Ink Burns

Chapter 204 I Have the Capital to Talk (Fat Chapter)

The broth of Su Yang Chun is very warm. From the moment it touches your lips and teeth to the moment it slides into your stomach, it gives you a sense of security and reassurance—this is the warmth and feeling that this bowl of noodles brings to Shan Yue.

Just like this man: he inspires peace of mind and trust.

She trusted this man.

Shan Yue lowered her eyes.

As an official, Xue Xiao crossed the bottom line of Confucianism and Taoism, displaying an extremely tough and fierce attitude in order to fight against injustice—she had never seen anyone more in line with the image of a high-ranking official she expected than Xue Xiao.

She also trusted this official.

As an ally, Xue Xiao is reliable, resourceful, and powerful, and has saved the situation from danger on several occasions.

Whether as a man, an official, or an ally, she could find no fault with Xue Xiao.

You can tell him.

She was willing to tell him.

This will be the first time she has revealed the whole truth since the night of the Fushoushan wildfire.

Before speaking, Shan Yue finished eating her plain noodles, lowered her eyes, stared at the light brown soup in the rough porcelain bowl, took a deep breath, and began to tell her story: "Shui Guang and I both come from the He family of Hetou Village, Songjiang Prefecture."

She recounted her background, her origins, how she was hit on the back of the head with a stick and dragged up Fushou Mountain in a sack, her stories of Cheng Xingju, Xue Chen, Chang Yusu, Fu Mingjiang and her brother, Cui Yulang, how she risked her life to deliver Shui Guang and her mother Qiu Erniang to safety, how Qiu Erniang saved her with her own life, and the great fire.

Shan Yue tried her best to keep her emotions in check as she spoke.

She tried to speak as if she were an outsider.

But the emotions that had persisted for ten years, never fading in the slightest, swept in like a hurricane. Her so-called peace and stability crumbled before the memories she had never forgotten.

Shan Yue took a deep breath and slowly clenched her fist on the wooden table.

endure.

Her usual patience.

Of all things in this world, only self-control and patience will not let her down.

"You know what happened after that. From the Tianqiao acrobatic troupe to Shantang Street in Suzhou Prefecture, then to the Cheng family, then to the Liu family, and finally married you as Liu Hezhou's niece. The scar on my back was from being whipped by the troupe leader when I was learning stilt walking, and the loss of taste in my mouth was from being burned by a hot stone for disobeying." When talking about her suffering, Shanyue recounted it in a straightforward manner, without any emotion.

The underlying sorrow in Xue Xiao's eyes could not be concealed or dispelled.

Shan Yue smiled and said, "Your hearing isn't good either—we're not exactly blessed children, so there's no need to bring up our past hardships."

Xue Xiao lowered his head slightly, silently hummed in agreement, and then asked, "Are there any other injuries?"

With a faint smile, Shan Yue extended her right hand: "Does getting chilblains on my ten fingers from washing brushes and painting in winter count?"

After saying that, he chuckled to himself and shook his head with a smile: "--There's nothing else. Even if I was injured, it's just that I've recovered from the injury. It's not a big deal or a story worth telling."

Xue Xiao kept his head down and remained silent.

As if to conceal something, Shan Yue's smile widened: "Am I stupid? Trying to break through a rock with an egg, wasting my remaining years and causing myself so much pain, just to break through a tiny corner of the icy peak—the things that haunt my nightmares are just fleeting memories for people like Chang Yusu, who even need reminders to remember that sin."

"No. You are not stupid. You are smart, brave, resilient, strong, tolerant, and kind."

Xue Xiao interrupted Shan Yue, picked up a stool, and sat down in front of her. Because he was very tall, he had to bend down slightly to meet Shan Yue's gaze. He was usually gloomy and silent, but at this moment his gaze was extremely firm and ardent: "You came from the storm, yet you are still willing to give people shelter from the wind and rain, like Second Aunt, like Zhou Liniang, like Huang Zhi. This is kindness and tolerance. You entered Qingfeng alone, step by step, to get here. This is perseverance and intelligence. You do not want to harm others, and you carry the burden without reservation. This is courage and strength. You should hold your head high. There has never been a better girl in this world than you."

