IDWBE -Chapter 558 The Dignity of the Court

No matter how hard he thought about it, Wang Xiaoshuan could not understand how the Guo family had come into such ridiculous luck.

He had seen Guo Li before—just a bookish nerd. How could someone like that be so good at examinations?

And Lord Chen Desheng was also making unnecessary trouble. How could he value such a bookworm?

Still, since he had already accepted Old Dao’s silver, there was no reason to return it.

Even though that bookworm Guo Li was favored by Lord Chen, it didn’t necessarily mean he had real power.

Besides, the person Wang Xiaoshuan wanted to deal with was Guo Cong.

Guo Cong surely wasn’t stupid enough to create trouble for his own younger brother, right?

Just as he was lost in thought, a voice suddenly called out: “Wang Xiaoshuan, aren’t you on duty today? Why are you slacking off here again?”

It was a woman’s voice—very familiar.

Without even looking, he already knew who it was.

“Lord Zhou Xun! Long time no see. I’ve missed you so much,” Wang Xiaoshuan said lazily while still lying on the grass.

“Wang Xiaoshuan, who gave you the courage to speak to me in that tone?”

Zhou Xun dismounted and walked straight over, squatting in front of him.

“Oh right, I forgot—you’re now the Captain of the Inspection Squad,” Wang Xiaoshuan said with a grin. “Greetings, Captain!”

Zhou Xun said proudly, “Good that you know. If you dare offend me, the next time I go to the capital garrison I’ll make things very difficult for you.”

“Oh no, I’m terrified,” Wang Xiaoshuan said dramatically, patting his chest. “Please, Captain, for the sake of us growing up together naked as kids, spare me this time!”

Suddenly Zhou Xun grabbed his ear.

“Who grew up naked with you!” she snapped, her face turning red. “If you don’t know how to speak properly, then shut up!”

“I didn’t say anything wrong,” Wang Xiaoshuan said casually. “Don’t you remember? When we were kids we even competed to see who could pee farther!”

“Wang Xiaoshuan!”

Zhou Xun twisted his ear harder.

“If you keep talking nonsense I’ll tear your ear off!”

“Hey! Why are you hitting people?” he shouted in pain. “That hurts! Let go—”

Even while yelping, he refused to give in.

“What does what my mouth says have to do with my ear?”

“Fine!” Zhou Xun said angrily. “Then I’ll tear your mouth instead!”

Seeing her hand actually reaching toward him, Wang Xiaoshuan quickly raised his arm to shield his head and shouted:

“Heroine, spare my life!”

“Hmph! So you admit defeat?”

Zhou Xun still didn’t release his ear, twisting it even harder.

“My ear’s going to fall off!” Wang Xiaoshuan finally surrendered.

“Big sister, I know I was wrong, alright? I won’t do it again!”

“Who are you calling big sister?” Zhou Xun’s brows furrowed even more. “I’m younger than you. Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Little sister…Is ‘little sister’ okay?”

His tone was no longer as arrogant as before.

“You’re still trying to take advantage of me?” She twisted his ear again.

“Then what should I call you?” he asked helplessly.

Was there no right answer?

“Hmph.”

Zhou Xun finally let go and shoved his head.

“I’m asking you—why aren’t you on duty?”

“Why do you care?” Wang Xiaoshuan muttered.

For some reason, every time he saw Zhou Xun he had the urge to argue with her.

If he didn’t, it felt uncomfortable.

“You’re really going to talk to me like that?”

“I—”

Wang Xiaoshuan immediately backed down.

“I resigned from the capital garrison.”

Zhou Xun reached out and felt his forehead.

“You don’t have a fever, do you? Last time you left the Imperial Horse Office you said the capital garrison had a better future. Now you’ve left the garrison too. What new ‘great future’ did you find this time?”

“No great future,” Wang Xiaoshuan stretched lazily.

“I just realized I’m not suited for being an official. I’ll go back to doing business. These days, as long as you have money, life can still be comfortable.”

Zhou Xun snorted. “You didn’t say that before. Weren’t you always shouting that a true man cannot go a single day without power?”

Wang Xiaoshuan sighed. “Compared to power, I realized I love money more.”

“You men are all this fickle?” Zhou Xun asked with wide eyes.

“No,” he grinned. “My love for money has always been consistent—faithful until death. Even while I was in the garrison, I didn’t forget to make money. If I kept it up any longer, you’d probably have to fish me out of prison.”

