Chapter 11

She blew out the lamp, and the room plunged into darkness. With a soft creak, the door pushed open. A lithe, graceful silhouette stepped into the room, her ample curves swaying gently with every step. "You are the commander of the daylight, and I am the assailant of the long night!" Zhao Wujiang cast a sidelong glance at his swelling desire before turning to meet Xiao Wanjun in the shadows. "Charge, Zhao... giant!" ... Behind the gauze curtains, the bed frame shuddered. The Empress, hiding to the side, felt her heart race, her face flushed with shame. Muffled groans and breathless whimpers filled the air. Zhao Wujiang wandered through the rugged, exquisite terrain, plunging straight into the narrow valley. *Ah, Xiao Wanjun is actually Time itself!* A realization struck him: *An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, but an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time.* With the harvest overflowing above and the preciousness of time below, it was a masterpiece of the Creator. The giant galloped through Time, stirring a pool of spring water in the secluded, winding path. Zhao Wujiang held the soft, fragrant treasure in his arms; as her slender waist swayed and her inner depths trembled, the dew dripped, and the peony bloomed. ... "Will you ever let me sleep!" The Empress slumped in a chair to the side, the sounds from the dragon bed piercing her heart and soul. Three hours had already passed, and Zhao Wujiang and Xiao Wanjun showed no signs of stopping. "The boy didn't lie to me after all... Turns out the two hours before were just him underperforming..." The Empress sighed, rubbing her forehead, watching through a haze as Xiao Wanjun changed her position again...

Chapter 31: Watch Carefully, Learn Well

... At dawn. The Empress, sporting dark circles under her eyes, headed to the Imperial Study in despair, while Imperial Consort Xiao, her eyes like peach blossoms, leaned back to her bedchamber, clutching her waist. Zhao Wujiang had switched rooms in the middle of the night to catch some sleep. Liu Zhe, the Director of the Secretariat, walked along the palace path leading to the inner harem with a pace that was aged yet vigorous. He had received word of the Emperor’s favor toward Imperial Consort Xiao last night, and as soon as the sun rose, he set out for the palace. With the marriage alliance between the Daxia Dynasty and the Baiyue Kingdom of the Western Regions imminent, another concubine in the harem was a foregone conclusion. For his two granddaughters, this was an added "threat." It didn't matter when the Emperor didn't show interest in the harem, but now that he had officially begun to bestow his favors, the competition in the harem had naturally become intensely fierce and crucial. As a veteran official of the court, he naturally had to go and urge his granddaughters. ... Inner Harem, Zhaoyi Palace. Liu Meier personally served tea: "Grandfather, your favorite Biluochun." Liu Zhe, who sat in the main seat with his snow-white hair and beard, looked kind and benevolent. He took the tea his granddaughter offered and nodded with a smile. He took a light sniff of the tea’s fragrance, his brows smoothing out. "Meier, you have done well. One step ahead means every step ahead. It is understandable that Dugu Mingyue was favored first, but by managing to beat Imperial Consort Xiao, you have already gained an advantage. As for Qinger..." Liu Zhe looked to the side at his younger granddaughter, Liu Qingqing, who was dressed in green with a youthful, timid face and pursed lips. He raised his white brows, sighed, and said earnestly: "You must hurry up as well. You cannot... you cannot be too reserved. You must take the initiative to approach the Emperor and please him..." "But... but the Emperor is busy with affairs of state all day. How can I approach him, how can I please him?" Liu Qingqing pouted, looking aggrieved, her fingers twisting the fabric of her dress. "Look at what your sister is doing. Both of you sisters are in the palace; you must help each other. Can’t you ask her for advice?" Liu Zhe’s expression was serious. Liu Qingqing, with her youthful and slightly childish brow, mumbled, "Sister Meier is beautiful..." Liu Zhe frowned, held his forehead with one hand, and said slowly: "Qinger, you are just a lotus yet to bloom. In terms of looks, you two sisters are both stunning. You must be like your sister—take the initiative, be more confident, understand?" "Oh." Liu Qingqing replied despondently, stole a glance at her grandfather, and quickly buried her little head. "Grandfather, how is the tea I brewed?" Liu Meier asked with a sweet, charming smile, changing the subject. Liu Zhe nodded. "Not bad, much better than that scoundrel of a father of yours!" "Hehe..." Liu Meier covered her mouth and laughed, her beautiful eyes darting around. "By the way, there is one person you should pay more attention to. Regarding the matter of the Emperor’s favor, he should be able to help you." Liu Zhe’s expression gradually turned serious. "Zhao Wujiang?" Liu Meier’s mind was sharp, and she pointed him out clearly. "It seems you have had dealings with him, Meier..." Liu Zhe nodded. "It is rumored in the harem that this Zhao Wujiang has offered some suggestions regarding the Emperor’s favor. But in my view, this is an exaggeration. Hehe, the Emperor is the Emperor. He might listen to the suggestions of us old ministers, but how could he possibly take advice from a lowly eunuch? However, this Zhao Wujiang does have some genuine talent. With so many imperial physicians dead, the fact that he was able to stabilize the Emperor’s health and be kept in the Hall of Mental Cultivation shows that his medical skills are superb and he has earned the Emperor's trust! Since the Emperor trusts him, you can befriend him. Meier, your insight in contacting him first—I must praise you for that." Liu Meier pursed her red lips, her peach-blossom eyes full of smiles. "And you, Qinger, have you remembered what Grandfather said?" Liu Zhe looked at his younger granddaughter, who was bowing her head. "I have, Grandfather." Liu Qingqing’s bright eyes and white teeth were visible, but bitterness clouded her pretty face as she pouted and spoke in a muffled voice. Liu Zhe persisted: "Repeat it." "Befriend him." Liu Qingqing pressed her lips together tightly. "Who is he!" Liu Qingqing twisted her small hands together and kept her head slightly lowered: "Zhao Wujiang." Seeing his younger granddaughter like this, Liu Zhe’s white brows furrowed. He held his forehead and instructed, "Meier, take more care and teach your sister how to interact with others." "Yes, Grandfather." Liu Meier nodded.

