Chapter 441: Shadows on the Canal

False Song, Bianjing, the Embankment Office.

Zheng He stood in the office of his superior—the old chief clerk's duty room, hands clasped at his sides, fingertips whitening from tension.

Before him on the desk lay the draft of his painstakingly devised improved canal boat, together with a preliminary budget for the trial vessel.

The old chief clerk sat behind the desk, brows furrowed, fingers unconsciously tapping the desktop, emitting a dull thud.

The atmosphere in the duty room was heavy, the air seeming to have ceased flowing.

"Zheng He,"

The old chief clerk finally spoke, his voice heavy with deep fatigue.

"Your intention is good. I have examined this draft carefully; it is indeed ingenious, and if successful it would benefit both state and people."

He then changed tone and sighed:

"But… this matter will have to be put aside for now."

Zheng He shot up his head, his eyes full of incomprehension and urgency.

"Sir! Why? The funds needed for the model boat are not much; I have calculated that even squeezing it from miscellaneous items…"

"It's not a matter of money!"

The old chief clerk cut him off, raising his voice slightly, a hint of irritation detectable.

"At least, not entirely."

He rose, walked to the window, and gazed at the unchanging gray-tile roof of the Ministry of Works office outside.

"Do you know how the news of your design and the trial boat got out? In recent days, several groups, openly or covertly, have passed word to me."

He turned to face Zheng He, his eyes complex.

"Some senior officials in the Canal Transport Office think you're being innovative, challenging the old system;"

"Over at the Imperial Workshop, someone complains you're overstepping, meddling in shipbuilding and breaking the rules;"

"Even some shipyard owners who make their living from the old canal boats have had others express 'concern.'"

The old chief clerk's tone was full of deep helplessness.

"They don't say your method is bad; they only say, 'Canal transport concerns the nation's lifeline, not to be lightly changed,' 'New vessels untested for decades may pose unknown risks,' 'Sudden changes affect many and easily cause trouble'—each sentence sounds righteous, yet like an invisible net they bind your idea tightly."

Zheng He listened, his heart sinking bit by bit.

He was no naive hothead; he naturally understood the meaning behind those words.

Touching interests is far harder than touching souls.

His notion of improving the canal boat, even if only a small trial vessel, had already touched a vast, conservative network of interests.

Those who profit from maintaining the old system, operating old ships, and controlling related links will not allow any variable that might break the status quo to appear.

Even if such a variable would benefit the state.

A cold despair mixed with unwilling anger surged in his chest.

He opened his mouth to speak, but found his throat dry and unable to produce sound.

The old chief clerk watched his dejected state and also felt unwilling to bear it.

He walked back to the desk and lowered his voice:

"Zheng He, it's not that I don't want to help you. I'm just… alone and weak, unable to resist. If we push this forward, I fear not only will the boat not be built, but you… even my position may not hold. So… endure for now."

Zheng He lowered his gaze, staring at the faded pattern on the hem of his official robe, silent for a long time.

Finally, he drew a deep breath, bowed to the old chief clerk, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I… understand. Thank you, sir, for your protection."

He rose, did not look again at the draft into which he had poured countless efforts, turned, and left the duty room with a somewhat unsteady step.

The old chief clerk watched his retreating back, sighed heavily, slowly rolled up the draft, and tucked it into a dusty corner at the bottom of the bookshelf.

Almost at the moment Zheng He suffered this blow,

Chen Dynasty, a separate villa.

Qian Gui presented a latest secret report from False Song Bianjing to Chen Wen.

"My lord, Zheng He's canal boat improvement plan, having touched existing interests, has been forcibly suppressed by his superior; the trial boat project has been aborted."

Chen Wen heard this, his expression hardly changing, as if he had expected it.

He stood before the huge map, his gaze falling on the winding line representing the Bian River's canal transport.

"The False Song dynasty's chronic ills are evident in this."

He said lightly.

"A reform beneficial to the state and people, still in its infancy, has already been strangled by those entrenched old forces. Their internal resistance far exceeds our earlier trials in agriculture and epidemic prevention."

Zhang Cheng added from the side:

"According to secret informants, Zheng He has been deeply struck, lately rather despondent in the office. Yet his eyes still hold unwillingness."

Chen Wen gave a slight nod.

"Where there is unwillingness, there remains a spark. For us, this is not without value."

He turned to face Zhang Cheng and Qian Gui.

"First, this obstruction has let us see more clearly the inner workings of the False Song bureaucracy, especially the departments handling major interests, where conservative forces are stubborn and reform proceeds with difficulty. This helps us adjust our subsequent infiltration strategy, avoiding blind optimism."

"Second, Zheng He, having suffered this setback, if properly guided, could turn his dissatisfaction with the status quo into deeper reflection and drive. He could become a nail driven deeper."

"What does my lord intend…?"

Qian Gui asked.

"Have the South Wind Chronicle work in a more covert way to give Zheng He a certain… reassurance and encouragement."

Chen Wen instructed.

"It could be done through anonymous letters affirming his talent and ambition, or via a trusted third party familiar with him, who at the right moment leaks some word to suggest his plan is not unappreciated—only the timing is off, the resistance coming from above. Make sure he feels he is not fighting alone, but absolutely do not expose our presence."

"I understand."

Qian Gui received the order.

"We will arrange the safest channel to proceed."

Chen Wen turned his gaze back to the map.

By the canal, shadows lay thick.

A failed improvement, though it seemed a setback, also made the underwater reefs clearer.

This gave him a deeper understanding of the turbulent undercurrents beneath the False Song's seemingly stable "civil governance" facade.

"It seems,"

He murmured to himself, a hint of a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

"To stir up greater waves in that stagnant water, relying on just a few wisps of wind and a few pebbles is far from enough."

He needs greater strength, and more importantly, to pinpoint the weakest point of that crucial dam.

His progress grew, quietly yet firmly taking a small step forward in this deeper insight into the False Song's system.

The road ahead is long and obstructed.

But the torch in his hand burns brighter, for having seen more darkness.