If gazes had warmth, they would be hotter than a bowl of plain noodles.

Shan Yue felt as if those two beams of gaze were piercing through her face.

"Without you, I wouldn't have made it this far—" Shan Yue's smile faded, and she turned her face away, avoiding Xue Xiao's burning gaze.

"No." Xue Xiao smiled slightly. "Without me, there would be another person in a high position of power, someone dumber than me, easier to manipulate than me, and more—"

Xue Xiao paused: "Your tricks are easier for me to fall for than for me."

Shan Yue's brows furrowed into a deep frown: Here we go again! More ambiguous words, deliberately left unsaid. If he couldn't explain himself, how could she refuse him? If she rashly refused, wouldn't she be branded as a peacock displaying its plumage?! —She told him about her past not to elicit his pity or sympathy, but to demonstrate her unwavering determination for revenge, a determination to slay any obstacle in her path!

Just as Shan Yue was about to speak, she saw Xue Xiao's upright posture and serious expression, as if the smile on his lips just now was her illusion—a very standard attitude towards an ally.

Shan Yue swallowed her words: she had a high sense of self-respect and would never allow herself to become a peacock displaying its feathers, blindly misunderstanding the love of others.

Xue Xiao had seen through Shan Yue's inner thoughts. He lowered his head slightly, hiding the smile in his eyes, and continued in a deep voice as if he hadn't said anything before: "So, you have no direct grudge against 'Qing Feng'."

Shan Yue shook her head: "No, it just so happens that I have a blood feud with the descendants of 'Qing Feng' who killed my mother."

Xue Xiao said, "It wasn't a coincidence. After the 'Duzhou Dam Breach Case,' the aristocratic officials of Jiangnan, who had been silent for decades, rose rapidly again with the help of the late emperor. A circle of aristocratic officials centered around the Grand Princess Jing'an was formed, which was the prototype of 'Qingfeng.' The late emperor was obsessed with calligraphy and painting, entrusting civil affairs to the Grand Secretariat and military affairs to the Cui and Chang families. Apart from Empress Ji, who still firmly controlled the inner palace, the aristocratic families were slowly regaining their lost ground in the court. The aristocratic families were becoming increasingly proud, and their descendants were becoming increasingly arrogant and domineering. It was just cause and effect." Shan Yue asked the question she had always wanted to ask: "Why did the Grand Princess Jing'an help the current emperor ascend the throne?"

She had always believed that the current emperor and "Qingfeng" had reached some kind of agreement, which was why the Grand Princess Jing'an had helped him ascend the throne and thus made a contribution to the rise of the new emperor. Now it seems that Prince Qing, who was in the princely residence, and the current emperor had also suffered under "Qingfeng" for a long time, and also had a heart for the country and its people, rather than being an emperor who was entirely wielding power.

There's a saying...
People are grouped by their kind, and things are grouped by their type.

In Shan Yue's mind, those who were on good terms with Xue Xiao were the first to be given a "no-inspection" label.

The emperor, in his position, was inevitably constrained by many factors. But if he hadn't seen through the deep-seated problems of the aristocracy holding power and treacherous officials running rampant, how could he have carefully balanced the relationship between the common people and the aristocracy in each imperial examination? How could he have carefully balanced the North-South conflict? How could he have selected these people and entrusted them to Xue Xiao to establish the Tianbao Temple? How could he have planted seeds of discontent like Xue Xiao in the court, secretly accumulating power for the future overthrow of the dynasty?
If the emperor consistently behaves this way, why would Grand Princess Jing'an give him a push?
"When the late emperor passed away, there were only three sons in the court. The sixth prince, Prince Rong, whose maternal family was the Marquis of Wu'an, a powerful clan in Jiangnan, had just turned one month old."

"Yes! Only with a young emperor can there be strong ministers!"

"Prince Rong has caught a cold, and his cough is lingering," Xue Xiao said calmly.

The mountain moon fell silent.

Infants who contract the disease are extremely likely to die.

