Nan's Identity!

The night was deep.

But tonight in Two Rivers Prefecture was destined to be a sleepless one.

Father always handled matters with such swift decisiveness.

No sooner had the great ship docked than the Governor of Fengqi Road, Zeng Shilin, returned to the prefectural office and issued his orders:

Lin Rong, the Prefectural Garrison Commander of Two Rivers, led three thousand infantry to surround the entire Prince Jiang's Estate.

Meanwhile, Wang Deli took five hundred Red-robed Guards directly into the estate.

Without much effort, they had the whole Prince Jiang's Estate under control.

At the same time, Zeng Shilin wrote furiously.

He gathered all the evidence and testimonies of Prince Jiang's rebellion into one bundle and sent it by swift horse to the capital.

They would await the Sage's decree to decide how to handle Prince Jiang.

For a time, every official in Two Rivers Prefecture who had ever had any dealings with Prince Jiang was utterly finished.

The entire officialdom of Two Rivers Prefecture was gripped by fear.

With Prince Jiang's Estate under control.

The small fry of the Xuanjing Division naturally couldn't escape the purge.

Among them was Right Clerk Xu Yunfeng. When the Red-robed Guards seized him, he tried to resist.

But after Zeng Anmin gave him a punch, he became much more docile.

With the thorn of Prince Jiang's Estate removed.

There was no longer a second voice anywhere on Fengqi Road.

Days passed quietly.

"Hoo~"

Zeng Anmin watched the granules gradually forming in the furnace before him.

A rich fragrance emerged from those granules.

Good, good, good!

His eyes gleamed with excitement. He quickly took a porcelain bottle from his bosom and carefully collected all the granules from the furnace.

Today was his Day Off, and he had been invited by Shen Jun to a meal.

"Dachun, saddle the horse!"

"Right away!!"

Jin Taiping was the biggest shipping merchant in all of Two Rivers Prefecture.

It was impossible for Zeng Anmin not to have some thoughts about that.

But he didn't plan to simply take Jin Taiping into his pocket outright—being too greedy would reflect poorly on his father's reputation.

Father was a man who cherished his reputation above all.

So he aimed for a middle ground: if he could establish a cooperative connection with Jin Taiping in his own name, money would never be a problem in the future.

Of course, the most important thing was that he... he was short on cash.

Ever since returning from the Confucian Academy, he had thought his father would loosen the purse strings a bit.

But things went the opposite way. Ever since that time he ran into his father at the Jiaofang Division while investigating Shen Jun's case.

His money had been completely cut off.

The reason given was that his breakthrough in Confucianism was imminent, and he should focus on his studies.

Fine. Then what about after I broke through to the sixth rank right in front of you?

Father's answer was that he needed to stabilize his realm, and they'd talk later.

Heh.

Just didn't care anymore, that's all.

Zeng Anmin wasn't willing to accept bribes from others.

So his current financial shortage had always been his top priority.

But there was a very real problem here.

Although this world was also a feudal dynasty, its industrial development was far better than the feudal dynasties of his previous life.

Glass, soap, distilled liquor... the three classic paths to wealth for a transmigrator had already been invented.

So last night, he racked his brains at home, thinking back on the web novels he had read.

He had to admit, reading more web novels really paid off.

At the very least, he could know a few more good things than other transmigrators.

Like... the secret weapon he had just tucked into the porcelain bottle in his bosom.

Wangxian Tower.

Today, Zeng Anmin came as the son of the Governor.

Jin Taiping's current big boss, Shen Jun, was hosting.

Last time he was here, Shen Jun had given him a crucial lead, and he had followed the thread to find evidence of Prince Jiang's Estate.

Zeng Anmin had no particular aversion to this place.

"My Lord Zeng..."

The moment they met, Shen Jun offered a perfectly proper bow.

"No official business today—just call me Young Master."

Zeng Anmin smiled as he helped Shen Jun rise and headed into the tower.

His tone shed the bureaucratic air of his office, warm and gentle.

