HBWMA -Chapter 418 Power of Nanwan

Early the next morning, before the sky had even begun to brighten, a loud clanging and hammering echoed from the side of Chrysanthemum Garden.

Jiang Huashan was jolted awake, clutching her blanket as she shouted irritably, “Aunt Zhang!!!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming! Don’t rush, I’ll go take a look!”

Zhang Ru hurried out of the courtyard to check what was going on.

But the moment she looked, she was startled.

A section of the courtyard wall by the side gate had already been smashed open. Even the small flower-lined path beside it had been half-filled in, with piles of red bricks and rubble covering the ground. Several workers in gray vests were shoveling cement into a mixer one scoop at a time.

Zhang Ru stood there, completely baffled. She quickly jogged over and lightly tapped the foreman on the shoulder. “Sir, who told you to start building a wall here?”

The mixer was too loud, so the foreman couldn’t hear clearly. He immediately signaled his coworkers to shut off the machine.

“What did you just say?”

Zhang Ru pointed toward the courtyard. “I’m in charge of this yard. Who told you to start working here so early in the morning?”

The foreman froze for a moment and scratched his head. “No idea. We’re just following orders.”

Another worker, who had been cutting bricks, stood up and wiped his sweat, speaking in a thick dialect, “The one who borrowed our forklift yesterday.”

“Forklift?” Zhang Ru didn’t quite understand, but the word instantly reminded her of yesterday, when Shen Lanxi had arrived with a whole forklift full of gifts. She couldn’t help but wonder—could it be Young Master Lanxi?

Seeing that she remained silent, the foreman was about to resume work when Zhang Ru quickly stopped him. “Sir, your work is disturbing my young lady’s rest. The garden is so big—why don’t you go work somewhere else first?”

“Well…” The foreman knew that the people living here were all important figures and not to be offended. He readily agreed, “Sure. We’ll come back when it’s convenient for your young lady.”

Zhang Ru said, “My young lady probably won’t wake up until after ten. She rests from two to four in the afternoon, and at night it’s absolutely quiet—she meditates.”

“What?” The brick-cutting worker looked shocked. “Your young lady only has three hours available in a whole day?”

Zhang Ru had long gotten used to Jiang Huashan’s biological clock and didn’t find anything strange about it. “That’s right.”

The worker turned to the foreman and complained in his hometown dialect, “How are we supposed to build anything like this?”

“Shut up.” The foreman frowned and nudged him with his elbow, then looked up with a smile. “That’s fine. It’s just… we’ve already knocked down half the wall. Wouldn’t it be unsafe if we don’t finish it?”

Zhang Ru waved her hand. “What’s unsafe about it? This backyard is full of distinguished young masters. Even if the wall were completely torn down, it would still be safe.”

Hearing that, the foreman quickly called for everyone to stop working.

“Thanks for your hard work, everyone.”

Zhang Ru was still thinking about the soup simmering in the kitchen. After settling the workers, she turned back toward the garden. But just as she reached the entrance, she ran into Shen Zhi.

“Steward Shen?”

Shen Zhi smiled faintly, glancing toward the side gate. The pile of construction materials there was hard to miss.

Seeing this, Zhang Ru quickly explained, “Oh, the foreman wanted to expand the outer wall. I was worried it would disturb Miss Jiang’s rest, so I asked them to come back at another time.”

After listening, Shen Zhi nodded and withdrew his gaze.

Zhang Ru smiled warmly. “What brings you here? Did the old master give any instructions?”

Shen Zhi replied, “There’s a child in the front courtyard crying and asking to see you. I asked a few questions—she says she’s your niece.”

Zhang Ru’s expression changed immediately. “Xiao Putao? What happened to her?”

Shen Zhi shook his head. “The child refuses to say. She only insists on seeing you. But I noticed injuries on her face and arms.”

Zhang Ru completely lost her composure. “Steward Shen, I… I’ll go take a look?”

Shen Zhi nodded. “I’ve already had someone arrange for her to stay in a remote side pavilion. Go ahead.”

“Thank you, Steward Shen.” Zhang Ru was about to leave in a hurry, but suddenly remembered something. “I’ll go inform Miss Jiang first.”

With that, she rushed into the kitchen, hastily ladled the soup from the stove into a clay pot, then quietly tiptoed up to the embroidered tower. She pressed herself against the window crack and looked carefully for a while. After confirming that Jiang Huashan was still asleep, she tiptoed back down the stairs.

“Steward Shen, let’s go.”

