The question fell.
Inside the warm chamber, several young princes froze completely, their hands still clutching earthen bowls.
The youngest, the Ninth Prince, still had a mouthful of coarse rice porridge tucked between his lips. All he could do was puff out both cheeks and hold it there, not daring to swallow. He even held his breath.
No one answered. Only the mournful howl of the cold wind sweeping through the covered corridor outside could be heard.
Emperor Tiansheng continued rolling the string of sandalwood prayer beads between his fingers, each click making everyone’s hearts tremble.
Xiao Jingyan hurriedly swallowed the food in his mouth.
He was just about to close his lips and play dumb when the scene at the Xu residence suddenly flashed through his mind.
“What we want is for His Majesty to see that you aren’t trying to seize this deadly windfall…”
Xu Qinghuan’s words struck his ears once more.
But if this national policy was left unprotected…
If they all pretended to be deaf and dumb today, he could not shake the feeling that sooner or later, his father’s fury would burn its way back to the Xu family.
He straightened his chest.
“Father.”
Emperor Tiansheng did not stop turning the prayer beads. His expression held a hint of interest as he said, “The Third Prince has something to say?”
“Father, I believe that merchants value profit above all else. Looking for opportunities wherever they can is simply their nature. Prices have already risen by thirty percent in a single day. If this continues, it will inevitably disrupt prices throughout the capital and its surrounding regions.” Xiao Jingyan rapidly searched his mind for the countermeasures his advisers usually discussed before gritting his teeth and continuing. “Why not have the court step in and use funds from the imperial treasury to purchase large quantities of century-old firwood and tung oil? We could establish a ‘Price Stabilization Office’ outside the capital.”
He did his best to lay out this cautious, middle-of-the-road policy as clearly as possible.
“The court can guarantee twice the market price and release official supplies of timber. First, this would stabilize prices and leave the merchants who are hoarding goods and driving up prices with no profit to make. Second, it would protect the maritime trade policy personally decreed by Father, ensuring that it does not suffer a setback right at the start.”
When he finished, Xiao Jingyan let out a long breath.
He was secretly pleased with himself. By invoking his father’s authority, his proposal ought to have an unshakable foundation.
The clicking of the prayer beads stopped.
Emperor Tiansheng opened his eyes, his gaze drifting lightly onto Xiao Jingyan’s face.
Tsk.
Under ordinary circumstances, establishing a Price Stabilization Office to govern a region and steady grain prices would have been a cautious strategy unlikely to go seriously wrong.
But using it to resolve the current maritime trade crisis…
Using money from the imperial treasury to fill the stomachs of the great clans?
Utterly absurd.
And then there was that phrase, “the maritime trade policy personally decreed by Father.” The Third Prince had learned only how to curry favor with court officials and borrow momentum to push himself forward. He had not gained even the slightest ability to see the broader picture.
Emperor Tiansheng did not berate him. He merely wore a troubled expression.
“At least the Third Prince is willing to take an interest in affairs of state.”
Seven words.
Xiao Jingyan’s heart sank, and his ears rang.
He knew that tone all too well.
Whenever his father dismissed those pedantic officials who did nothing but submit memorials filled with praise, he used that same indifferent tone.
Something was wrong!
Xiao Jingyan immediately sensed danger.
It seemed he had learned only Xu Qinghuan’s courage to step forward, without seeing through the foundation of the game she was playing.
Xu Qinghuan had offered her counsel while holding His Majesty’s very lifeline in her hands. He, on the other hand, was merely reciting the stale platitudes of his advisers!
Cold sweat instantly seeped from his palms. He awkwardly retreated to his former position, not daring to say another word.
Across the round table, Xiao Jingxing had taken everything in.
He watched coldly as the Third Prince crumbled and withdrew, his thoughts racing.
The old man had only just taken a dangerously potent medicine and had even canceled court.
The old vessel that was Great Qian had just raised its sails for the open sea. It desperately needed someone strong enough to seize the helm and wrestle it under control.
Hmph. At a time like this, anyone who pretended to be obedient was nothing more than an incapable fool who could not even lift a bronze tripod.
Xiao Jingxing loosened his fingers, letting his bamboo chopsticks fall back onto the table.
He rose and bowed to Emperor Tiansheng.
“Father!” Xiao Jingxing called in a ringing voice.
“Why should this be called a calamity caused by unscrupulous merchants?” he declared. “It should clearly be called the first stirrings of Great Qian’s maritime trade!”
The moment those words were spoken, the air inside the chamber tightened.
Xiao Jingxing continued, “The great clans of Jiangnan and the wealthy merchants of the capital—everyone knows that the money in their hands is harder than iron.”
“They are willing to throw real gold and silver into the fray, chasing profits three times over as they frantically compete for the timber needed to build ships.”
“What does that prove? It proves that they believe in the court’s contracts! They believe in the mountains of silver waiting overseas!”
He clasped his hands behind his back, his voice charged with fervor. “This is precisely the growing pain that comes before the success of a national policy! If no one were fighting to get in, then we would truly be facing a stagnant pool. Maritime trade would become nothing more than empty words on paper!”
Emperor Tiansheng’s fingers stopped moving against the prayer beads. He gave a slight nod.
Seeing approval appear on his father’s face, Xiao Jingxing was overjoyed. “A threefold rise in timber prices is not the true danger. The real disaster lies in the absence of rules!”
His mind raced, though his face remained impassive.
“The wealthy merchants of the realm have plenty of ready cash. If they begin competing to be the first to build their ships and sweep up all the timber around the capital—or even all the timber across Great Qian’s thirteen provinces—”
“Then within three months, the resulting chaos will swallow the court whole!”
“The common people may find themselves unable to repair even a single tiled house. The Ministry of War may be unable to build a single supply cart. The Ministry of Works may have the foundations for constructing official vessels dug out from beneath it!”
