In just a month or two, the events in Donggang had stirred up quite a storm in the capital, even reaching the ears of the Emperor within the palace.
Since this matter involved the Duan family, the Emperor summoned Xiao Muchen to the palace for questioning.
“The Duan family’s actions—were they done under your instruction?”
Hearing the Emperor’s question, Xiao Muchen lifted his head and looked at the imperial face, with a trace of hesitation on his own. Only then did he speak: “Please forgive me, Royal Father. It’s true that I was the one who connected the Duan family to Donggang.”
The Emperor frowned at Duan Wang. “Why would you do such a thing?”
Xiao Muchen paused for a moment, then said slowly, “I thought Royal Father already knew.”
The Emperor sneered. “How would I know?”
“Royal Father, Fengcheng Marquis was ordered to station at the East Sea to eliminate the pirates, but the funds granted by the court were insufficient—they couldn’t even afford to send out a proper fleet. How could they fight pirates like that?” Xiao Muchen sighed.
The Emperor was startled. “What? What happened to the silver allocated by the Ministry of Revenue?”
Xiao Muchen was silent again for a moment before replying, “The national treasury is depleted, reserves are scarce. When Yuxiang City faced another crisis, the Ministry received a decree to allocate emergency funds. Naturally, the East Sea had to make do with less.
Fengcheng Marquis knew the Ministry wasn’t being difficult on purpose, but in recent years, Great Chu has been plagued with natural disasters. The court has been sending relief efforts across the realm, and Qinan has provoked repeatedly, leading to massive military expenditures. As a result, the Ministry only gave thirty percent of the promised funds when the Marquis was about to depart.”
The Emperor was stunned. Only thirty percent?
Meeting his Royal Father’s astonished gaze, Xiao Muchen continued: “Before assuming his post, Fengcheng Marquis approached me. He said the Duan family has always been loyal to the court. Though Duan Pingchang is a merchant, he’s deeply devoted to the nation and a shrewd businessman. So he begged me to ask Duan Pingchang to go to the Eastern Sea, to see if he could do some business and help raise military funds, to lessen the burden on the court.”
“And as soon as you asked, Duan Pingchang went?”
“Duan Pingchang, at my request and for Mingxi’s sake, didn’t reject me outright. He only said he would try his best. Most of the prosperous ports of Great Chu are in the south—they benefit from favorable timing, geography, and people, and profits are quick. But the Eastern Sea is a barren land. That’s why pirates have run rampant.
It’s extremely difficult to make money in a barren place. When Duan Pingchang first arrived, he didn’t understand the local conditions. It took him several months of effort to slowly open up the situation. But the silver he had—he’d already spent most of his fortune to help me deal with Qinan earlier. He was strapped for cash, so he borrowed from friends in the capital.
Who would have thought the news would leak out? By the time it reached me, everything had already gotten out of hand. I… I honestly don’t know what to do now.”
The Emperor understood that what Xiao Muchen meant by “not knowing what to do” was because the Eastern Palace had now become entangled as well.
“What are your thoughts now?” the Emperor asked, looking at Xiao Muchen.
Xiao Muchen responded with upright resolve, “The Eastern Sea is in ruins and badly in need of development. We really do need someone like Duan Pingchang to expand and open up new ground. Once the Eastern Sea port is built, merchants will flock there, ships will voluntarily dock—prosperity is sure to follow.”
The Emperor hadn’t expected Xiao Muchen to be so confident. “And then?”
Xiao Muchen said, “Once Donggang is fully developed, it should naturally be taken back under imperial control.”
His tone was firm and decisive. The Emperor gave him a deep look. “And you’re not afraid your wife will make a fuss?”
Xiao Muchen replied seriously, “This concerns the court and the nation. Faced with the greater good, how could personal interest override public duty? I believe Mingxi will understand.”
The Emperor chuckled lightly, glancing at his son. So young, he thought, still believing that strong feelings will make everything fall into place.
