Chapter 74

Lu Fang smiled and said, “Your Majesty may command as you wish—I would gladly ascend a mountain of blades and descend into seas of fire to accomplish your task.”

What nonsense!

With the Zhou Emperor standing behind you, what difficulty could possibly be unsolvable?

The Zhou Emperor turned around, stroked his beard, and said, “Good! I shall send you to Wuyincheng to persuade Shen Squad Leader to fund the widespread distribution of the Great Zhou Gazette. If you succeed, I believe it will spread across all nineteen provinces within half a year.”

Shen Squad Leader?

The richest man in the Great Zhou!

Lu Fang’s eyes lit up. After all, the main obstacle to spreading the Gazette was the imperial treasury’s lack of silver—or its unwillingness to spend it at this critical moment.

Once the silver problem was solved, everything else would fall into place.

Persuading the richest man in the Great Zhou to fund the Gazette seemed easy to him—why did His Majesty say the chance was only four in ten?

Just as Lu Fang was about to voice his doubt, the Zhou Emperor smiled and said, “You may discuss the specifics with He Zixuan. I won’t disturb you while you cleanse your Blood-Cursing Spell.”

“Your Majesty, please take leave.”

“Your Majesty, please take leave.”

After the Zhou Emperor departed,

Zhou Heng, Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, gestured for Lu Fang to enter a quiet chamber. He had just sat cross-legged on a mat when a rapid, crisp tinkling of bells rang out.

Lu Fang looked up and saw a small copper bell, no bigger than a palm, hovering midair and swaying. Strangely, though it was loud, he felt an unusual calm.

Without realizing it, he had slipped into a meditative state.

When he emerged from meditation, the sky had grown dim by the time Lu Fang stepped out of the imperial palace.

“Marquis of Wenguan!”

He Zixuan’s head poked out from a carriage.

“What a coincidence?” Lu Fang stepped forward to greet him.

He Zixuan chuckled bitterly, “Didn’t you promise His Majesty you’d go to Wuyincheng? I’ve been ordered to brief you on the details—get in.”

Lu Fang nodded with a smile and climbed into the carriage, settling into the seat.

He Zixuan whispered, “Judging by your expression, you’re confident you can persuade Shen Squad Leader to fund the Gazette? Do you know this man is reclusive, stubborn, and never changes his mind? He’s already declared he has no interest in the Great Zhou Gazette.”

Lu Fang’s smile faded. He hesitated, “Does His Majesty mean Shen Squad Leader would dare defy him?”

He Zixuan chuckled bitterly, “Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t dare. But do you know that last month, Shen Squad Leader donated one hundred million taels of gold and ten thousand carts of supplies to the border regions?”

Lu Fang frowned. “If he’s willing to contribute so much to the Great Zhou, he’d be even less likely to defy His Majesty.”

He Zixuan gave a sardonic smile. “But even the richest man can’t keep pouring out silver like this. He donates to the treasury every year—not once or twice. His Majesty originally intended to ask him directly about the Gazette.”

“But Shen Squad Leader had already refused to get involved. Knowing his reclusive, unyielding nature, His Majesty didn’t want to pressure a man who’s done so much for the state.”

He Zixuan paused, then continued, “So you’re going as an individual—not as an imperial envoy. If you fail, it won’t damage relations between either side.”

Lu Fang exhaled deeply. “It doesn’t matter. The commercial potential of the Great Zhou Gazette is enormous. If I can just meet Shen Squad Leader, I’m confident—”

He Zixuan cut him off. “The Minister of Revenue said that all profits from selling the Gazette must go to the imperial treasury. Even if you had eight mouths, could you convince Shen Squad Leader to pay without profit? His Majesty has already agreed.”

“Cough! Cough! Cough!”

Lu Fang choked on his own saliva. Good heavens! No wonder the Zhou Emperor didn’t spell it out—he’d never have agreed to such terms. Not even Shen Squad Leader would take this deal!

Four percent chance? He’d be lucky to have one percent.

He Zixuan smirked. “From what His Majesty said, Shen Squad Leader seems to have high hopes for you. I heard he has a granddaughter he’s grooming as heir—maybe he’ll take you as a son-in-law. Then everything’s solved.”

“It wouldn’t be impossible.”

Lu Fang rolled his eyes, irritated. “If you give zero profit, who in their right mind would agree?”

He Zixuan shrugged. “His Majesty said that aside from the Gazette’s profits going to the treasury, you may make concessions on other matters as you see fit.”

“...”

Lu Fang had one “mmp” he wasn’t sure whether to say out loud—what else could he possibly concede, besides profit?

Three days later.

On the road outside Wuyincheng, in the northwest of the Great Zhou, a carriage moved slowly through thick fog.

“Young Master, you’re from outside, aren’t you? Around Wuyincheng, fog blankets a hundred li. Legend says it’s a defensive array set up by the Shen family’s patriarch. Once we enter the city, it’ll clear up.”

The driver sniffed and said.

Inside the carriage, Lu Fang pulled his cotton robe tighter. “I heard the Shen family patriarch is reclusive and never changes his word. Is that true?”

The driver chuckled.

“It’s true. And though he’s old, his heart’s still young. He used to sneak out in disguise, chasing women and pretending he wasn’t aging. Everyone in Wuyincheng knows. Young Master, just laugh it off—don’t mention it in the city, or the Shens will throw you out.”

Lu Fang smiled. “If he disguised himself, how do you know it was him?”

The driver laughed. “The Shen patriarch is tall—seven feet five inches. At first, he disguised his face, but his figure never changed. And his aura—once you’ve seen him, you recognize him.”

“Later, he got smarter and changed his build, but his aura? That never changes.”

“So everyone in the city figured it out. He then banned gossip about him. And there’s another ridiculous family rule: the Shens forbid marriage with anyone bearing the surname Shen. Isn’t that like hiding silver while shouting ‘I’ve got silver!’?”

“Hahaha…” Lu Fang burst out laughing. How could someone so amusing be reclusive and rigid?

“Whoa! Whoa!”

The carriage suddenly stopped.

Lu Fang steadied himself just as the driver snapped, “Where did this beggar come from? Don’t you want to live? If I run you over, don’t blame me!”

Lu Fang pulled back the curtain and saw a small, dirty-faced boy in a patched cotton coat, wearing a hat, standing with arms wide open.

With such thick fog, if the driver hadn’t noticed, he’d have hit the boy. No wonder he was angry.

The boy sniffed, his voice soft yet deliberately high-pitched: “How dare you speak like that? I’m Shen Squad Leader’s lost son. Take me to the Shen household, and my father will reward you with enough gold to live on for life.”

“Shoo! Shoo!”

The driver waved him off impatiently.

Lu Fang stopped him and smiled at the boy. “If you’d like, I’ll take you to Wuyincheng.”