The Young Lord

The carriage was quite luxurious, decorated with black lacquer and gold powder; even the horse bits were crafted using the gold-and-silver inlay technique, with intricate golden patterns that clearly marked it as the transport of a wealthy household.

Which noble family could this be?

Yan'an Prefecture was, after all, the central capital of Great Shun, so it was normal for nobles to come and go, but it was rare for one to visit this watch shop.

Chen Wu approached the door, but a guard-like figure reached out to block him.

"There is someone inside, don't go in yet!"

"The shopkeeper is my uncle." Chen Wu didn't even blush or skip a beat.

"Then you'll still have to wait!"

"Who is it?" A voice inquired from within upon hearing the commotion outside.

"Young Lord—" the guard immediately replied, "Someone wants to come in, claiming to be a relative of the shopkeeper."

"Let him in!"

The guard glared at Chen Wu and gave him a look, signaling him to enter.

Chen Wu stepped into the interior of Jinheng Watch Shop and saw a young man wearing the blue military uniform of Great Shun, sitting at a table with the air of a man who owned the world, while Old Liu stood by, bowing and scraping as he spoke to the youth.

Upon seeing Chen Wu enter, Old Liu hurriedly pulled him over: "This is a distant nephew of mine; he doesn't know any better and has offended you."

As he spoke, he gestured for Chen Wu to pay his respects.

Just as Chen Wu was about to bow, the young man said with great impatience: "Eh—never mind, never mind. Just tell me, can this thing be repaired or not?"

Chen Wu glanced over and saw a square clock made of pure copper sitting on the table, decorated with mother-of-pearl, rubies, and diamonds. Unlike the clocks common in Great Shun that were marked with the twelve double-hours, the dial of this clock was covered in Roman numerals.

But what was most peculiar was the handle on top of the clock, which seemed designed for hanging it somewhere.

Old Liu looked troubled: "This carriage clock of yours is, after all, a genuine product from France, not something produced locally in Great Shun. I cannot be certain for the moment if the parts in my humble shop will be compatible."

"I heard before that you have a master craftsman here, the best watchmaker in Yan'an Prefecture. Where is he?" The Young Lord grew even more impatient: "I came specifically for the master; why haven't you called him out?"

"Oh my—" Old Liu's expression became even more fawning, "What a coincidence, the master returned to his hometown yesterday and won't be back for some time."

Hm? I haven't been to the shop for two days, and the master is actually gone? I wonder what he went off to do.

"Bad luck!" The Young Lord looked displeased, and for a moment, he didn't know how to vent his frustration: "I knew this place, Yan'an Prefecture, was bad luck!"

The servant standing behind him handed over a military saber, which the Young Lord immediately snatched up.

Bang—

He slammed the blade, scabbard and all, heavily onto the wooden table, gouging a hole in it, which made Old Liu's eyelids twitch uncontrollably.

Seeing that the Young Lord seemed ready to smash it again, Old Liu quickly spoke up: "Young Lord, although I am not as skilled as that master, I have been repairing clocks for many years. Let me study this carriage clock of yours, and I can give you an answer by tomorrow."

"You must give me an answer by tonight!" The Young Lord's mood calmed slightly: "If you can't do it, I must send it back to the capital for repairs as soon as possible."

A flash of displeasure crossed Old Liu's eyes: "Yes, yes, this one will certainly do so as quickly as possible."

After much persuasion, he finally managed to calm the Young Lord down, who then left in his carriage, grumbling and cursing as he departed.

"Will there be any trouble with the heir of Duke Chen?" Li Zheng asked, "He is a spoiled brat, and he wouldn't let our men follow him, taking only his own guards. Who knows where he's gone off to cause trouble."

"Have you forgotten what I said before?" Wu Ze replied, "When dealing with those above, it is best to remain 'rarely confused'! He is just a pampered scion, looking for a bit of fun; there is no need to worry too much!"