But what he didn’t know was that it wasn’t just the Duan family who had stepped in—many of the capital’s noble families had also invested their silver…
Thinking of this, the Emperor gave Xiao Muchen a look filled with deeper meaning. “You must understand—when more people are involved, more people will be offended once the time comes to settle things.”
“To share the burden of the ruler, to serve the country—your son will do his utmost, without hesitation or fear,” Xiao Muchen said solemnly.
After a long silence, the Emperor let out a soft sigh and waved his hand. “You may go.”
“Yes, your son takes his leave.” Xiao Muchen answered and turned to leave.
After he left, the Emperor sat in his dragon chair for a long time. Then he turned to Ding Zhao. “Both the Eastern Palace and Duan Wang’s household have entered this game. What do you think the outcome will be?”
Ding Zhao stiffened instantly, his mind spinning rapidly.
What did the Emperor mean?
Did he want to use this situation to determine who was superior between the Eastern Palace and Duan Wang?
Ding Zhao dared not hesitate too long and replied cautiously, “Your Majesty, this servant is foolish and dares not speak recklessly. But this servant knows that several southern ports yield rich annual revenue. The official position of the Maritime Bureau is one everyone fights over.”
The Emperor sneered after hearing that. “Indeed, everyone knows what a developed port can bring.”
Ding Zhao’s heart pounded wildly. He dared not say another word, cold sweat soaking his back.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before he heard the Emperor murmur softly, “Only in the face of great profit can one truly see a person’s heart.”
The situation in Donggang was growing increasingly intense. Seeing that the timing was ripe, Duan Mingxi began refusing visitors and shutting her doors. Meanwhile, Madam Xie still did not know how to rein herself in—her residence remained bustling with guests each day.
Liu Yunhua, Chu Qingying, and a few others had agreed to come to Mingxi’s for tea. All of them were at some stage of pregnancy, and Mingxi dared not take things lightly. She looked at them and said, “You should be resting properly at home—what are you doing coming out?”
“We were worried about you, of course.” Chu Qingying, who had visibly relaxed in both expression and manner since her marriage, spoke more forthrightly than before. “We heard you were short on silver, so we pooled some together to bring you.”
Mingxi: …
Seeing them place a stack of banknotes on the table, she was momentarily stunned.
Yao Yunyi said in a low voice, “My husband’s a blockhead. Even my in-laws don’t know about this. You’re not allowed to let it slip.”
Censor Zhong ran a tight household and didn’t allow women from the inner court to get involved in political matters.
Mingxi looked at them solemnly. “If there’s a loss, your silver will go to waste. You need to think this through.”
Liu Yunhua replied, “So we lose it—so what? It’s not like we gave you our entire family fortune. We can still afford it.”
“Exactly. You’ve helped us plenty in the past. Now that you’re in trouble, how could we just stand by and do nothing?” Yao Yunyi nodded in agreement. “The silver’s yours—take it.”
Mingxi looked up at them. “Earlier, when everyone else was throwing silver at me, I didn’t see you among them. I thought you weren’t interested in making money.”
Chu Qingying replied irritably, “At the time, people were practically breaking your door down. What were we going to do—add to the chaos? Still, we don’t know who spread the news that you’re short on silver. We don’t even know if it’s true. But since we’ve given you the silver, we’re willing to take the risk. Just take it.”
Now Mingxi understood. Back when it was clear this venture would make money, they had stayed back so as not to trouble her. Now that word had spread that she was struggling for funds, they were worried she might truly be in difficulty—and had come forward on their own.
True friends were like this—they’d stand in your shoes and think on your behalf.
Fine. Since that was the case, she would not let down their deep friendship. She’d make sure to earn them a good stash of private savings!
As the situation intensified, the Xie family was practically reveling in their success. Duchess Cao was running around frantically, and by the time the Lunar New Year approached, the East Sea seaport was officially established.
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