Chapter 32: The Great Wind Rises

... Zhao Wujiang got up, washed, and ate breakfast, stepping out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation full of energy. He wore a robe as black as ink. He did not wear the hat of a head eunuch, his waterfall of long hair tied back with a purple silk ribbon. His sharp, well-defined face, with its soaring sword-like brows and slightly curled lips, gave him an approachable yet strikingly handsome air. *Manager Zhao is truly Manager Zhao; such an aura makes us feel inferior...* A young eunuch walking behind Zhao Wujiang bowed constantly, his eyes filled with reverence every time he glanced at him. "This old man up ahead looks somewhat familiar..." Zhao Wujiang walked at an unhurried pace, seeing an elder with white hair and beard, accompanied by respectful servants, heading toward the palace exit. Little Linzi replied respectfully: "Manager Zhao, that is the Director of the Secretariat, Lord Liu Zhe." *So it was Liu Zhe. What is he doing in the harem so early in the morning?* *Right, he has two granddaughters in the harem—one is Liu Meier, and the other is called... Liu Qingqing...* Zhao Wujiang rubbed his fingers. The web of influence extending outward from the harem was complex and tangled. From Liu Meier and the others, one could see the tip of the iceberg; these concubines all had "maternal families" of not-insignificant power. *In that case, Xuanyuan Jing is indeed "isolated and weak." No wonder she always wears that "I am the Emperor, I am the boss" face. The harem must be a hidden worry for her...* Zhao Wujiang shook his head and smiled, walking unhurriedly toward the depths of the harem. He had to inspect the harem and supervise the servants. ... Along the way, Zhao Wujiang discovered that many palace maids in the harem were "sick" quite severely. Every time they saw him, they would shout "Manager Zhao!" and then, with a cry of "Oh!", perform a delicate, weak-damsel act as they threw themselves at him. Others, relying on their beauty, even banded together with sisters, trying to forcefully drag Zhao Wujiang into a small grove... Fortunately, Zhao Wujiang was a man who remained composed and principled despite the "injury" to his body. After all, he was a man who had experienced Dugu Mingyue, Liu Meier, and Imperial Consort Xiao; ordinary beauties or common faces could no longer catch his eye. Wherever Zhao Wujiang went, he left behind countless sighs of resentment and gestures of respect, until he encountered a frail-looking, short young eunuch. This eunuch was a member of the faction behind the late head eunuch Chen Zhenghua, known in the harem as Little Heizi. "Greetings, Manager Zhao." Little Heizi darted his eyes around, and finding no one else, respectfully handed a note to Zhao Wujiang. Zhao Wujiang took the note, knowing without thinking that it had to do with the illicit sale of medicinal herbs. [We agree to Manager Zhao's demands, and Manager Zhao should also honor our request.] [At the end of noon today, at the back warehouse of the Imperial Hospital, we request Manager Zhao's presence.] The contents of the note were absorbed into Zhao Wujiang's mind, creating ripples in his sea of thought. *Thirty percent profit—they all agreed. Is this really just a simple illegal sale of herbs? There must be more to this than meets the eye.* Zhao Wujiang’s eyes were deep. He folded the note and said slowly: "Go." "We await your presence, Lord Zhao." The eunuch Little Heizi held his hands out, palms up, signaling for Zhao Wujiang to return the note. *Afraid I’ll compare the handwriting later? So cautious?* Zhao Wujiang smiled faintly and handed the note back to Little Heizi. Little Heizi took it, quickly crumpled it into a ball, shoved it directly into his mouth, and swallowed it hard. Then, with a raspy voice and a bowed back, he said: "Lord Zhao, this servant takes his leave!" Zhao Wujiang nodded, hands behind his back, his gaze lingering on the hunched, insignificant figure of Little Heizi as he walked away. He rubbed his fingers, a dense web weaving in his mind. He already had a preliminary but detailed strategy for this matter.