“If inferior materials are passed off as quality timber, any great ship that reaches the open sea will become a coffin. That is the true source of disorder!”
“The Third Prince’s Price Stabilization Office is completely unworkable!” Xiao Jingxing raised a hand and pointed at Xiao Jingyan, ruthlessly trampling his rival. “How much money does the imperial treasury have to satisfy the greed of the great clans? And we absolutely cannot deploy soldiers to forcibly suppress the timber trade. If we draw our blades and shed blood now, it would be no different from the court strangling its own hopes of sailing overseas.”
“Then the national policy would become nothing but a joke!”
“But if we stand by and do nothing, we will be watching a heaven-sent source of wealth degenerate into a filthy scheme for a few powerful clans to line their own pockets.” At this point, Xiao Jingxing deliberately revealed a trace of confusion, prompting his father to ask for his solution. “Both paths lead to a dead end. The only option is for the court to intervene by force and bind these wealthy merchants with strict regulations!”
Emperor Tiansheng played along. “Oh? Tell me, First Prince. How would you bind them?”
“Enact the Regulations on Shipbuilding Materials!” Seeing his father respond, Xiao Jingxing could barely contain his delight.
“The court will bring the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works under unified control. All shipbuilding timber, tung oil, and pig iron in the capital and the surrounding thirteen provinces will be entered into official registers. Private parties will be strictly forbidden from buying or selling shipbuilding materials in bulk. Anyone who wishes to build a ship and sail overseas must first pay the required silver to the Ministry of Revenue and register the order, then proceed to the Ministry of Works to obtain authorization to collect the timber.”
He organized every detail of the plan in his mind. “We will divide the materials into three grades: A, B, and C. The more silver someone pays, the sooner and more plentifully they will receive their materials. At the same time, we will set firm deadlines for ship construction. Anyone who fails to complete a large vessel within the allotted time will have their maritime trade license revoked on the spot. We will bring this chaotic scramble entirely under the court’s accounts!”
After delivering his proposal, Xiao Jingxing dropped to both knees.
“Your son is unworthy, but I am willing to take on this responsibility! I will coordinate the six ministries on Father’s behalf and oversee the implementation of the Regulations on Shipbuilding Materials. No matter how many powerful clans and nobles I offend, I will not retreat by a single step. I will certainly clear a path through the waters of maritime trade!”
Xiao Jingxing lowered his head.
This move was undeniably ruthless.
Once the regulations were firmly established under his control, the number of ships Great Qian built, which families were allowed to set sail first, and which had to unload their cargo later would all become leverage in his hands.
By seizing control of the distribution of shipbuilding materials, he would be directly gripping every great clan by the throat.
This supreme authority was something he had to claim today.
Xiao Jingyan sat to one side, the color draining completely from his face.
Only now did he truly see just how sharp his elder brother’s fangs were.
With only a few words, he had driven him into a desperate corner.
Emperor Tiansheng sat motionless in the bright-yellow wooden chair.
His eyelids drooped slightly as his gaze slowly swept over the back of his eldest son, who knelt prostrate on the floor.
How could he fail to see through The First Prince’s scheme—to use the coordination of the Six Ministries as a pretext to amass power in secret and strangle the great clans by seizing control of their lifelines?
But at a time when Da Qian desperately needed precisely such a ruthless executioner—someone capable of smashing the entire mess apart and putting it back in order—what better choice was there?
He needed someone who could tear open a breach and cow the lawless tycoons and merchant magnates outside.
“Not bad.”
Emperor Tiansheng suddenly spoke.
“Not bad!” he repeated, his tone carrying an exceedingly rare note of approval.
“You do not shy away from danger, and you dare shoulder responsibility. As for maritime trade, this game is indeed a chaotic mess with no one at the helm. Jingxing, your Regulations on Shipbuilding Materials are founded on solid principles.”
Xiao Jingxing’s heart surged with delight, and his fingertips trembled repeatedly inside his sleeves. He was just about to bow and offer his thanks when, at that crucial moment, Emperor Tiansheng slowly withdrew his hand.
He wiped it against his robe, brushing away nonexistent dust. His tone abruptly turned flat, even taking on a hint of languor.
“However.” Emperor Tiansheng raised his head, his gaze drifting indifferently toward the gray sky outside the window. “Maritime trade involves far too many interests. Those old foxes in the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue have minds as deeply tangled as old roots. If you go ahead and establish these regulations on your own, I’m afraid you won’t be able to hold the situation together. It would be better to wait until the Grand Secretariat has drafted a detailed memorial before making a decision.”
Those few light words snatched the succulent morsel Xiao Jingxing had just gotten into his mouth and tore it away from him.
Xiao Jingxing’s body stiffened, but he swiftly steadied his breathing and knocked his forehead to the floor. “Everything shall be decided by Your Majesty.”
Emperor Tiansheng did not tell him to rise. Instead, he reached for a dry handkerchief beside the desk and wiped the traces of rice porridge from the corner of his mouth.
He casually tossed the handkerchief aside, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Xiao Jingxing and Xiao Jingyan.
Then he abruptly changed the subject.
“Set aside the Ministry of Works and Ministry of Revenue’s tangled accounts for now. Yesterday, I looked over the memorial submitted by the Ministry of Rites. As for this year’s capital examination and autumn examination…”
Emperor Tiansheng slowed his speech.
“Effective immediately, seal and transfer all the examination papers from this year’s capital examinations to the Dali Temple for safekeeping.”
“Jingxing.”
Xiao Jingxing trembled all over and answered in a clear voice, “Your son is here!”
“You will oversee this matter for the time being.”
Only when those words fell did everyone realize—
So this was where His Majesty’s test had been waiting all along.
