Chapter 2675: The Capital (Part 31)

"So it is a token." Liu Sha carefully tucked away the folding fan.

"Your Excellency walks the Jianghu as one beyond the secular world—do you have a religious name?"

"Not yet." Liu Sha scratched his head. "Though I do have a nickname: 'Liu Mutou' [Liu Wood/Blockhead]."

Wang Yehao let out a puchi of laughter upon hearing this. "How fitting—it corresponds perfectly to the order of the Five Elements. 'Jinshi' [Metal-Stone] already resides in this household; from now on, Your Excellency shall be known as 'Mushi Daoist' [Wood-Stone Daoist]."

"This humble one thanks the Master for bestowing such a name." Liu Sha bowed with cupped hands.

"You presumably understand that my residence does not lack capable people. The reason I've chosen to employ you specifically has its own purpose."

"Yes, this small one understands!"

"Do not sever your old relationships with those brothers in the Yamen and beyond."

Liu Sha immediately grasped what Master Wang valued most: his network within the Zhenfusi. It seemed this Master Wang harbored no small ambitions. However, as long as it wasn't outright rebellion, Liu Sha cared little about his employer's machinations. Having served in the Zhenfusi for many years, he could be counted among those who were both "bold" and "careful." He knew well that as long as one didn't back the wrong side, a certain recklessness was actually an advantage.

"Yes, entirely at the Master's command."

"Good." Wang Yehao beckoned him forward and instructed in a low voice, "Find a house in the city—it must be remote and quiet. Settle the two maids there."

"Master, what is this about?" Liu Sha was filled with suspicion. Judging by what he had just witnessed, this didn't seem like a case of hiding a beauty in a golden house.

"No need to ask further. Just see it done; there will be plans in due time."

"This small one understands."

After issuing his instructions, Wang Yehao did not dismiss Liu Sha. Instead, he pulled a booklet from a compartment in his desk and asked, "Do you recognize the incantations in this booklet?"

Before returning the notebook with its coded contents to Mr. Zhou, Wang Yehao had secretly copied it. Over the past year, whenever he found a spare moment, he would take it out to study in private. Unfortunately, he had never managed to unlock its secrets.

Liu Sha flipped through it for quite some time before finally shaking his head. "Forgive my shallow learning—I've never encountered this type of incantation."

"No clue at all?"

"There are thousands of spell methods in the world, and every sect guards secret arts that are never passed down. Might I ask where the Master obtained this book? If the sect is known, perhaps I could find someone to interpret a portion of it."

"To be honest, it was a complete coincidence. This Official has no idea which sect this belongs to. If you cannot help, then consider the matter unasked. Do not mention it again." Wang Yehao put the booklet away. "Go to the accounting room to collect one hundred taels of silver, then attend to the business I've assigned you."

Liu Sha answered "Nuo" and rose to take his leave.

Wang Yehao watched "Wood Stone" depart, his expression thoughtful. Recruiting more manpower certainly proved useful, but household expenses had grown accordingly. Especially in these past two years, grasping the shifting currents of the treacherous court situation had required substantial expenditures. Though he had collected a respectable sum during his tenure as Imperial Commissioner in Guangdong, a careful accounting of the larger ledger revealed a significant shortfall.

The Wang family could claim a lineage of officials stretching back generations, but in recent times, few had actually held office, and the accumulated family wealth had dwindled considerably. Wang Yehao himself had spent many years as a capital official without ever being posted to the provinces—lucrative opportunities that others exploited freely. Consequently, he took the matter of "opening sources" quite seriously.

Unfortunately, there was no one in the family with a head for commerce. The contributions from merchants amounted to fixed regular payments, supplemented only by land rent income. Compared to common people, it was certainly affluent, but it fell far short of true wealth. During idle conversations with Immortal Zhou, they had touched upon the Art of Tao Zhu [Business]. Immortal Zhou was remarkably confident, claiming that once the Universe Mirror was in his hands, he could touch stone and turn it to gold. Any sum of silver would present no difficulty.