Li Zheng understood and brought up another matter: "Duke Chen came to our office to review some files—specifically, the file on the 'Jade-Faced Killing God'."

"I am already aware of this matter; just don't make a scene about it." Wu Ze pointed toward the sky, "The same applies: remain 'rarely confused'!"

Li Zheng couldn't help himself: "Chief Inspector, can you give me a hint? You are always so cryptic that I can barely stand it."

"Very well!" Wu Ze said, "Then I shall tell you."

"I suspect the matter involving the Grand Patriarch is linked to the Old Five Battalions and concerns Wude Palace."

"The Old Five Battalions?"

"Indeed! There is talk in the imperial court about abolishing the privilege of the Old Five Battalions' descendants to take the Wude Palace examinations, canceling their quotas, and treating everyone equally in the exams."

"That would cause an uproar!" Li Zheng immediately realized the gravity of the situation: "Then the Grand Patriarch..."

"He supports this! He is one of the main proponents!"

"No wonder..."

"So, do not ask about this again!" Wu Ze said earnestly.

"Thank you, Chief Inspector!"

Li Zheng bowed deeply.

"That heir of Duke Chen seems rather naive!" Chen Wu remarked, watching the carriage disappear into the distance.

"Hahaha—" Old Liu laughed, "That fellow is a good-for-nothing who spends his days cockfighting, dog-racing, and chasing after women."

"Why did he come here himself? To fix a clock, he could have just sent a servant."

"That carriage clock was originally a gift from King Louis XVI of France to Duke Chen when he served as an envoy to France," Old Liu said. "As it turns out, this brat stole it to show off, played around with his good-for-nothing friends, and ended up breaking it."

"He was afraid Duke Chen would blame him if he found out, so he snuck over here to have it repaired. When I asked him how it broke, he stammered and made up excuses, thinking he could pull the wool over my eyes!"

"Can it be fixed?"

"It can! I took a quick look just now; it's eighty percent likely the fusee chain is broken!"

Chen Wu was shocked: "Then why did you make it sound so difficult just now!"

"If I didn't say that, how could I squeeze more money out of him?" Old Liu laughed quite deviously. "You can't let such a fat sheep slip by."

Chen Wu clutched his forehead, feeling that he was still a bit too naive.

"By the way, regarding the matter about the Grand Patriarch you asked me to look into, I've found out."

Old Liu brought this up suddenly, and as soon as Chen Wu heard it, he immediately turned serious.

"The Grand Patriarch is pushing hard to abolish the Old Five Battalions' privilege of taking the Wude Palace examinations, intending to take the Old Five Battalions' quota for the Wude Palace and open it up to a unified exam."

Chen Wu gasped!

The Old Five Battalions of the Great Shun Dynasty were the foundational troops that had followed Li Zicheng from the start. After the Great Shun Dynasty was established, the descendants of these men were granted a great number of privileges.

They were given priority in selecting military households to receive pay, received extra annual rewards, had specialized battalion schools for their education, and the Wude Palace even reserved specific quotas for them to apply for, known as the Old Five Battalions quota.

This Grand Patriarch actually wanted to cancel the Old Five Battalions quota?

He is truly courting death! Chen Wu couldn't help but think of this phrase.

The strange thing was, why would the Grand Patriarch think of taking a knife to the Old Five Battalions, who were such staunch royalists?

"Lack of money, that's why—" Old Liu answered immediately upon hearing Chen Wu's question. "The Great Shun Dynasty has spread itself too thin, the treasury is very tight, and supporting the Old Five Battalions costs too much."

"In the past, the descendants of the Old Five Battalions practiced martial arts and had considerable combat strength, making them worth the expense. But nowadays, warfare relies entirely on the sharpness of guns and cannons. The money it takes to support one Old Five Battalions soldier could field ten musketeers, so the Great Shun Dynasty is no longer willing to foot the bill."

So that was it!