Chapter 110
Ma Jinyu swallowed hard. “That’s exactly what Duan Wang said. At the time, people from the Zhou, Wang, and Zhu families were all present and heard it too. There’s no room for falsehood.”
“That’s not necessarily true.” Someone spoke up, offering a different perspective. “Since Duan Wang dared to say it so openly, that in itself proves its authenticity. But Duan Wang… how should I put it? He’s unreadable. Before him, who in Great Yan had ever dared to conduct trade with foreign lands? But he broke convention and made it happen.”
Ever since the first batch of Western Region goods had appeared in the capital, merchants had been paying close attention. Any merchant with vision had thoroughly investigated Duan Wang’s actions. The once-ridiculed “foolish prince” had now completely changed in their eyes. After all, was there any truly foolish person who could quietly pull off such a monumental feat? If it had been them, they probably wouldn’t have managed it in their entire lifetime.
Someone chimed in, “Indeed. Have you ever seen the current emperor favor someone as much as this? And that person is supposedly a ‘foolish’ prince? Does that even make sense? I think Duan Wang is actually incredibly shrewd. If what he said is true, doesn’t that mean it reflects the emperor’s own decision?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell into a hush. The merchants exchanged glances, whispering among themselves.
The emperor’s decision—now that was the direction of the imperial court. If the imperial court supported it, then they would have an opportunity!
Ma Siyong pondered deeply. “So, according to Fourth Uncle, does this mean the court has officially approved the matter?”
Fourth Uncle took a sip of tea before replying, “Even if they haven’t yet, I doubt it will take long. I’ve caught wind of some rumors—apparently, the court is currently discussing the ‘Western Qi Corridor.’ If my guess is right, this Western Qi Corridor is likely the safe trade route that Duan Wang mentioned.”
Uncle Ma Si was undoubtedly the most quick-witted member of the Ma family. His mind was meticulous, and he could perceive the bigger picture from the smallest details. Anything he participated in decision-making for was usually insightful and well-founded.
In the Great Yan Dynasty, society was structured into a rigid hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with merchants holding a low status. According to imperial law, a merchant family could not take the imperial examination and enter officialdom for three generations. On the surface, this excluded them from politics entirely, making it seem as though they had no connection to national affairs. However, merchants were highly informed, able to sense the slightest changes in the political winds before anyone else, and had a clear grasp of the court’s movements.
Some people grew excited. “So, this is real?”
“If that’s the case, our Ma family must get ahead of everyone else! There’s no way we can miss the first share of this opportunity.”
“That may be true, but have you considered what Duan Wang said about high investment and high returns? I find that phrase quite intriguing. If we truly want to get involved, the amount of silver we’ll have to invest won’t be small.”
“Heh! Since when has there ever been a business that doesn’t require money? If spending money secures us this opportunity, I think it’s worth it.”
These words resonated with the group. Business relied on seizing the right moment—if one hesitated and feared risks, how could they accomplish great things? Everyone present had been immersed in the ways of business for decades; they were all shrewd and calculating. No one would pursue something without a profit.
The discussion continued late into the night. Finally, the head of the Ma family, Ma Siyong, made the final decision. “At this point, nothing is set in stone, so we’ll prepare on two fronts. First, we must closely monitor the court’s movements. The moment anything stirs, we’ll be ready to act. Second, we need to establish a good relationship with Duan Wang. Jinyu should be the one to handle this—it’s crucial to gain Duan Wang’s trust and cooperation. That way, when the time comes, we can assess the situation and act accordingly.”
For now, this was their best course of action. As long as the Ma family could board this ship, they were confident they would rise to greater heights in the future.
It wasn’t just the Ma family—other prominent families like the Zhou, Wang, and Zhu families, as well as those who had caught wind of this news, were all restless, staying awake through the night. They were all waiting for the right opportunity, one that could propel them to the top. If they seized it, they could leave everyone else far behind and rise above the competition.
At the Third Prince’s residence, in a secret chamber, the Third Prince sat at the head of the table, his expression shifting between dark and uncertain. Seated below him were his trusted strategists, who had been offering their counsel.
