Chapter 0157: Wuji Stamps the Seal, Automatically Ignoring Xie Jinyu

“Then I shall only request two code phrases,” said one merchant.

“I’ll take one.”

“My family fortune is substantial, so I can take three.”

“Very well.” The young merchant raised his hand in salute. “After receiving the required code phrases, you may leave. Remember, these codes are only valid before the New Year Festival. Using them afterward may cost you your heads.”

In truth, they could be used indefinitely, but he couldn’t reveal that. What if they noticed something amiss and decided to change the codes? Wouldn’t that leave His Highness in the lurch?

Oh no, no, no. The young merchant mentally calculated: Even if they changed the codes, he could always send Wuhen to eavesdrop. Wuhen was blind, so his hearing was exceptionally sharp – perfect for listening through walls.

This young merchant was none other than Wuji, who had been dispatched back to the capital on business. He made special note of those merchants with the largest fortunes who dared to request three code phrases, planning to invite them for separate discussions later.

Ahem…

His Highness had said: When doing shady business, always share the risks~

So after the merchants departed, Wuji sent people to follow them and deliver invitation letters.

That night, several wealthy merchants arrived at the private room in the tavern specified in the letters. After confirming that those with the code phrases had already collected their salt certificates, they drank and celebrated with Wuji, flattering and thanking him.

After numerous toasts, the drunken Wuji appeared thoroughly pleased with the merchants’ praise. He opened his case and pulled out several envelopes, stuffing them into the merchants’ arms. “I feel like we’ve been friends forever, brothers. You’ve been so good to me, and I have little to offer in return except these.”

He let out a drunken burp, his Peach Blossom Eyes hazy and unfocused. “These envelopes contain credentials to purchase additional salt certificates. Originally, I intended to use them to build connections with local merchants back home, but they always bully me. They’re nothing like you brothers who treat me so kindly. Rather than letting them have the advantage, I’d rather give them to you old friends.”

The merchants exchanged glances, thinking to themselves that this young man had indeed been holding out on them – all their flattery and drinking hadn’t been in vain.

Yet their faces showed no unusual expression, only delight as they accepted the envelopes. “This… Young Sheng, how should these credentials be used?”

Wuji slumped drunkenly across the table, mumbling, “When the Salt Administration Officer summons you to pay taxes, you can present them then.”

Inside these envelopes were partial imprints of that peculiar floral seal. Similar to tiger tallies, this seal could be divided into four parts. Each additional imprint represented higher authority within the “Wuqi Faction.”

This seal was no ordinary matter.

It had been worth sneaking into the location His Highness mentioned while that person was at court, finding the seal, and frantically stamping hundreds of papers with it before erasing all traces and slipping away unnoticed.

This kind of work had to be done by him, Wuji. If Wuhen had been sent, he would surely have left evidence behind.

And how did His Highness know about such a secret hiding place for the seal?

Could His Highness truly be an immortal?

Watching the merchants depart with the envelopes, Wuji rose from the banquet table. The redness faded from his face, leaving no trace of drunkenness. He stroked his chin, then left the tavern and boarded his carriage, concealing his achievements and withdrawing his name as he swiftly drove away.

The following days…

The Salt Administration Officer watched as people called out passwords one by one to receive salt certificates, unconsciously rubbing his head and thinking to himself that the Wuqi faction had grown considerably. These merchants must all be people that esteemed lord intended to win over.

There were also more people exchanging salt certificates with withered flower stamps. The officer didn’t suspect anything, since it was rare for the court to relax salt certificate requirements – the higher-ups certainly wouldn’t miss this opportunity to accumulate wealth.

After receiving another withered flower stamped paper, the officer watched the merchant leave before turning his attention to the several stamped papers on his desk.

These things were troublesome to dispose of. For some reason, his superiors insisted that tokens bearing this mark must be soaked in water until pulpy, then ground with a mortar for proper disposal.

Normally there would be at most one such paper, making disposal manageable. But with several appearing suddenly, the process became quite bothersome.

“Forget it, I’ll just burn them.”

“No one will see anyway.”

The officer tossed all the stamped papers into the brazier. As they caught fire, he wondered if it was just his imagination – he seemed to detect an unusual scent.

It made him feel strangely euphoric.

——

Yingzhou

With disaster relief 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a la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la mía de la

The grain transport official shook his head, yet drew two letters from his chest—one thin, one thick.

“This is from Lord Shen for you, and this…” The official pointed at the thicker envelope, “is said to be from someone named Hu.”

