IDWBE -Chapter 86 Blame Falling from the Sky

Lin Yi weakly waved his fishing rod and looked at Hong Ying kneeling before him. He sighed.

“Get up. It’s not your fault.”

Hong Ying said, “It is my incompetence. I failed to notice in time—otherwise Shan Yin would never have left Baiyun City. If Your Highness permits, I will go capture him at once!”

“Capture him? Chase where? By now who knows where he’s run off to.”

Lin Yi glanced at the row of old men kneeling nearby and sighed again.

“You old fossils really do like meddling. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind having a Provincial Administrator sent here. As you said, then everything we do would be legitimate and aboveboard. Let the officials shoulder the burden—I could stop meddling and enjoy some peace and quiet. What I fear most is someone like a Military Commander or Admiral arriving—someone with troops and guns. A man with soldiers stands straighter when he speaks. Then I’d have to tread carefully. When a scholar meets a soldier, reason makes no sense.”

Xie Zan cupped his hands while kneeling. “Your Highness is farsighted. I am in awe.”

Lin Yi snorted. “Impeach me? I’m not afraid. Shan Qi that old bastard has impeached me plenty of times before. But you made decisions behind my back. Do you really think I have such a good temper?”

“Please forgive us, Your Highness!”

The eight old men begged with their mouths—but none showed fear on their faces.

Lin Yi said calmly, “The death penalty is spared, but punishment is unavoidable. I could have you caned—but at your age, that might actually kill you. Guards! Take them away. Lock them up for three days to reflect facing the wall. And each of you will write a self-criticism. Use plain language. If I can’t understand it, it doesn’t count.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Their joy was barely concealed.

Baiyun City did not grind to a halt because three old men were confined.

After all, they were merely locked indoors. The Prince had not stripped them of their authority.

Every day people came to consult them. Standing at the window, they issued instructions as usual.

At the newly built training ground of Qidian Orphanage, shouts shook the air.

But those training were the expanded Prince’s guards. No idlers were allowed inside. Elderly men and women who wished to learn martial arts still had to attend the school instead.

Standing atop a crude platform, Hong Ying spoke in a steady voice. Though not loud, every man below heard clearly.

“You have three months. Anyone who cannot reach the stage of transforming strength—don’t blame me for being merciless. At that point, there will be no need for you to remain in the Prince’s residence. The Prince’s household does not keep useless men.”

“Yes!”

Four thousand guards answered in unison, then fell into silence.

You could hear a pin drop.

Shen Chu and Bao Kui exchanged helpless looks.

Transforming strength?

The requirement was too high!

Even among the Imperial Guards in the capital, masters of that level could be counted on one’s fingers.

Out of four thousand guards—how many would remain?

But none dared refute Hong Ying.

As he stepped down from the platform and passed Shen Chu, he said quietly, “Stop keeping useless men. If something happens and the Prince is harmed, he’ll only end up grieving again.”

Shen Chu bowed in acknowledgment, watching his retreating back with a sigh.

Since Wang Cheng obtained a maritime license, he followed Liang Gen’s example and began purchasing goods in bulk.

Merchants, like sharks smelling blood, transported porcelain, tea, and silk in endless streams to Sanhe. With buyers offering high prices, they needed no additional markets.

As long as the goods arrived safely—they made money.

More and more traders came to Sanhe. The roads bustled daily with carts and horses.

Even locals grew confused.

Since when had Baiyun City become so popular?

But the clever seized opportunity.

Baiyun City now had its first true inn—and its first two-story restaurant.

Liu Duo, owner of the Central Street Silk Shop, finally stopped pretending. He truly began selling silk.

Coarse cloth? Low-end goods? He barely bothered.

How much profit could be squeezed from laborers?

Lin Yi, however, noticed details others overlooked.

For instance, the women in Baiyun City’s back alleys were growing younger. The toothless and hunchbacked were no longer seen.

Though still not comparable to Ankang City in beauty, there had been significant improvement.

Just as Lin Yi was about to feel pleased—

He discovered children among them.

The well-educated Prince of He could not tolerate it.

There was no clause in the Prince’s regulations about “crackdowns on vice,” nor did Lin Yi plan to add one.

But Wang Xing understood the spirit of the law.

There was already a clause: “Trafficking in persons is illegal.”

Applying that rule sufficed.

Thus, Baiyun City launched a sweeping campaign against human traffickers.

To everyone’s surprise, the usually benevolent Prince showed no mercy this time.

Anyone deemed “heinously criminal” was executed on the spot.

No chance for labor reform.

It was the first large-scale execution since the Prince took up residence in Baiyun City.

Locals and outsiders alike finally understood:

In Sanhe, in Baiyun City, abducting or selling free persons was treated the same as murder.

The city’s budding entertainment industry died prematurely.

Lin Yi felt deeply regretful.

This had not been his original intention.

He could only blame himself for using too heavy a hand.

The weather grew hotter.

Lin Yi once again went shirtless by habit.

Lying beneath a large tree, he didn’t even bother opening his eyes when he heard pigeons cooing.

Wang Qingbang handed him a translated note. Lin Yi didn’t take it.

“Read it.”

Wang Qingbang said, “Right Censor-in-Chief Qin Yang impeaches Your Highness for acting recklessly in Sanhe—improperly conscripting laborers and illegally amassing wealth.”

“Damn it!” Lin Yi snapped. “This is all your doing!”

Qin Yang was a second-rank official!

Compared to Shan Qi, an impeachment from him was entirely different in nature.

After hesitating, Wang Qingbang said softly, “Your Highness need not worry too much. Misfortune may be the foundation of fortune; fortune may hide within disaster.”

“Stop spouting nonsense. I’m just sitting at home and somehow blame falls from the sky! You people love stirring up trouble. If I really get caught up in something, none of you are escaping.”

Wang Qingbang smiled awkwardly, unable to respond.

More than fifteen days later—

Princess Huaiyang’s pigeons arrived again.

Five at once.

All bearing the same message.

Shan Qi had impeached He Jin for abusing power and monopolizing imperial favor.

This time not only Lin Yi—but Wang Qingbang, Xie Zan, and the others were stunned.

Chen Desheng sighed. “Lord Shan is gambling for victory in peril.”

“That’s gambling with death.”

Lin Yi found he couldn’t even feel happy at his enemy courting disaster.

Tian Shiyou returned with eleven large ships.

They lined the river in majestic formation, once again causing a sensation in Baiyun City.

Residents watched as crate after crate of gold and silver was unloaded. So much treasure filled the boxes that the lids wouldn’t close. In the sunlight, the reflected glare nearly blinded onlookers.

On the day Tian Shiyou returned, he moved straight into his newly built residence in Baiyun City.

In Baiyun City, one could not proclaim oneself king as on Fangniao Island. The plaque above his modest gate simply read:

“Tian Residence.”

Everyone knew—

There was only one who could call himself “Prince” in Baiyun City.

And only one estate worthy of being called a “Prince’s Mansion.”