Zhou Xun burst out laughing and rolled her eyes.

“You’re still as shameless as ever. Abusing power for personal gain and you think you’ll just go to prison? In your dreams. They’d send you to the frontier to farm land and build roads.”

“Would you report me?” he asked.

Zhou Xun snorted. “Report you? With the nonsense you’re saying, I could arrest you right now and send you to face justice.”

“You’re quite impressive as captain of the inspection squad,” Wang Xiaoshuan laughed. “How about I work under you?”

“Our inspection squad doesn’t want scum like you,” she replied.

Wang Xiaoshuan clutched his chest dramatically.

“That hurts my feelings.”

“I’m asking you seriously—who are you doing business with now?” Zhou Xun asked coldly.

“Wang Xun,” Wang Xiaoshuan said proudly.

“Didn’t expect I’d end up doing business with the Wang family, huh?”

“Wang Xun isn’t a good person,” Zhou Xun warned. “Be careful you don’t get dragged down with him.”

Wang Xiaoshuan lifted his chin confidently.

“I might not be good at being an official, but when it comes to business, there aren’t many people better than me.”

He wasn’t exaggerating.

Back then he had refused to apprentice under Zhu Ruorong and instead became a laborer. During Sanhe’s wars, he and Wei Yishan had always charged at the front.

With the money he saved, he quickly started a grain and meat shop business.

It wasn’t as big as Zhu Ruorong’s, but the fortune he built was still impressive.

The only pity was that Wei Yishan, his partner, was no longer around. Now he felt somewhat alone.

“Stop bragging,” Zhou Xun sighed. “I know you too well. You’ve saved a lot of silver over the years. If nothing else, go back to Sanhe, marry a wife, and take care of Auntie.”

Wang Xiaoshuan looked at her in surprise.

“You care about me that much? Whether I marry or not is your business?”

Zhou Xun glared. “Wang Xiaoshuan, if you keep talking like that I’ll stop speaking to you.”

“Alright, alright,” he said awkwardly. “I’ll speak properly.”

“Good,” she nodded. “Speak properly. No more joking.”

Wang Xiaoshuan suddenly said seriously: “Have you eaten?”

Zhou Xun’s face darkened again. “Heh…”

Wang Xiaoshuan lowered his head under her stare.

“Forget it,” Zhou Xun said, standing up. “I’m leaving.”

“Wait!”

Wang Xiaoshuan suddenly grabbed her hand.

For a moment, they stared at each other.

The air seemed to freeze.

“Sorry,” he said with a grin. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

Zhou Xun sighed helplessly.

“Do you know Guo Li well?” he asked.

Zhou Xun replied, “He’s now Lord Chen’s favored student. I advise you not to scheme against him. Even Liu Kan and Wei Yishan show him some respect.”

“What about you?” Wang Xiaoshuan asked.

Zhou Xun said proudly, “I’m not afraid of him, but there’s no need to offend him either. Now tell me—what trouble have you caused?”

“Am I really that bad?” Wang Xiaoshuan complained.

“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll beat you,” she warned.

Wang Xiaoshuan finally explained. “A friend of mine has a grudge with Guo Cong. He asked me to mediate, but I’m afraid Guo Cong won’t give me face…”

After hesitating, he told her everything he had heard earlier.

Zhou Xun shook her head.

“You’re really getting worse with age. You’ve spent time in the garrison and the Horse Office—yet you haven’t grown at all.”

“Duanliang scolded me the same way,” Wang Xiaoshuan said pitifully. “Now you too?”

Zhou Xun patiently explained:

“Guo Li is Guo Li. Guo Cong is Guo Cong. Even if they’re brothers, their affairs are separate. Why are you so afraid?”

“But they’re real brothers,” Wang Xiaoshuan protested.

Zhou Xun sighed. “Do you know what the Censorate is? It supervises all officials, exposes corruption, redresses injustices, and serves as the emperor’s eyes and ears. Guo Li is a smart man. If he knew his brother was using his name to bully others, he might even punish his own family.”

“Really?” Wang Xiaoshuan doubted.

“Listen to me,” Zhou Xun said confidently. “I know Guo Cong too. He’s not a good person, but he’s not stupid either. Go talk to him. If he refuses to give you face, then go directly to Guo Zhao. That old man is clever—he’d never ruin his younger son’s future just for the elder one.”

