Chapter 143

The morning mist over the Qingjiangpu Shipyard was thick with the smell of gunpowder. Shen Xitang’s black boots crunched over the charred pages of the *Methods of Treasure Ship Construction*. The body of a Ministry of Works director lay sprawled in the dock, the secret letter clutched in his hand spontaneously combusting. Amidst the ashes, a fragment of the *Tianqi Gazette* appeared; the printing date was seven days before the passing of the Taichang Emperor! "Reporting to the Assistant Commissioner, the results of the ship inspection are in." Xiao Heng cleaved through the keel of a Fujian-style junk. "The craftsmanship of these watertight bulkheads..." Shen Xitang’s Silver Silk pierced the interlayer of the hull, hooking out a half-scroll of the *Records of the Imperial Palace Transfer Case*. Beside the thumbprint of the Lady-in-Waiting Li, the private seal of Consort Zheng’s younger brother was unmistakably impressed. The bow suddenly snapped, and a bronze Armillary Sphere pivot tumbled out, inscribed with the words: "Property of the Prince of Fu, 48th Year of Wanli, Chengyun Treasury."