Chapter Thirty-Eight: The General of the Black Armor! The Kingdom of Nightfall!

Yuxing Cloth Store warehouse.

Zhao Yuancheng sat in a corner of the warehouse, watching with great pleasure as his men unloaded raw silk and finished silk fabrics from the carts and restacked them. These goods were incredibly delicate; without proper storage, they would be infested with insects or turn yellow within days.

Zhao planned to hold them for at least another half-month before selling. Based on his experience, silk prices would reach their peak by then. Selling at that moment would not only yield the highest profit but also bankrupt a large number of his competitors, paving the way for Yuxing Cloth Store to monopolize the Jiangnan silk market. With such success, his status with his primary benefactor would naturally rise accordingly. Thinking about how he had orchestrated the false charges against the Su family, crushed his biggest rival, and was now on the verge of unifying the Jiangnan silk industry, he couldn't help but hum a little tune, feeling truly brilliant.

Just then, the warehouse doors were kicked open with a loud "bang!" A squad of guards stormed in. Zhao recognized them as the Prince’s personal guard, and his heart skipped a beat with surprise. He stood up hurriedly and asked, "Gentlemen, what is the meaning of this..."

"By the Prince’s order, we are seizing the stolen goods from the Su family case!" Jian Qi said coldly.

Zhao was even more shocked, then furious. "Are you mistaken? The Prince’s guards coming to seize evidence? Even if these are stolen goods, it’s the magistrate's job to seize them, not yours!"

Before he could finish, a guard struck him hard across the face. "Insolence! The Prince of Ning’s mansion holds authority over all military and political affairs in Ningzhou. Is there any stolen property we cannot seize, or any matter we cannot manage?"

Zhao was rendered speechless. It was true; although the Prince of Ning’s residence had a negligible presence in Ningzhou, according to the Great Qian laws, the feudal prince did indeed have jurisdiction over everything within his territory.

Jian Qi continued, "Li Yuanwang has been arrested for corruption and malpractice, fabricating the Su family case, and colluding with Prince Yu! Zhao Yuancheng, since these stolen goods are in your warehouse, you are clearly Li Yuanwang’s accomplice!"

"What?" Zhao turned deathly pale and shouted, "I am no accomplice! I am no accomplice!"

"Seize him!"

Several guards stepped forward and bound Zhao Yuancheng securely.

Jian Qi ordered, "Seal the warehouse, seal the Yuxing Cloth Store, and confiscate Zhao Yuancheng’s assets! All property is to be sealed and held pending transfer!"

Seeing that they were serious, Zhao cried out, "Wait! Do you know who the real owner of Yuxing Cloth Store is? You cannot seize this, you absolutely cannot!"

Jian Qi replied coldly, "I don't care to know. I only know that in Ningzhou, the Prince of Ning is the highest authority."

...

Meanwhile, aboard the official vessel.

The small interruption had passed, and the ship continued its journey.

"Xue Yuan, I ask you one more time: are you willing to become my personal disciple?" Grand Scholar Chu asked for the second time. He had remained silent during the earlier incident involving Li Yuanwang because he knew nothing of the case; as a man of his standing, he could not comment rashly—such was the cultivation of a Grand Scholar.

Xue Yuan certainly wanted to. After all, if he became Grand Scholar Chu’s disciple, even the Emperor—let alone Prince Yu—would have to consider Chu’s influence before trying to kill him. Furthermore, with Chu as his backer, who in Ningzhou would dare touch him?

Just as he was about to agree, Qian Zhongxian rushed in. "No! Grand Scholar Chu, this must not happen!"

Chu Yanshu demanded angrily, "And why not?"

Qian Zhongxian replied, "I have something to show you, Master Chu. Please step aside to view it; we can discuss this after you have seen it."

Chu Yanshu frowned but followed Qian to the side. They turned their backs to the others, but Xue Yuan saw from a distance that Qian had produced an item from his sleeve. After viewing it, Chu Yanshu’s face turned ashen. No one knew what he had seen, but he simply said, "In that case, let this matter be dropped."

Everyone was astonished. Xue Yuan was furious. *You wretch, Qian Zhongxian! I’ve been kind enough to give you two eggs every day, and you turn around and ruin my opportunity? What on earth did you have hidden in that sleeve?*

Then, Grand Scholar Chu added, "However, I will be lecturing at the Bailu Academy in three days. If the Prince has time, he is welcome to attend."

Xue Yuan felt a glimmer of hope and quickly replied, "Of course! I’d love to be a student. I will certainly be there!"

Chu Yanshu nodded, flicked his large sleeves, and left the cabin. Qian Zhongxian hurried after him, saying, "Master Chu, I actually have one more piece of music I haven't played yet..."

Xue Yuan looked at Chu Qiu’er, whose face was swollen, and chuckled, "Princess, why didn't the butler take you to get a compress? Look at your face, it’s all swollen!"

Chu Qiu’er touched her face, filled with shame and anger. Not only was her face swollen, but her backside was too!

...

The fleet soon arrived at Juyangpu, located on the upper reaches of the Ning'an River. It was said that the name Juyangpu was given by the founding Emperor Wu. According to unofficial history, when Emperor Wu passed through this area with his army, he stopped to water his horses and set up camp. Seeing a perilous peak in the distance rising into the clouds, he remarked, "How grand and sun-like!" and thus the riverbank was named Juyangpu. Later, however, court historians frantically debunked this, claiming "Juyang" meant "the sun," signifying brightness and integrity.

It was impossible to verify who was right, but since Emperor Wu had been here, this was the chosen site for the sacrificial ceremony. When Xue Yuan disembarked, he noticed that Lin Shishi, who had been dancing on the roof of the boat, was gone. He felt a bit uneasy. Fortunately, Jian Qi returned.

"Is it done?"

"Yes."

"Stay by my side from now on. I have a feeling something else is going to happen," Xue Yuan said, then added, "Oh, and invite Grand Scholar Chu over. Have him stand next to me."

"You don't trust me?" Jian Qi frowned, as if offended.

"That's not it at all! I’m saying that if anything happens, he can assist you," Xue Yuan insisted.

"He is here to recite the sacrificial text; he will be with you regardless," Jian Qi said flatly.

Xue Yuan felt relieved. After all, Chu Yanshu was one of the ten great masters of the Great Qian; with him there, surely nothing could go wrong.

On the riverbank, a platform about ten meters high had been erected. The area within ten zhang of the platform had been cleared by soldiers holding torches. Aside from a few dozen dignitaries invited to attend up close, the common folk were kept to the perimeter. There were tens of thousands of them, who gathered every year to kneel devoutly before the Prince in honor of Emperor Wu. It was said that after establishing the Great Qian, Emperor Wu had ruled with benevolence, and during his seventy-two-year reign, the land enjoyed favorable weather and the people lived in peace. Such an emperor was naturally remembered fondly by the masses.

At that moment, a ceremonial official from the Prince’s residence shouted, "The ceremony begins!"

Accompanied by the sound of majestic horns, Xue Yuan, escorted by Jian Qi and Chu Yanshu, walked up the steps to the high platform. Standing there, Xue Yuan heard the night wind wailing. Looking down, he saw countless torches flickering like a sea of stars.