Shen Zhi fell silent for a moment, his expression turning serious. “Xiao Zhang, you know the rules of Shen Garden. Your family matters must be handled cleanly. This must not happen again.”

Zhang Ru wiped her apron, her face full of gratitude. “Thank you for the reminder. Don’t worry—I understand.”

Just as the gate of Juyuan closed, the gate of Zhuyuan across from it slowly opened. Lei Xing stepped out carrying a kettle.

Seeing this, Shen Zhi crossed the garden courtyard and headed toward Zhuyuan.

Lei Xing had already spotted Shen Zhi the moment he came out. At first, he wanted to pretend he hadn’t seen him and turn back, but since Shen Zhi was already walking over, he could only brace himself and greet him.

“Steward Shen.”

Shen Zhi nodded. “How are Young Master A-Ling’s injuries?”

The whip wounds on Shen Guiling’s body had been inflicted by Shen Zhi himself. Although he had only been carrying out orders, it was still proper to ask a question or two upon meeting.

Lei Xing’s gaze flickered. “He’s doing quite well.”

After all, he could even climb walls last night.

Lei Xing was a dull, straightforward man who could hardly squeeze out a word even after a long pause. Shen Zhi was already used to it. After exchanging greetings, he nodded and left the inner courtyard.

Lei Xing secretly let out a sigh of relief, then looked toward Juyuan with a troubled expression.

The young master liking Miss Jiang was already morally questionable… should he really support him in doing something so improper?

Before he could figure it out, Mo Ran arrived at the door with a stack of documents.

Three minutes later, in the main hall.

Shen Guiling took the thick stack of documents. Without even lifting his eyelids, he casually set them on the coffee table. “Sorry to trouble you to make the trip.”

Mo Ran’s gaze slowly shifted from the documents on the table to the young man before her. What she had just handed over to Shen Guiling was everything Shen Qian had accumulated in Nanwan over decades—resources, connections, influence. This was no mere set of documents; it was a transfer of power.

Seeing her still standing there, Shen Guiling’s eyes softened slightly. “Secretary Mo, is there something else?”

After a brief hesitation, Mo Ran said, “Young Master, they’ve heard that you’re about to depart for the Nanwan Fleet. They’ve been making a fuss, insisting on seeing the master.”

Shen Guiling’s eyelids twitched faintly.

Yao Ge had been placed under house arrest at the Harbor Mansion due to emotional instability, recuperating there. Over the past two years, she had rarely appeared in public.

For her to demand to see Shen Qian now, she must be planning to expose his true identity.

Back then, when he had only been a publicity secretary in Nanwan, Yao Ge had nearly lost her sanity from anger. Now that it involved the Nanwan Fleet, it was even worse.

That woman could never tolerate him touching anything that belonged to Shen Nian.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Guiling asked, “What did Father say?”

Mo Ran replied, “Because of the legislative matter, the master can’t get away at the moment. He simply doesn’t have the time to deal with her.”

Suppressing the bill had already offended many factions. To prevent trouble from erupting in his own household, Shen Qian would certainly find a way to appease Yao Ge. If he couldn’t go now, he would definitely visit her once things settled down.

But if Yao Ge revealed the truth, Shen Guiling would surely be expelled from the Shen family.

After weighing the situation, Shen Guiling directly dialed Shen Qian’s number.

On the other end, Shen Qian was already overwhelmed by the legislative issue. His voice even sounded weary. “A-Ling?”

“Father, I heard Mother wants to see you.”

Yao Ge choosing this exact moment to stir trouble—both of them knew exactly why.

Before Shen Qian could respond, Shen Guiling continued, “Father, why don’t I go see Mother in your place first?”

“You?” Shen Qian hesitated. Yao Ge currently wished nothing more than for Shen Guiling to die—wouldn’t his going only add fuel to the fire?

Shen Guiling spoke calmly, his tone loyal and composed. “Father, Grandfather places great importance on this legislative battle. You cannot afford to be distracted right now. You only need to hold the front line—leave matters at home to me.”

“Are you sure? That woman isn’t easy to deal with.”

Sensing Shen Qian wavering, he pressed on, “The one who tied the knot must be the one to untie it. Mother’s obsession lies with me. If I go, it may be more effective than if you do. Let me try first—if it doesn’t work, you can go yourself.”

Shen Qian looked at the mountain of documents piled before him and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Have Mo Ran take you there.”

Shen Guiling curled his lips into a faint smile. “Alright.”