This Universe Mirror seemed to exist in a state between presence and absence, so one could hardly count on it with certainty. However, Immortal Zhou had mentioned several business ventures.

The first was winemaking. The Shaoxing region was already famous for its wines, and the Wang family even possessed a modest winery. But quality wine required quality water. In Shaoxing, the finest water came from Jianhu Lake. Yet the lake's water was limited, shared among many wineries. The Wang family's operation could never hope to monopolize it.

The regions of Shaoxing, Jinhua, and Dongyang were blessed with abundant mountains and a mild climate. There was no shortage of grain for brewing or high-quality water sources. Jinhua Wine, the most famous premium yellow wine of the Great Ming, originated from this very area. However, the brewing industry demanded enormous quantities of water, and sources that combined both excellent quality and sufficient volume were rare. Simply expanding an existing winery's scale or establishing new ones was a troublesome endeavor. The Wang family lacked anyone with the talent to run about securing such resources.

Mr. Zhou's perspective differed entirely. Yellow wine had been done to death in the Great Ming—everyone from Emperor to commoner drank it. Speaking of production regions alone, there were many: Shanxi, Shandong, South Zhili, Zhejiang, and more all produced yellow wine. Every niche of taste and grade had been thoroughly occupied. Therefore, his proposal was to make White Liquor—also known as "Fire Wine" in those days.

But White Liquor had a sharp, stimulating taste and high alcohol content. The customer base was limited, consisting mostly of lower-class commoners. Soldiers and bottom-tier laborers made up the majority. As a result, it couldn't command premium prices. Wang Yehao had sniffed at the suggestion.

But Mr. Zhou remained undeterred. He claimed to possess a method for brewing white liquor with superior taste and better grain efficiency that placed few demands on water quality. He further argued that as long as costs remained low and sales channels spread wide, high volume would inevitably yield substantial profits.

"The court now campaigns in Liaodong—bitter cold lands. Soldiers guarding those frozen borders, shouldn't they have a few mouthfuls of Shao Dao Zi [burning knife liquor] to warm their bodies? With an army of over a hundred thousand, if each man drinks half a tael or one tael per month, can you imagine the sales?"

Later, he had mentioned many other avenues for making money: matches, fragrant soap, MSG, swivel chairs, cosmetics, perfume, dyes, medicines... no fewer than twenty or thirty different products in total. He also spoke of building windmills and waterwheels, smelting steel, burning lime to produce caustic soda... Wang Yehao had listened in bewilderment, convinced it was all nonsense.

And yet, he found himself somewhat moved by the Teacher's "nonsense." Simply hearing the descriptions of these various goods stirred something in him. If they could actually be produced, why would selling them be a concern?

During this homecoming visit, someone happened to be offloading an estate in Dongyang at a low price. The property lay in mountainous terrain. Though it possessed little farmland, water sources were plentiful, and the surrounding forests offered rich resources. If Mr. Zhou truly possessed the Art of Tao Zhu, this would make an ideal location for operations. After all, once business flourished, competitors would inevitably attempt to steal the secret techniques.

Therefore, Wang Yehao swiftly spent the money to acquire it, establishing a secret base. Apart from his most trusted family members, no one else knew he now owned property in Dongyang.

Speaking of which, this Mr. Zhou showed remarkable interest in the arts of investigation and clandestine inquiry. According to reports from Zhou Lezhi and Liu Zhao, ever since Mr. Zhou learned that Liu Zhao was a Jinyiwei investigator, he frequently pressed Liu Zhao for information about the inner workings of the Jinyiwei and the Northern Zhenfusi. To Liu Zhao's astonishment, Mr. Zhou already possessed extensive knowledge of the Guard and the Division's anecdotes and history—details that ordinary commoners would never know, and that even low-level personnel like Liu Zhao had never heard.

Hearing of the many anecdotes this "Immortal" knew, Wang Yehao became convinced that his claimed origins—going to sea with the Sanbao Eunuch and cultivating the Dao after encountering danger—were pure fabrication. If he had truly remained overseas for so many years, how could he know such things?