Xie Jinyu tucked the thick letter into his chest fold, then immediately unfolded Shen Yuan’s letter.

The letter contained instructive words that happened to resolve his previous predicament. After reading it, Xie Jinyu handed it to the subordinate beside him, saying, “Proceed according to the letter’s instructions.”

After reading the letter, the subordinate led the grain carts into the city, while Xie Jinyu found a sheltered spot and unfolded the thicker letter.

It was filled with Xie Chengze’s daily routines, recorded with the concise yet detailed manner of imperial chronicles. To others, it might seem tedious, but Xie Jinyu read it with rapt attention.

Hu Lai’s documentation was remarkably thorough—well worth the ten Gold Cakes Xie Jinyu had taken from his private treasury before leaving the capital to bribe Hu Lai into recording his second brother’s daily life and sending him regular updates.

Xie Jinyu pressed the letter against his cheek, gently nuzzling it with a childlike expression of dependence.

Being without Second Brother by his side was truly more unbearable than being punished as a child…

“In that case, I’ll just listen to two secret codes,” one of the merchants said.

“Then I’ll listen to one.”

“My family’s assets are quite substantial, so I can afford to hear three.”

“Very well.” The young merchant raised his hands in a salute. “After you have heard the secret codes you require, you may all leave. Remember, these codes are only valid until the New Yuan Festival. If you use them after that, I’m afraid you’ll lose your heads.”

In truth, they could be used indefinitely, but he couldn’t say that. What if they sensed something was amiss and decided to change the codes? Wouldn’t his master be left fumbling in the dark?

Oh, no, no, no. The young merchant secretly schemed in his heart: even if they changed the codes, he could just have Wuhen go eavesdrop. Wuhen was blind, so his hearing was the sharpest, making him perfect for the job of listening at walls.

This young merchant was none other than Wuji, who had been sent back to the capital on an errand. He paid special attention to the merchants with the most assets, the ones who dared to ask for three secret codes, planning to invite them for another private meeting.

Ahem…

His Highness had said that when doing bad deeds, one should find people to share the risk~

So, after the merchants left, Wuji sent his men to follow them and deliver an invitation letter.

That night, several major merchants arrived at the private room of the tavern indicated in the letter. After confirming that the people with the secret codes had already collected their salt vouchers, they all began to drink and chat cheerfully with Wuji, flattering and thanking him.

After many rounds of drinks, a drunken Wuji, seemingly carried away by the flattery of the senior merchants, opened his box. He pulled out several envelopes and stuffed them into the merchants’ arms. “I feel a kinship with all you big brothers at first sight. You’ve taken such good care of me, your little brother. I don’t have much to offer, only this.”

He let out a drunken hiccup, his Peach Blossom Eyes hazy. “Inside these envelopes is a credential that can be used to buy even more salt vouchers. Originally, I planned to return to my hometown and befriend the local merchants, but they always bully me. They’re not nearly as kind to me as you older brothers are. Rather than letting them benefit, I’d rather give these to you.”

The merchants exchanged glances, thinking to themselves that this kid had indeed been holding something back. Their long flattery and all the wine they had drunk with him had not been in vain.

However, their faces showed no change in expression. They all accepted the letters with delight. “This… Little Brother Sheng, I wonder how we should use this credential?”

“When the Salt Administration Officer tells you to go pay the tax, you can take it out,” Wuji slurred drunkenly, slumping onto the table.

Inside the envelopes were partial images of that peculiar flower seal. The flower seal was similar to a tiger tally and could be divided into four parts. Each additional piece of the seal signified a higher level of authority within the “Wuqi Sect.”

This flower seal was no simple thing.

It was a good thing he had taken advantage of that person’s time at court to sneak into the place His Highness had mentioned, find the flower seal, and stamp “thump, thump, thump” on several hundred sheets of letter paper before erasing all traces and leaving silently.

This was a job that had to be done by him, Wuji. If it had been Wuhen, he would have surely left a trail.

And His Highness, how did he know about such a secret hiding place for the seal?

Could it be that his master was truly an immortal?

Watching the merchants leave with the envelopes, Wuji pushed himself up from the table. The flush on his face faded, leaving not a single trace of drunkenness. He rubbed his chin, then left the tavern, got into a carriage, and, with his great deed accomplished and his name hidden, drove away swiftly.

Over the next few days.

The Salt Administration Officer watched as person after person came to recite the secret codes and take salt vouchers. He couldn’t help but scratch his head, thinking to himself that the Wuqi Sect had grown quite a bit. These merchants must be the people that lord wanted to win over.