Chapter 33: The Hidden Mysteries of Herb Transport

... At noon, the Imperial Hospital. It consisted of twelve halls, using a layout with the main hall in front and the warehouse in the back. The twelve halls were named after the twelve earthly branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. The earthly branches corresponded to earthly twigs, and most medicinal herbs were, in essence, earthly twigs. In the back warehouse of the Mao Hall, carts were already prepared, filled to the brim with herbs. Zhao Wujiang picked up a stick-like herb from one of the carts, weighed it in his hand, used his pinky nail to scrape off a bit of powder, and sniffed it. A slightly bitter, fresh fragrance entered his nose. He smiled, put it back, and moved to the next cart. "Hey, hey, hey, Manager Zhao." An elderly man in fine clothing hurried out. He was the same man Zhao Wujiang had met at the Wutong Courtyard. The old man was one of the warehouse managers of the Imperial Hospital, surnamed Wang, named Youcai. Wang Youcai reached out to block Zhao Wujiang, an unnatural smile on his aged face: "Manager Zhao, time is of the essence. We are sending these out, and we have herbs coming in that need to be unloaded. We cannot be delayed..." "Let's talk while we walk..." Zhao Wujiang kept a smile on his face. Wang Youcai waved a hand, and the clerks and the small eunuchs assisting the Imperial Hospital began pushing the carts toward the palace exit. "Are the shipments always done at the same time as the acquisitions?" Zhao Wujiang followed behind the convoy at an unhurried pace, with warehouse manager Wang Youcai by his side. Wang Youcai didn't want to talk much: "This way, we maintain a balance in our inventory." *Indeed. After all, it’s the national treasury’s money. The incoming ones keep the stock levels up, and the outgoing ones serve to line their pockets. It’s the perfect cover—doing both at once makes it all look like standard procurement.* Zhao Wujiang understood perfectly. He quickened his pace to catch up with the convoy. He picked up another piece of herb to examine, scraping and sniffing, acting the part of a diligent and conscientious official. *This brat is young, yet even more cautious than Chen Zhenghua...* Wang Youcai followed behind, snorting inwardly, but his vigilance rose quietly. Zhao Wujiang moved back and forth among the carts, spot-checking one batch of herbs after another. To be honest, he didn't even know what he was looking for, but he was certain of one thing: if the Director of the Imperial Hospital and the others could promise him thirty percent, these herbs were definitely not simple. The "not simple" part wasn't in their value, but in their purpose! Herbs could be valuable or cheap, but no matter how valuable, they were useless if they couldn't treat the specific ailment at the critical moment. The variety of herbs wasn't vast. After Zhao Wujiang had leisurely finished checking all of them, a mysterious smile appeared on his lips. He signaled a young eunuch to bring him a wooden box. Once he had the box, he casually and openly began to pack herbs into it right in front of everyone. Of course, only a small portion of each. "Lord Wang, this ginseng is quite good." Zhao Wujiang picked up a small box containing apricot-white old ginseng nestled in damp, loose red soil. Wang Youcai, standing behind the convoy, felt his eyelids twitch as he watched Zhao Wujiang smilingly place the ginseng into the wooden box and then pick up another herb. His face gradually twisted. He hurried forward and lowered his voice: "Manager Zhao, is thirty percent not enough? Aren't you going a bit too..." "No, no, no." Zhao Wujiang shook his fingers, his smile suddenly turning evil. He pressed a hand over one of Wang Youcai’s eyes, forcing it shut: "Do not open it!" Wang Youcai was bewildered, but Zhao Wujiang’s sudden air of authority kept him from moving. After a few breaths, he felt the eye being pressed begin to ache slightly. At this moment, Zhao Wujiang arched a brow and laughed: "Lord Wang, is it tiring to keep one eye open and one closed?" "It is..." Wang Youcai understood what Zhao Wujiang meant. "Exactly..." Zhao Wujiang began gathering herbs into the wooden box, looking utterly indifferent: "Keeping one eye open and one closed is very tiring! Is it too much to take just a small portion of one herb?" *Greedy, eunuch scoundrel!* Wang Youcai felt a surge of rage, but more than that, jealousy—jealousy that Zhao Wujiang could greedily take things openly while he could only watch. He snorted in his heart and gritted his teeth: "It is not too much!" Zhao Wujiang continued collecting herbs. Before long, the large wooden box was full, and the convoy had passed out of the Imperial City and reached the outside. Wang Youcai, standing behind, looked at Zhao Wujiang’s back as he collected the herbs, his expression constantly changing, filled with hidden worry. Finally, once they were out of the Imperial City, he stepped forward: "Manager Zhao, we don’t need to trouble you for the rest of the way. Please return." "No matter." Zhao Wujiang waved his hand: "Aren't there still herbs to be procured? I’ll wait a bit longer so I can escort them back into the palace." *Zhao Wujiang, you...* Wang Youcai’s fists, hidden under his sleeves, tightened until they cracked. He exhaled heavily, whipped his large sleeves, and left with the convoy. As the group moved further away, Zhao Wujiang’s gaze was deep, his fingers tapping lightly on the wooden box. "Dong, dong, dong... dong, dong... pang... dong, dong... dong, dong, dong..." A breeze brushed past, and a dark blue figure coalesced behind him: "This old servant greets Lord Zhao!" "Ersan, you were up high just now. Did you see it all?" Zhao Wujiang rubbed his fingers, sniffing the lingering scent of herbs. "I saw it all!" "Very good, Ersan. You old-timers still have the best eyes."

