Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Yet This Plan Was Nothing Short of a Pipe Dream Zhangzhou was dominated by salt merchants—a place so wealthy that even a fart could grease one’s trousers. As the saying goes, warmth and comfort breed lust; when people are too well-fed, they tend to become depraved. The high-ranking officials and powerful nobles there were depraved to a shocking degree. They loved to admire beauties, but even more so, they loved to watch those beauties weep, tormenting them with unspeakable methods. A pair of gentlemen who appeared as flawless as gold and jade, yet possessed the resilience of winter plum blossoms, were especially thrilling to humiliate. The marks on Gu Qing and Gu Ming’s necks were left during that time, and besides those, their bodies bore countless scars. They dared not recall how many days they had endured such a life, feeling as though each moment lasted an eternity. When Duan Rong’s people found them, the two were barely clinging to life. Tricked by a patron who had promised to help them escape, they were caught by the brothel’s enforcers and beaten half to death. Rags were stuffed into their mouths to prevent them from taking their own lives. By then, they had already fallen unconscious and contracted illnesses. Had they been discovered a few days later, even the greatest immortal would have been powerless to save them. From that day on, the two recuperated in the rear courtyard of the Princess Manor. It took a full six months for their health to improve, yet throughout that time, they refused to communicate with Princess Duanrong. It was only after Duan Rong showed them letters from their families that they learned she had secretly rescued their loved ones. Finally, they began to speak. Though they knew Princess Duanrong was no saint—holding their families hostage surely served some purpose—no situation could be worse than the one they had endured. Even if it cost them their lives, at least their families would be cared for. Duan Rong did not mince words either. She promised that as long as they served her, she would find a way to help them exact revenge, and their surviving families would remain safe and sound. The place Duan Rong sent them to was Zhangzhou, their personal nightmare. Yet, unlike before, this time the two faced it with the resolve to die. Zhangzhou, rich in salt and iron due to its coastal location, was a land overflowing with wealth, yet its common people lived in poverty, with beggars littering the streets. The lives of fishermen were even more strained. All industries were secretly monopolized by local officials. If even the fishermen in a coastal region like Zhangzhou lived such lives, how much worse must it have been for others? In Zhangzhou, commoners were forbidden from producing salt themselves, and fishing required navigating layers of bureaucratic connections and paying exorbitant taxes. The people suffered bitterly, while the officials amassed fortunes. But why did no one expose this? Because behind the salt merchants stood Kou Ningyu, the elder brother of the reigning Empress Dowager. The Kou family wielded immense power, and the Emperor was their puppet. Memorials of impeachment never reached the imperial desk—soldiers sent to arrest the accusers would already be at their doors. Who dared to expose them? That would mean not only risking one’s own life but endangering one’s entire family. Zhangzhou was remote, far from the Emperor’s reach. Kou Ningyu indulged in extreme extravagance, even building himself a “Palace” that bore some resemblance to the imperial palace. His harem numbered no fewer than eighty, if not a hundred, with no distinction between men and women or preferences spared—his “imperial harem” was even more flourishing than the Emperor’s, boasting thirty-eight sons alone, outnumbering even Gan Qiongying’s shadow guards. Even more horrifying was his penchant for torture and murder. Many of the young men and women who mysteriously disappeared from villages were likely connected to him. The parents who lost their children had nowhere to turn for justice. If Kou Ningyu happened to be in a good mood, they might receive a sum of silver as consolation. But if he was in a foul mood, the entire family would be unlikely to escape disaster. Zhangzhou was a demon's den that fed on the flesh and blood of the common people. On the day the Gu family met with disaster, Princess Duanrong had already made plans, but the timing was not yet ripe. Later, upon learning that the two young masters had been sold to Zhangzhou, she did not rush to rescue them. Instead, she quietly saved their families. Only when the two were driven to desperation, their pride and integrity completely shattered, clinging desperately to life on the brink of death, did she intervene. As expected, she easily won their unwavering loyalty. She hired tutors to teach the two young masters various skills, molding them according to Kou Ningyu's preferences. Of course, all of this was done with their consent. They wanted to avenge their families, and this was the necessary path. To walk once more along the thorny road they had once traveled, the two showed not the slightest hesitation. Using their looks to serve others was something they had been forced to accept in Zhangzhou, but now they would use these very means to gather evidence of the crimes committed by Kou Ningyu, the Salt Capital of Zhangzhou. Their past experiences had given them some understanding of salt merchants. No one was more suited than them to gather information in Zhangzhou. Their bodies had not fully recovered and still required rest, but recently, someone in their families had fallen ill. During this period, because Lihua was managing the Princess Manor, all expenses had been drastically reduced. They were unable to provide sufficient silver for their families. They did not know it was Lihua controlling the expenditures. After several failed attempts to withdraw funds, they began to believe they were no longer useful and had been abandoned. Without the Princess's protection, their families would have nowhere to go. As hidden family members of convicted officials, they would become targets of public scorn simply by appearing, without having done anything wrong. They would not survive. Gan Qiongying thought of this as she looked at the two kneeling on the ground. According to Princess Duanrong's arrangements, this trip to Zhangzhou would essentially be a one-way journey for them. Yet the determination and resolve in their eyes showed they had long staked their lives for their families. Too many people in this world have no choice, like Princess Duanrong, like this pair of twins. Gan Qiongying felt a surge of emotions. Wasn't she, too, one of them? What Gan Qiongying did not know was that Gu Qing and Gu Ming had already prepared poison, hidden at that very moment in their teeth. If they failed, they would end their own lives, ensuring they implicated no one. "Princess!" Gu Qing knelt with his head pressed to the ground, kowtowing heavily. "We brothers will surely find evidence to bring down the Salt Capital of Zhangzhou for you," he said with unwavering determination. "We will gather every clue within our power. If we fail, we will end our own lives." Gan Qiongying pondered, thinking of Kou Ning'an's attire and the furnishings in Yinian Hall. Even for an Empress Dowager, it was excessively extravagant. The vast Kòu Clan required immense wealth for its various expenditures, yet even the most corrupt officials in court could not compare to the income of salt merchants. Kou Ningyu was truly audacious. He exploited the people of Nánzhào, trafficked in illegal salt, and even had connections with the overseas country of Beiyu. He monopolized the fishing and smelting industries, maintaining close, clandestine ties with Beiyu, a nation dependent on the sea. The Northern Isles excelled in naval warfare, but their territory was small, requiring them to purchase large quantities of food from Nánzhào. Kou Ningyu had long supplied them with various goods, and in Duan Rong’s memory, he even sold Nánzhào’s ironware at high prices to the Northern Isles, enabling them to forge military equipment. Princess Duanrong had long since investigated these details thoroughly, yet she was frustrated by the lack of evidence and even more so by the fact that the Kòu Clan controlled the court, leaving the Emperor with no authority to make a ruling. But she actually wanted to sever the economic lifeline on which the Kou family relied for survival. It had to be said that this idea struck at the very heart of the matter, forcing Kou Ning'an to divide his attention and thereby save Gan Lin. The reasoning was sound. Yet realizing this plan was nothing short of a fool’s dream.