The number of people using the partial flower seal imprints to exchange for salt vouchers had also increased. The Salt Administration Officer wasn’t suspicious. After all, it was a rare occasion for the court to relax the requirements for salt vouchers, and the lord above him would certainly not miss this opportunity to amass wealth.

After receiving another piece of paper with a partial flower seal imprint, the Salt Administration Officer watched the merchant leave, then turned to look at the several pieces of imprinted paper on his desk.

This stuff was a hassle to deal with. For some reason, the lord above had said that any token bearing this mark must be soaked in water until it turned to pulp, then ground with a mortar before disposal.

Normally, there would be at most one piece of paper with the partial flower seal, and he would have the patience to deal with it. But now that several had suddenly appeared, it was very troublesome to process them.

Forget it, I’ll just burn them directly.

No one will see anyway.

The Salt Administration Officer tossed all the papers with the partial flower seal imprints into the brazier. As the paper caught fire, he felt he smelled something unusual, though perhaps it was just his imagination.

The scent made him feel somewhat euphoric.

Yingzhou.

The disaster relief grain was long overdue, and Xie Jinyu’s expression grew increasingly grim.

Who exactly was targeting him?

Xie Jinyu lowered his eyes in thought, his thick lashes hiding the darkness and depth in his gaze. Just as he was pondering how to handle the starving commoners during this period of trying to retrieve the relief grain, his subordinate suddenly ran over. “Your Highness, the Crown Prince! The relief grain has arrived!”

Xie Jinyu shot to his feet. “Truly? Who sent it?”

A sliver of hope rose in his heart. When he realized the relief grain had not arrived on the scheduled date, he had sent a man to deliver a letter to Shen Yuan, asking if he had received any extra relief grain, so as to judge the perpetrator’s motive.

If this grain was sent from Shen Yuan’s side, he would know what the person behind this was thinking. Moreover, Second Brother would also surely know about this matter. He…

“It’s the Second Prince…” the subordinate replied, then hesitated. “But… but…”

“But what?” Xie Jinyu asked as he walked outside.

“But the Second Prince had the grain transport officer shout at the city gates that he was sending this relief grain to Your Highness out of his great kindness…” The subordinate pursed his lips. This was already the most pleasant version of the words he could muster. The Second Prince’s original words were filled with blatant malice, practically comparing himself to a god saving His Highness from dire straits. It was simply too arrogant.

Unexpectedly, Xie Jinyu suddenly smiled. His subordinate rarely saw him smile like this, as his smiles were usually distant and did not reach his eyes.

But at this moment, it was like a spring breeze on one’s face, with peach blossoms dazzling under the sun. When his obsidian-like moon eyes smiled, they made the river of stars dim in comparison, as if they could wash away all the world’s vanities, both pure and resplendent.

“I knew it. Second Brother dotes on me the most.”

Xie Jinyu murmured to himself and stepped out the door with a light-hearted pace.

The subordinate: …

The subordinate: ???

Your Highness? Your Highness! Excuse me, but which part of those words expressed that he dotes on you?

Please don’t get lost in your own fantasies and be unable to pull yourself out!

Xie Jinyu soon arrived where the grain carts were. His ears automatically ignored the “declarations of war” being shouted by the transport officers. He said to the lead officer, “Is there a letter from my Second Brother?”

The transport officer shook his head, but then pulled two letters from his robes—one thin, one thick.

“This is from Lord Shen for you. This one…” The officer pointed to the thick envelope. “He said it’s from someone with the surname Hu for you.”

Xie Jinyu tucked the thick letter into his lapel, then unfolded Shen Yuan’s letter.

The letter contained some words of guidance, which could solve his previous predicament. After reading it, Xie Jinyu handed it to the subordinate beside him. “Do as the letter says.”

After reading the letter, the subordinate led the grain carts into the city. Xie Jinyu, meanwhile, found a place sheltered from the wind and unfolded the thicker letter.

It was filled with details of Xie Chengze’s daily life, as concise yet detailed as an imperial living record. To others, it might have been somewhat tedious, but Xie Jinyu read it with rapt attention.

Hu Lai had recorded everything meticulously. It was worth the ten Gold Cakes he had taken from his private treasury to bribe Hu Lai before leaving the capital, asking him to record Second Brother’s daily life and send him letters on time.

Xie Jinyu held the letter to his cheek, shaking his head and rubbing against it gently, his face full of a childlike dependence.

Being without Second Brother by his side was truly more unbearable than being punished as a child…