"Although the late emperor's younger brother, Prince Qin, was far away in Lingnan, he still held the troops against the Japanese pirates. Although they were few in number, they were still a force to be reckoned with. If he saw that even a sick and weak infant could ascend the throne, do you think he would fight for it?" Xue Xiao's expression was very calm: "Moreover, at that time, Empress Ji was still alive, and Jing'an was not yet in a position to control the affairs of the palace."

If Prince Rong were to be made emperor at this time, it would truly be a case of Sima Zhao's intentions being known to all—although the late emperor has passed away, his vassal kings and brothers are still alive. If Jing'an were to defy public opinion and preside over the enthronement of Prince Rong as emperor, it would be forcing the vassal kings to their doom!

Xue Xiao continued, "Moreover, when Prince Qing was a prince, he always acted quiet and docile, and he also suffered from the same asthma as the late Crown Prince."

If Prince Qing is not suitable, then only Prince Yong, who shares the same mother as Prince Qing, is an option.

Prince Yong is older and healthier. If she had to choose between the two, and she were Jing'an, she would also choose Prince Qing.

Upon receiving an explanation, Shan Yue nodded: "What if the Sage directly eliminates 'Qing Feng'?"

“A sage always acts based on evidence.” Xue Xiao shook his head: “I’m sticking to the Duzhou dam breach case for two reasons: first, to avenge my mother, and second, to give the sage a legitimate opportunity to bring up ‘Qingfeng’. The Duzhou case involves the Jiangnan region. Once it’s proven that officials along the Jiangnan region are corrupt and derelict in their duties, the sage can take advantage of the situation to replace the old officials, break the Jiangnan pattern, and encircle the capital from the local areas.”

"So when Liu Hezhou of Songjiang Prefecture was about to be appointed to office, the capital did not delay and sent Lord Bai." Shan Yue said in a low voice.

“Yes.” Xue Xiao nodded: “But apart from Liu Hezhou, everyone else along the Jiangnan region is in their prime and cannot be moved without reason.”

Shan Yue raised her eyes: "Where is the case of the Duzhou dike breach stuck?"

"Where did the money from the embezzlement of funds used for dike construction go?"

Xue Xiao replied, "After the Duzhou dike breach case, 32,000 taels of embezzled silver were seized from the basement of the Su family's private residence inside Shanhaiguan and put into the treasury. Later, this silver was redistributed to the Northern Frontier Army, which had fallen into the hands of the Cui family. So here's the question: we all assume that the Su family was wronged and did not embezzle, so how and where did the silver go after the real embezzlers embezzled it? Was it transported from Jiangnan to Shanhaiguan? How is that possible?! There is no canal in Shanhaiguan. If it were to be smuggled, only a caravan would do! How could such a large-scale caravan enter and leave Shanhaiguan so quietly?"

"The money used to frame the Su family must have been obtained through some trickery within Shanhaiguan."

"And the silver embezzled during the canal repairs must still be inside the Great Wall—where did this money go? How did it go?"

Xue Xiao shook his head: "I only found the families of officials in the capital who had close ties with Liu Hezhou in the Liu family, but I did not find any information about this debt."

"Guan'an Studio—"

Shan Yue suddenly looked up: "Chang Yusu said that the Duzhou dike breach case is connected to the Guan'anzhai in the capital! It's Guan'anzhai!"

Calligraphy and painting can be elegant, noble, blood-soaked, or even criminal.

Calligraphy and painting are priceless.

What does "priceless" mean?
I can price a painting at one hundred taels, or one tael, or even ten thousand taels.

Any pricing strategy is reasonable.

By purchasing high-priced calligraphy and paintings, one can turn their money into something of legitimate origin.

She laundered this kind of money for Master Sun!

Shan Yue's eyes darted around quickly as she pulled a large jade thumb ring from her sleeve.

"What is this—?" Xue Xiao frowned.

"Chang Yusu's right thumb ring."

Shan Yue gently raised her eyes: "I think I have the resources to talk to the Zhou family."

Xue Xiao admires the strong, while Shan Yue pities the weak.

I wonder when the birds will discover how easily the moon eats soft food.

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