Regarding investigation itself, this Immortal Zhou held many unique views. Liu Zhao hadn't elaborated on the specifics, but judging from his expression, he clearly harbored considerable admiration.

Unexpectedly, this Immortal truly gathered knowledge from countless sources. Setting aside his ability to predict the future, he also understood the miscellaneous arts of a hundred crafts, and even knew a thing or two about arresting and espionage—enough to impress even Liu Zhao. This made Master Wang find his origins ever more mysterious.

Though Immortal Zhou possessed formidable abilities and had brought him many benefits, Master Wang always felt as though thorns pricked at his back.

He couldn't say why, but Immortal Zhou possessed an indescribable quality about him.

"This man is certainly no common fish content to remain in a pond!" he thought to himself.

And yet, to say he possessed the "Aura of a Tyrant" or the bearing of some formidable hero—that wasn't quite right either. In short, he left Master Wang feeling that control would prove difficult.

"I must obtain some leverage," he muttered.

However, this Immortal Zhou was utterly alone in the world, with no family members to manipulate. The only thing he seemed to cherish was the Universe Mirror. But this Universe Mirror had yet to be found.

No relatives, no fields or houses, no precious calligraphy or paintings... Calculating carefully, this man possessed nothing. Besides his fear of death, there was truly nothing to hold over him.

Since Wang Yehao intended to use him, he couldn't very well hold a blade to his throat at all times. Wang Yehao was no Zhu Yuanzhang; he understood that ruling through threats of death only bred passive resistance. It was absolutely impossible to make someone willingly exhaust their wisdom and energy to do excellent work under such conditions.

What he could conceive was using feminine wiles to entrap him. Best of all would be if a woman could bear him a son or even a daughter. With his own flesh and blood at stake, he would have no choice but to comply.

However, though the two maids, Jieyi and Zhiling, had been with Mr. Zhou for no short time, and though Zhou Lezhi's reports confirmed that Mr. Zhou frequently "conquered" the two maids—sometimes indulging in daytime dalliances when there was nothing better to do—neither woman had shown any signs of pregnancy.

By all reason, both maids were in the bloom of youth, and Mr. Zhou appeared to be only in his early thirties by both face and physique. No matter how one examined the situation, his line should not remain without heir.

During this period, Master Wang had even secretly hired physicians to examine the two maids and regulate their constitutions. According to the doctors, neither woman suffered any significant problems with kidney yang, kidney yin, Qi, or blood. Though some regulating medicine was prescribed, there had not been a hint of good news.

One woman struggling to conceive might indicate a problem with her. But if neither maid became pregnant, then nine times out of ten, the issue lay with Mr. Zhou.

If so, sending additional women would prove useless. The man himself required bodily conditioning. But he had already departed for Guangzhou.

Wang Yehao could wait no longer, so he immediately summoned Liu Sha to discuss the matter.

"I've called you here to discuss none other than Mr. Zhou," Wang Yehao sighed. "He has resided in my household for some time now and is remarkably capable. His only misfortune is that his line remains without heir. Though I provided him two maids, there has been no happy news..."

His words were entirely proper and presentable. Even if someone reported them to Mr. Zhou, not a single fault could be found.

A Northern Division investigator like Liu Sha possessed the most perceptive of hearts; he understood the Master's intent the moment he heard it. He smiled knowingly. "Master, what difficulty is there? In the matter of heirs, it isn't only biological children who can carry on the ancestral incense..."

"What you say makes sense." Master Wang nodded to himself. This Liu Sha was indeed a clever man!

"Are there suitable children available? They must be reliable, with no attachments."

"If the Master commands, this small one will see it done," Liu Sha replied. "Should the child be male or female?"

"He is still young; most likely he will have biological offspring in the future. Since this is to be an adopted child [Ming Ling], choose a girl."

"The Master's reasoning is most sound."

"This matter must be handled with utmost discretion."

"This small one understands." Liu Sha nodded, comprehending fully.

(End of Chapter)