Wang Xiaoshuan sighed. “If Guo Cong won’t give me face, how could I affect his future?”

Zhou Xun poked his head. “Don’t forget—if you swallow your pride, you can still request an audience with Prince He. Whether you actually meet him or not doesn’t matter. Just say you might. Guo Zhao will definitely be cautious.”

Wang Xiaoshuan grinned.

“Little sister, you’re my savior! Your big brother will never forget you!”

Before Zhou Xun could react, he jumped onto his horse and galloped away.

“You bastard! If I see you again I’ll smash your head!”

Zhou Xun stomped her foot angrily as she watched him disappear.

---

The South City Orphanage, converted from Prince He’s former residence, officially opened.

Lin Yi stood at the gate and wrote the signboard with bold strokes.

Gan Mao craned his neck to look.

It simply read:

“South City Orphanage.”

He breathed a sigh of relief.

This time Prince He behaved normally—no strange ideas.

Since the place was in South City, naming it after the location was very… “scientific.”

Accompanied by Granny Sang, Lin Yi toured the orphanage.

Most of the boys were disabled—either deaf and mute or unable to walk.

Among the girls, only a few were healthy.

As for children with tuberculosis, smallpox, leprosy, or severe skin diseases—they couldn’t be accepted. Not out of cruelty, but because those illnesses were highly contagious.

Without effective treatments, isolation was the only option.

All Lin Yi could do was make sure they didn’t starve.

The liveliest place in the orphanage was the pond, where many children were playing.

The goldfish Lin Yi had raised there before had mostly been caught already.

One little girl about seven or eight held a lively goldfish in her hands, murmuring something.

Lin Yi noticed her purple lips.

Granny Sang explained, “She has heart pain at such a young age. We hope Heaven shows mercy.”

Lin Yi smiled.

“It’s probably a ventricular or atrial septal defect. If she’s lucky, the heart may grow properly over time. You people should teach them some martial arts when you can. At least they won’t be bullied when they grow up.”

He thought of the blind man and the monk—both disabled, yet through determination had become grandmasters.

Fate was truly mysterious.

“Yes,” Granny Sang replied.

Lin Yi then turned to Gan Mao.

“You’ve seen these children. Allocate the funds properly—don’t be stingy.”

Gan Mao bowed.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After finishing the tour, Lin Yi felt bored and a little troubled the more he saw.

Outside the orphanage gate, Han Deqing escorted him to the carriage.

“Your Highness, shall we go fishing?”

“Not today,” Lin Yi said, looking at his sunburned arms. “These past few days I’ve nearly peeled my skin. When men reach a certain age, we must take care of ourselves.”

Just then, a courier officer from the relay station rushed over.

After speaking with him briefly, Han Deqing returned.

“Your Highness, the natives have presented one million taels worth of gold and silver as tribute.”

Lin Yi snorted. “They’ve finally come to their senses? Where’s the silver?”

“Lord Chen Jingzhi has already received it. It’s still at the relay station.”

“Congratulations, Your Highness!” Gan Mao suddenly appeared beside the carriage.

Lin Yi’s face darkened.

“What do you mean?”

Gan Mao smiled apologetically.

“Rest assured, Your Highness. I’ll go to the relay station immediately.”

Without waiting for a reply, he jumped into the carriage behind and urged the driver to hurry.

“Damn it,” Lin Yi cursed. “My silver can’t even stay warm in my hands!”

Han Deqing smiled awkwardly. “Then… what should we do with the captured envoy? Please give instructions.”

Lin Yi sighed. “The usual rule. One hand pays, the other hand releases.”

Then he added: “This Ma Ke is probably not an ordinary envoy. Otherwise the natives wouldn’t be so anxious. Investigate his background carefully.”

The next day.

Because of the money, the native envoys were finally allowed to enter the Golden Throne Hall and pay respects to the emperor.

Emperor Delong sat on the dragon throne, exchanged a few polite words according to protocol, then claimed fatigue and withdrew.

Only after he left did Lin Yi slowly climb the steps and face the envoys.

“Greetings, Regent Prince!”

Dag and the other envoys bowed again.

Lin Yi waved his hand.

“I’ve taken your silver, so I’ll naturally handle your affairs. Just say what you want.”

The statement stunned the envoys.

Even the court officials felt embarrassed.

What about the dignity of the imperial court?