Chapter 34: The Loulan Gu-worm Stirs

... Zhao Wujiang and Jia Ersan stood in the shadows as Jia Ersan began his report. After Zhao Wujiang received the note from the eunuch Little Heizi, he had ordered Jia Ersan to follow him when he went to the back warehouse of the Imperial Hospital and to observe the expressions of the warehouse manager, Wang Youcai, throughout the journey. Zhao Wujiang had deduced that among these herbs, there must be one or several that the faction behind the Director of the Imperial Hospital needed. Therefore, from the moment he began checking the herbs, he had started testing Wang Youcai. When faced with specific herbs, Wang Youcai would inevitably show corresponding reactions—excitement, panic, worry... And these changes in expression would be clearly visible to Jia Ersan, who was watching from the shadows. "When you were inspecting the first stick-like herb and the seventh medicinal liquid in the white jade bottle, Lord, Wang Youcai’s expression was suddenly panicked, and I could feel his breathing become labored," Jia Ersan said clearly, word for word. "When you picked up the first stick-like herb, the seventh medicinal liquid, and the eleventh herb—the ginseng—the worry on Wang Youcai’s face significantly intensified! At other times, Wang Youcai merely wore a hypocritical, fake smile, hid his hatred, or showed disdain in his eyes." "Thank you for your hard work, Ersan." Zhao Wujiang’s eyes were clear, and he quickly reviewed the trip in his mind, trying to fill in any gaps. "Serving you is my duty, Lord!" Jia Ersan remained in the shadows, his expression respectful behind his cyan mask. Zhao Wujiang rubbed his fingers, his eyes narrowing slightly. He finally understood some of the details. *Ginseng! No, the soil in the ginseng box!* Ginseng, as a representative of precious herbs, had extremely strict cultivation conditions. Ginseng preferred cold and shade, and feared dampness and heat. Therefore, most superior ginseng grew in cool, old forests. The ginseng from the Imperial Hospital should have been removed with its soil intact, and since it was stored in the herb hall of the Imperial Hospital, the soil in the box should have been dry or clumpy—not the way it had been when Zhao Wujiang opened it just now: warm, damp, and loose. This explained why, during Wang Youcai’s two strong reactions, the first time there was no ginseng, but the second time there was. Because the first time, he didn't worry about Zhao Wujiang checking the ginseng, but the second time, when Zhao Wujiang wanted to take the entire box back, he started to worry. The key was the soil containing the ginseng. Zhao Wujiang quickly opened the wooden box, took out the ginseng box, pinched some soil, rubbed it lightly, and held it to his nose. His eyes widened. Because he smelled a scent of blood—thick, pungent, and lingering. It was undetectable at first, but once crushed, it was obvious. This soil had been specially treated. "Lord, the herbs purchased by the Imperial Hospital are arriving..." Jia Ersan reported. A breeze brushed past, and his figure vanished. Zhao Wujiang stepped out of the shadows and paced outside the Imperial City. Not far away, the carts laden with herbs were slowly approaching. He stepped forward to meet them, a smile blooming on his face. There was a huge quantity of herbs, mostly packed in boxes stacked on the carts. Just as Zhao Wujiang reached out to open them for inspection, Wang Youcai rushed forward, blocking him, his voice flat: "Manager Zhao, taking a little of what is being sent out is no harm, but these coming in need to be accounted for in the ledgers. You cannot touch these!" "Then I shall inspect them." Zhao Wujiang smiled, reaching to flip open a box. With a clatter, a brocade bag the size of a human head was shoved into his arms by Wang Youcai. Inside the bag were gold bars and silver banknotes.