Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

That evening, Lin Yanzhou had Lin Xiaolan summon everyone from the Imperial Preceptor's residence to the front courtyard. The steward, cooks, servants, gatekeepers, clerks, and more than thirty people in total stood in two rows in the courtyard. Some nervously rubbed their hands, some looked down at their toes, and some secretly glanced at the Imperial Preceptor under the eaves before quickly looking away.

In the center of the courtyard stood twelve neatly stacked sandalwood chests, each about half a person's height, their copper locks gleaming with a dark golden light in the setting sun. The chests were arranged in three rows, causing the blue brick floor to slightly sag, a testament to their weight. These chests fell into three categories: four were gifts from Emperor Zhao Yan to Zhang Lin'an; four were "tributes" privately sent by various ministers, with a variety of motives—some congratulating the establishment of a new department, some celebrating the return of the Imperial Preceptor to the capital, some expressing gratitude for Zhang Lin'an's leniency; and the remaining four were antique artifacts that Lin Yanzhou himself had specially selected during the confiscation of the Grand Tutor's residence. Each chest was so heavy that it required two strong men to lift it.

The butler stood at the front, clutching a bunch of keys, his palms sweating with nervousness. His wife—an elderly woman with gray hair but a straight back—stood on the outside of the crowd, her eyes lowered, but her back taut.

Lin Yanzhou stood on the steps, his gaze sweeping over the crowd in the courtyard: "I called you here today to broaden your horizons. The Imperial Preceptor's Mansion will inevitably have to deal with these things in the future, so seeing them early on will prevent you from being surprised later."

He nodded to the butler, signaling him to step forward and open the box.

With trembling hands, the steward opened each of the twelve chests one by one. When the lid of the first chest was lifted, the silver ingots inside gleamed heavily in the setting sun, stacked neatly like a newly built wall. The second chest contained gold ingots of excellent quality, each one weighing heavily on a velvet backing. The third chest held strings of pearls and jade, each one full and plump, gleaming with a warm, oily sheen in the sunlight. The fourth chest contained antique jade ornaments, exquisitely carved, clearly from the palace.

When the fifth opening was made, it contained a complete set of celadon tea utensils, the glaze as lustrous as solidified cream, said to be a unique piece from the imperial kilns of a previous dynasty. The sixth opening contained several ancient paintings, the scroll ends wrapped in ivory, the paintings yellowed but the ink as fresh as new. The seventh opening contained a necklace of agate and coral, each bead polished smooth and even. The eighth opening contained a sandalwood box, which, when opened, revealed a short knife with a sheath inlaid with seven turquoise stones.

The last four items were Lin Yanzhou's own private collection—porcelain, calligraphy and paintings, gold ingots, and silver ingots, all top-quality items confiscated from Zhang Lin's residence.

After all twelve chests were opened, the courtyard was filled with a dazzling display of light. The yellow of gold, the white of silver, the luster of pearls, the emerald green of jade, the red of agate, and the turquoise of celadon intertwined in the twilight, creating a heavy, opulent glow. The breathing of the servants visibly quickened, and a young clerk involuntarily took half a step forward, then abruptly stopped, startled by his own movement. The steward stepped aside, his face pale, as if he had never seen so many valuable items piled together before.

Lin Yanzhou walked down the steps and stood in front of the twelve boxes, his back to the people in the courtyard. He didn't turn around, but simply raised his right hand, palm down, fingers slightly spread, as if casually brushing away a speck of dust from a table.

Then he waved his hand.

The gesture was so light, almost like a casual wave of the hand. But in the instant his palm swept across the surface, everything in the twelve chests—gold ingots, silver ingots, pearls, jade, ancient jade, agate, celadon, calligraphy and paintings, necklaces, ivory scroll ends, turquoise daggers—vanished in the same instant. They disappeared neatly and orderly, as if an unseen hand had lifted them from the chests and placed them into another world.

The twelve chests remained in their original positions, the brass locks still gleaming, and the insides were spotless, without a single grain of sand remaining.

The courtyard remained quiet for a long time.

Some people forgot to breathe, some stared with their mouths agape for a long time, some had their legs go weak and could only barely stand by holding onto the pillars beside them. The young clerk dropped his pen, rolled twice, and came to rest at the foot of an empty box. The cook covered her mouth, her eyes wide, and let out a muffled "Ah."

Lin Yanzhou withdrew his hand, turned around and walked back up the steps, his voice carrying the smug satisfaction of having just finished showing off: "This little bit of immortal magic I possess will be seen often in the manor from now on, no need to make a fuss."

No one spoke. All eyes were on his right hand, which he had tucked back into his sleeve, as if trying to find some trace on it.

Lin Yanzhou stood on the steps, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone in the courtyard without making a sound, his mind-reading ability working simultaneously to capture every fleeting thought.

The steward thought to himself, "Heavens... the Imperial Preceptor is truly a celestial being... that wave he made just now was even more mysterious than magic. From now on, when working in the manor, I must never have the slightest wicked thought."

The cook thought to herself, "My goodness, all that gold is gone just like that... If the Imperial Advisor wants to take something, no one can stop him. I'd better behave myself from now on."

One of the servants thought, "If I could even learn a little bit of this skill... ptooey, what am I thinking? I'd be lucky to stay here peacefully in this mansion."

Lin Yanzhou continued scanning.

Lin Xiaolan stood by the pillar, quietly observing the twelve empty chests in the courtyard. Her gaze swept over the empty chests, not lingering on the shock of the vanished valuables, but landing on the hand Lin Yanzhou had tucked back into his sleeve. She thought, "The Imperial Preceptor didn't demonstrate this magical technique in front of so many people to show off. He wanted everyone to know that everything in the Imperial Preceptor's mansion was in his grasp. From now on, no one will dare to harbor any improper thoughts."

Lin Xiaoyu stood behind her sister, tilting her head slightly. Her gaze swept back and forth between the empty boxes twice before settling on Lin Yanzhou. Her thoughts were simple and clear: "A person who can take away twelve boxes of valuables out of thin air, yet is willing to demonstrate this ability in front of everyone—it means he's not afraid of people knowing. Such a powerful immortal is worth following."

Lin Yanzhou withdrew his mind-reading ability, his face expressionless. He probed deeper, confirming that the depths of their thoughts remained clear—Lin Xiaolan's deepest recesses held a faint, almost instinctive thought: "When the Imperial Preceptor used his magic, his hand was very steady. Someone so composed in front of everyone is trustworthy." Lin Xiaoyu's deepest thought was even simpler: "I'm willing to die for such a person."

Lin Yanzhou withdrew his senses, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

He bent down, pressing his right hand to the ground again. A faint light flashed from the silver ring, and the contents of the twelve chests reappeared in their original positions. This time, the chests were not empty, but filled with jewels and gold, as if the previous disappearance was just a demonstration.

The onlookers gasped in unison again; the scene was even more terrifying than when it had been taken away—appearing out of thin air was always more akin to the work of immortals than disappearing into thin air.

"That's enough." Lin Yanzhou collected the valuables again, then dusted off his hands. "Go do what you were doing. Have the butler move these empty boxes to the storeroom tomorrow."