ming family's young master, didn't know which aspect of the army the capital had used this time.

The matter at sea was solved by his father, but the matter at home could only be solved by himself. A look of ruthlessness flashed across Ming Lanshi's face.

...

...

Night fell.

The young master of the Ming family was in a remote brothel in Suzhou City. He was lying in bed, looking at the sky, not knowing what he was thinking. A naked woman was lying obediently in his arms like a kitten, and her slender fingers were drawing circles on his bare chest.

This woman was Ming Lanshi's third concubine, and because of her special identity, she had always been kept outside Ming Garden.

"Lanshi," the concubine said with a warm breath, panting, "I want more."

Men hate hearing this sentence the most after the fact. Ming Lanshi sneered, "Want more? Don't you know how to be content?"

The concubine's face suddenly changed, and she gritted her teeth and said, "What do you mean? Is it because the Imperial Envoy is investigating tightly and you don't dare to ship out to sea, so you think my brother and I are useless?"

Ming Lanshi turned around with a smile and said softly, "Little darling, you have earned so much silver for my Ming family these past few years, how can you be useless?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his hand heavily slapped the concubine's snowy buttocks, causing waves of white to rise and fall, and she let out a series of delicate moans.

The concubine's eyes were full of charm and expectation.

Ming Lanshi smiled, chopped her on the back of her neck with a palm, watched her groan and fall unconscious, and then used his own hands to steadily and ruthlessly strangle the snow-white neck that he had kissed countless times.