The local officials of Haixi submitted a memorial requesting disaster relief, claiming that a severe natural disaster had struck the region. Faced with such a situation, the two factions constantly locked in covert struggle—the Ningxi Party and the Eunuch Party—both fell silent at the same time.
The Emperor frowned deeply. Where was he to find money for relief? Even his own meals had been cut back considerably, yet expenses were needed everywhere. But thinking of the people, he gritted his teeth and scraped together funds and grain. However, these hard-won resources barely left the northern borders before being carved up cleanly. Then the courtiers resumed their mutual attacks, paying no heed to whether the disaster victims would survive.
More than once, the Emperor had thought of asking Prince Qi for a solution, knowing the prince had wealth.
But ever since their last encounter, no word had come from Prince Qi. He had only heard that the prince seemed to be keeping quietly to his own mansion, devoting himself wholeheartedly to trade—in plain terms, competing with the common people for profit.
Just as the Emperor was so anxious that sores formed at the corners of his mouth, good news arrived from Haixi.
"What? Some merchants are funding relief efforts themselves?"
"Your Majesty, several merchant houses in Haixi have volunteered money for disaster relief. The governor of Haixi specifically mentioned this in his memorial."
The Emperor was baffled. In these times, even he knew that both noble families and court officials were focused solely on their own interests. Could there really be merchants willing to part with their money for relief?
Regardless, the matter was resolved.
But this unusual event drew the attention of both the Ningxi Party and the Eunuch Party. Both sides dispatched people to investigate. The replies came back that these merchant houses were not acquainted with each other, and their owners were different individuals. They had simply contributed some grain to curry favor with the governor, as a mere gesture.
That excuse was plausible enough.
To these high and mighty figures, this disaster was but a minor episode. After all, the lives of lowborn people were worth nothing.
Yet it seemed the fortunes of the Great Zhou Dynasty were waning. Within less than a month, floods struck the Hedong region, submerging vast farmlands and homes, leaving the people homeless and displaced.
The court instructed local authorities to raise funds for relief themselves. The local officials likewise put on a show, calling upon local merchants and aristocrats to donate money and goods, in reality aiming to line their own pockets.
This news reached Fang Zhiyi’s ears almost simultaneously.
"Send word to Old Dog. Have him arrange for people to come forward and aid the refugees again," Fang Zhiyi said, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
"Prince, disaster relief is the court’s responsibility. We can’t keep doing this," Li Zizai said. "This is a huge sum of silver... The accounting office reported yesterday that all our profits from the past two months have been used up. If we continue..."
"What else can we do?" Fang Zhiyi closed his eyes, as if deep in thought. "Besides, relief isn’t solely for the sake of relief—it’s to win gratitude."
Li Zizai did not understand.
The silver Fang Zhiyi had scattered in recent days had already borne fruit. The merchant banks in charge of unified commerce were turning a profit every month. Profits from private salt smuggling and private lending flowed into banks, pawnshops, and taverns scattered across the land. Old Dog then used the money to invest in and acquire stake in numerous shops.
With the External Relations Hall handling official matters and the Enforcement Hall dealing with bandits, Old Dog’s operations had been running smoothly, even too smoothly.
Thus, Fang Zhiyi’s businesses continued to grow. Vast sums of silver passed through Old Dog’s hands, were laundered clean, and then openly sent by the Commerce Transport Hall to different banks. These banks bore different names, but behind them all, the actual controller was Old Dog.
Li Zizai felt something was off, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what.
Seeing Li Zizai’s troubled expression, Fang Zhiyi smiled. "Stop thinking. When you think, it makes me want to laugh."
Li Zizai blushed. He had once considered himself quite clever, but after witnessing the methods of Old Dog and Zhu Hong, he realized his intelligence was not particularly high.
"I have a task for you."
Li Zizai was taken aback and quickly asked, "Prince, what task?"
"Leave me and go to the border army."
"What?" Li Zizai was dumbfounded, then immediately bowed. "Prince, have I done something wrong?"
"Look at you. I said it’s a task," Fang Zhiyi said, shaking his head helplessly. "You came from a military background. Now that I’ve fallen from grace and am focused only on making money, it makes sense for you to leave my residence in a fit of rage and return to the army, doesn’t it?"
Li Zizai took a moment to understand. "Do you mean, Prince, to let me earn some military merits?"
Fang Zhiyi shot him a glance. "Earn military merits? Do you have any idea what the Great Zhou border army is like now?"
"Uh..."
"I won’t hide it from you. The External Relations Hall, nominally coordinating with other branches, also shoulders the task of gathering intelligence for me," Fang Zhiyi did not avoid Li Zizai. "But we’re short on hands right now, and time is tight. I need you to return to the army and gather intelligence for me. How about it?"
Li Zizai thought for a moment. "Prince, why not let me go to the capital garrison? It’s closer to the capital. If something happens, I can get here in time."
"That’s why I say you’re not clever," Fang Zhiyi sighed. "Zhu Hong, you explain."
Li Zizai whirled around in surprise, only to find that Zhu Hong, the head of the External Relations Hall, had appeared behind him like a ghost, hunched over as always.
Zhu Hong first bowed to Fang Zhiyi, then clasped his hands toward Li Zizai. "To answer the Prince: the capital garrison is the core force defending the capital. Both the Eunuch Party and the Ningxi Party pay close attention to it, and both have planted many people there. If you entered the capital garrison, Lord Li, you would be watched immediately. In contrast, the border army has long been stationed on the frontiers, neglected, riddled with corruption, low in morale, and chaotic in management. It’s much more suitable for gathering intelligence."
Li Zizai’s mouth hung open for a long time. When had he ever realized Zhu Hong had such a sharp mind?
Zhu Hong continued, "Lord Li, the private troops you previously handed over to me for deployment have already been broken up and sent piecemeal into the border army. It will be convenient for you once you arrive."
Li Zizai drew in a sharp breath.
Had the Prince already planned everything from the start?
Li Zizai’s departure from Prince Qi’s residence still did not draw much attention.
His excuse was plausible. Word had it that he accused Prince Qi of neglecting state concerns and using his princely rank to compete with the common people for profit. Enraged, Prince Qi expelled him. He then spent money to approach the Ministry of War, claiming he wanted to return to the border army to serve the country.
The Ministry of War was under the control of the Ningxi Party, and in their view, fools like Li Zizai appeared from time to time—nothing unusual. They took the money and did their job.
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