At that moment, he was listening to a report from one of his subordinates, his brows tightly furrowed. Ming Yu was truly insufferable. The moment he returned to the capital, he caused the Eleventh and Twelfth Princes to be reprimanded by the Emperor. Worse still, the Twelfth Prince had now turned against the Eleventh—this was all Ming Yu’s doing.
And yet, that fool acted as if nothing had happened, even going so far as to attend the Eldest Princess’s garden party, enjoying himself without a care in the world.
“You’re sure about this?” Ming Tao asked again, wanting confirmation.
The subordinate nodded. “I wouldn’t dare deceive Your Highness.”
Ming Tao waved his hand to dismiss him. Once the man had left, he slammed his palm onto the table in fury. “Unbelievable! What the hell is this bastard Ming Yu doing?”
When he had begged the Emperor for a share of this venture, he had been shut out completely. But now? That idiot was handing over such a significant business opportunity to outsiders. What was he thinking? If he was going to give it away, he might as well have given it to his own family.
He paced in circles, unable to suppress his frustration. “Why? Just because that fool managed to accomplish something in Liangzhou, even Father has praised him. But it was just luck! If it had been me, I would have done a thousand times better.”
The more Ming Tao thought about it, the more enraged he became. His advisors, after hearing the full situation, noticed their master’s growing fury and quickly offered words of persuasion: “Your Highness, there’s no need to be so upset. Perhaps Duan Wang was merely speaking in the heat of the moment, just throwing words around. If that’s the case, there’s still room to maneuver. Since Duan Wang doesn’t want this business, we only need to apply the right pressure. We might just get him to loosen his grip and hand it over to us.”
They all knew the Third Prince had long coveted this enterprise, but he lacked the knowledge and connections to handle trade in the Western Regions. Ever since his route through the Emperor had been blocked, he had been completely shut out of the matter. But now, wasn’t this a golden opportunity?
“Tell me—how can we take this business for ourselves?” Ming Tao stopped pacing and said coldly, “Ming Yu may be an idiot, but Ming Ye isn’t. I refuse to believe Ming Ye would be willing to let this go so easily.”
He knew Ming Ye too well. He understood what the goods from the Western Regions represented for Ming Ye. It wasn’t just wealth—it was influence. Without it, Ming Ye wouldn’t be so eager.
“It’s just a matter of catering to his interests,” one of the advisors declared confidently. “Everyone has a weakness. Your Highness, if you think carefully about what Duan Wang likes, we can craft a plan around that.”
Ming Tao pondered this seriously. The problem was, he had no idea what Ming Yu liked.
In the past, Ming Yu had been practically invisible—a fool, absent-minded and slow-witted. He rarely even attended family banquets, to the point that if his name hadn’t been mentioned on occasion, Ming Tao might not have remembered he existed at all.
It was only after Ming Yu had fallen into the water that he seemed to regain some clarity. But after his recovery, he had transformed into an unruly troublemaker in the palace, acting as he pleased. Even worse, he had a father who indulged and protected him completely, leaving everyone else helpless against him.
So when asked about Ming Yu’s interests, Ming Tao truly had no answer. There had never been any interaction between them—Ming Yu might as well have been a stranger.
“If we’re going to cater to his preferences, we need to investigate first,” Ming Tao said with a frown. “I worry this fool won’t be easily swayed by threats or bribes. No, we need to test the waters first. If we rush in unprepared and fall behind others, that would be disastrous.”
“Your Highness is absolutely right,” the advisors agreed. After a pause, one of them hesitated before speaking. “However, there is something I’m curious about. The recent discussions in court—could they be related to Duan Wang? The Prime Minister has never aligned himself with any faction, but if this matter involves Duan Wang, could it be that he is being drawn in? We all know Duan Wang is firmly in the Crown Prince’s camp. If Prime Minister Wen leans toward the Crown Prince, then his influence will only grow stronger, and we’ll be at an even greater disadvantage.”
Hearing this, Ming Tao’s irritation deepened. That damn Prime Minister Wen—so arrogant, so self-righteous! Always pretending to be above politics, acting like some noble, untouchable figure. And yet, he was now being drawn in by a fool?