"As you wish."

Shen Jun was no stickler either. His thick brows relaxed slightly as he smiled and rose, extending a hand. "Please."

"Mm."

Following Shen Jun into a private room in the tower.

As soon as they sat down, Shen Jun raised his cup with a look of deep respect.

"Thank you, Young Master Zeng, for the grace of saving my life and clearing my foolish brother's name. Though my uncle has yet to be found, the crisis over Jin Taiping has been resolved. This great kindness I can never repay—I drink to you."

With that, he tipped his head back and drained the cup.

"Heh, it was merely my duty." Zeng Anmin waved it off.

But he caught a detail in Shen Jun's words and raised an eyebrow. "Your uncle hasn't been found?"

Yesterday, after gathering all the evidence against Prince Jiang on that island, he had boarded the boat with his father and paid little attention to Shen Liu.

"No." Shen Jun's expression turned bitter, but he bore no heavy burden. He smiled instead. "But once Prince Jiang is executed and his crimes are laid out, we'll naturally know where my uncle is."

"Mm." Zeng Anmin nodded slowly.

That made sense. Until the Imperial Decree arrived, even the Governor of Two Rivers couldn't just arrest Prince Jiang as a criminal—only send troops to keep him under control.

After all, the royal family's face had to be preserved.

"Actually, the reason I came today is that I have a partnership to discuss with you."

Zeng Anmin cleared his throat, his gaze turning serious.

Here it comes!

At those words, Shen Jun's face grew solemn.

As a merchant, he had long prepared himself for Zeng Anmin to squeeze him.

And after Young Lord Zeng cleared his name and helped him find leads on his uncle, he had even considered offering thirty percent of Jin Taiping's profits as thanks.

But he feared that if he brought it up rashly, Young Lord Zeng would look down on him, mistaking him for a flatterer.

"Young Lord Zeng, please speak freely."

Shen Jun took a deep breath.

"No need to be tense—it's just a small matter."

Seeing Shen Jun's gravity, Zeng Anmin chuckled to lighten the mood.

But before he could speak, he was interrupted by a loud exclamation from outside the room.

The voice was sharp and brief.

"Is that really true?!" The voice outside the room rumbled like thunder.

Zeng Anmin frowned and looked toward the door.

Shen Jun caught on at once and called for a waiter.

"Tell the next room to keep it down."

"Yes, sir."

As the waiter opened the door, the voice from outside became clearer.

"Why would I lie to you? They say in the Jiang Kingdom that this single poem can outshine all the Great Scholars of our Great Sage Dynasty!"

"That Princess Wencheng truly has such poetic talent?!"

"There's no need to boost others' prestige. That Princess Wencheng is the Jiang State Empress's only full-blooded younger sister, so naturally everyone fawns over her. Go on, recite the poem she wrote—I want to see just how much skill she really has!"

"Listen well, then." The man cleared his throat and began:

"Where the sea meets its end, the sky becomes the shore; atop the mountain's peak, I alone am the summit!"

At that single line, the entire Wangxian Tower seemed to fall silent.

The atmosphere grew so still you could hear a pin drop.

"Like the sun rising again from the eastern hills, the great roc spreads its wings, hating the heavens for being too low!" The man's voice rang out once more.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

"Hiss~"

Aside from the sharp intakes of breath, no one made a sound.

The whole Wangxian Tower.

Only Zeng Anmin wore a peculiar expression.

The Jiang State's Princess Wencheng??

What utter nonsense!

Wasn't that the poem he'd given to Nan?

Wait!!

The Phoenix Strategy Diagram?!

The Jiang State Imperial Family?!

Princess Wencheng?

Nan's identity is...

A glimmer of understanding lit up Zeng Anmin's eyes.

A strange, crooked smile slowly crept across his lips.

I haven't even started being a literary plagiarist yet, and you've already beaten me to it??

Fine, fine, fine!

Just watch me fleece you for ten thousand or eight thousand pieces of silver!!