Though he had not yet explicitly stated his position, the matter he brought up regarding the Western Qi Corridor was clearly related to Ming Yu. Only Ming Yu would be stirring up such a thing in the borderlands. Since his return, things had never been peaceful; and now, he had made the Western Qi Corridor an issue. Any discerning person could easily figure out what was going on. Despite claiming not to form factions for personal gain, now Ming Yu had been brought out as a target, placed in front of everyone. It was unclear what he hoped to achieve with this.
He recalled the lengths he had gone to in order to win over the prime minister’s faction. He had offered gold, silver, precious jade, and famous calligraphy and paintings—only for them to be sent back, with not even a shred of respect shown by the prime minister. He had received no favor at all, not even as a prince. Later, rumors about the situation somehow reached the emperor, and the emperor had called him in to give him a stern lecture. It had extinguished his plans, at least temporarily. But at least he hadn’t succeeded in winning over Prime Minister Wen. No one else dared to pursue such plans either, so he still felt somewhat balanced within himself.
Now, Ming Yu had disturbed this balance. How could he not be furious?
“You all tell me, what does Ming Yu want with this Western Qi Corridor? It’s a costly and labor-intensive project. The imperial treasury is already empty. How would there be any money to fund this so-called corridor? The prime minister knows this situation too, but he still brings it up and speaks in Ming Yu’s favor. What kind of benefits has Ming Yu promised this old man? What’s most infuriating is that my father didn’t reject it. Doesn’t this mean he’s tacitly approving it?”
The court was in chaos, with everyone arguing. The Crown Prince remained silent, neither supporting nor opposing it, just like the emperor’s attitude. Apart from the moderate forces beneath the Crown Prince who somewhat supported Prime Minister Wen, the rest, including Ming Tao himself, thought it was a waste to spend manpower and resources on something futile.
After all, this was the borderlands. Even if the Great Yan Kingdom took control of the Western Qi Corridor, what difference would it make? It was right next to the Suixi Kingdom, and as long as the Suixi Kingdom remained an enemy, there was no room for any development there. Thinking about it, the people in the borderlands had been displaced by war and lived in extreme poverty. Every year, the Great Yan Kingdom had to allocate a considerable amount of military funding to the borderlands. Now, the war had already dragged the Great Yan Empire into a quagmire. How could there be any spare energy to expand territory?
Yet, Ming Yu, the initiator of all this, was living comfortably every day as though none of this concerned him. He was simply watching from the sidelines. Prime Minister Wen must be getting old and confused, to be so easily taken advantage of without realizing it.
“I really can’t understand what Duan Wang’s move is, and the emperor’s attitude is also quite intriguing.”
“Hmph! Father just favors him. If Ming Yu wants to do something, he lets him. But is this a trivial matter? How can national affairs be treated so lightly?”
This matter wasn’t urgent. Ming Tao was more concerned with the Western Region trade issue, feeling that it couldn’t be delayed any longer. He needed to find out what the Fourteenth Prince thought about it. If he personally went to meet Ming Yu, he believed that Ming Yu wouldn’t refuse him this favor. With that thought, Ming Tao couldn’t sit still any longer. He decided to go find Ming Yu.
Ming Yu had just returned from the Eldest Princess’s gathering and hadn’t had time to rest when he heard that the Third Prince, Ming Tao, had come.
He had been meaning to find him, and now the Third Prince had come knocking. What an opportunity—if it was served to him, he wouldn’t waste it.
Ming Yu greeted him warmly, causing Ming Tao to feel a bit unsure of how to react. Their relationship seemed unusually close—almost closer than brothers.
“Before, Eleventh didn’t know better and caused trouble for Fourteenth Brother. I’ve already scolded him. I believe it won’t happen again,” Ming Tao said as they sat down. After some casual conversation, Ming Tao brought up the events from a few days ago, effectively apologizing.
“Ah, we were just playing around, Third Brother. Why take it so seriously? Besides, Father has already punished him. No need to bring it up again. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve already forgotten about it.” Ming Yu spoke in a carefree manner, smiling. “Third Brother didn’t come here to talk about this, did you?”
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