In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 962 His Royal Highness Prince Ning
Lu Yunyi paused, following the old servant's gaze to the carriage.

The carriage, draped in blue cloth, sat quietly, its wheels still dusty.
The curtain was gently lifted by a corner.
She revealed a pale yet beautiful face; it was none other than Song Wan'er, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

She clutched the plain handkerchief tightly, her stray hairs trembling slightly in the wind, and a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

Seeing Lu Yunyi looking over, she quickly pulled the curtains back up, as if afraid of being seen.

Basong whispered behind him:

"My lord, do you need my subordinate?"

"No need."

Lu Yunyi raised his hand to interrupt and strode towards the carriage.

As soon as she reached the car, Song Wan'er personally lifted the curtain.

She held onto the carriage shaft, trying to get down.
But because of nervousness, she slipped and fell, but luckily Lu Yunyi reached out and helped her.

"Lord Lu, it's been a long time."

Song Wan'er's voice trembled, her fingertips touched his sleeve, then quickly withdrew, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"I'm sorry to bother you."

Lu Yunyi released her hand, his gaze falling on her clenched, white fingers, and he smiled:

"Miss Song, it's been a long time. You've become even more beautiful."

"Thank you for your praise, Lord Lu."

"What brings you here today? If there is nothing urgent, we can meet again after I finish my official duties."

Song Wan'er stiffened, lowered her head, and her voice trembled with tears:

"Lord Lu, I've come to apologize."

"Admit your mistake?"

Lu Yunyi was stunned, a look of bewilderment appearing in his eyes:

"What did Miss Wan'er do wrong?"

"It was Father. He listened to slander and got involved in the land price dispute with others."

Lu Yunyi suddenly laughed, not expecting that there was such a thing as Imperial Censor Song.

His name was not on yesterday's list.

Perhaps the target was too small and the amount of money offered was too little, so it didn't attract the attention of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, this does not mean they will be spared.

If the imperial court really launches an attack and arrests a few high-ranking officials, it will inevitably uncover other problems along the way.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Song Wan'er continued:
"I have also heard that my father made sarcastic remarks after the court session. This was wrong of my father, and I beg Lord Lu for forgiveness."

Lu Yunyi blinked, feeling somewhat lost as faces flashed through his mind.

After thinking for a while, he was certain that Song Lin really did exist.

He then smiled:

"Miss Wan'er, if you hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten about this."

Song Wan'er suddenly looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
But the next sentence quickly dimmed the hope in her eyes:

“These days, there have been at least eighty or a hundred people who have made sarcastic remarks. As for what Lord Song said, it was nothing special. How could I possibly remember it?”

Song Wan'er bit her lip and whispered:
"My father is just stubborn, but deep down he knows he's wrong."

I've been restless at home these past few days, and I don't even dare to go to court.
Lord Lu, I know you are a good person.
I beg you, could you please be lenient and forgive my mistake?

Lu Yunyi looked at her reddened eyes,

And that forced composure that couldn't hide her panic—I knew what was going on.

After Grand Secretary Song's death, the Song family's fortunes plummeted.
As a result, they lost all sense of order in their actions and even got involved in such an important matter.

"Don't worry, Miss Wan'er. Lord Song is just following the crowd and getting involved. It's not a big mistake."

Song Wan'er was taken aback by his quick agreement and momentarily forgot to react.
Only when Lu Yunyi turned to leave did he hurriedly bow in greeting:
"Thank you so much, Lord Lu! Thank you!"

Lu Yunyi turned around and glanced at her.
Seeing her eyes glistening, as if filled with tears yet also carrying a smile, he nodded.

"Go back and let Lord Song attend court as usual tomorrow. Stop hiding."

After saying that, he turned and left with Basong, leaving Song Wan'er standing by the carriage, watching his back, the corners of her mouth unable to help but turn up slightly.

The old servant leaned closer and said with a smile:
"Miss, it's done! The master is saved!"

Song Wan'er nodded and said softly:
"Go back to the manor and tell Father to attend court properly tomorrow and not to speak carelessly again."

"Oh, right, when you get home, send Grandpa's manuscript on his research into the classics to the adults, and also give a copy to that Sun Si'an."

"Miss, that's our family's traditional learning."

Song Wan'er shook her head:
"If the family is falling apart, what's the point of talking about family traditions?"

Lord Lu is generous, but we cannot take it for granted.
This manuscript is one of the few things the Song family can still present to the public.

The carriage slowly drove away, and Lu Yunyi had already arrived at Yingtian Trading Company on Fudong Street.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance, I saw the workers pulling carts back and forth.

The truck was piled high with packaged goods, and people were coming and going, creating quite a lively scene.

The gatekeeper saw Lu Yunyi and hurriedly came to greet him.
"Lord Lu! What brings you here? The head steward is upstairs."

Lu Yunyi nodded: "Lead the way."

Following the innkeeper up to the fifth floor, we saw that the doors to the rooms on both sides of the corridor were open.
The workers inside were either organizing ledgers or checking goods.

There were also some accountants busily working on their abacuses.

The sound wasn't loud, but it conveyed a sense of orderly liveliness.

Upon reaching the innermost room, the steward knocked on the door:

"Manager, Lord Lu has arrived."

"Come in."

Liu Sili's voice came from the room.

Lu Yunyi pushed open the door and saw Liu Sili sitting behind the table, holding an account book in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.

He was wearing a dark blue brocade robe, his hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and his face showed some fatigue.

Seeing Lu Yunyi enter, he put down the account book:
"Coming? Sit down."

Liu Sili pointed to the chair next to him and then said to the steward:

"Pour the tea."

"Greetings, Father-in-law."

After bowing respectfully, Lu Yunyi sat down.
His gaze swept over the ledgers on the table, which were filled with records of the business's income and expenditure.

"You can keep your composure."

Liu Sili spoke first, his tone tinged with complexity.

"With land prices in Beijing so volatile, Yingtian Trading Company is still posting notices to prepare for a branch. Aren't they afraid that Zhao Mian and his group will cause trouble for the company?"

Lu Yunyi picked up the tea that had just been served, took a sip, and smiled:

"Being afraid is useless. If they want to cause trouble..."

Even if I don't post a notice, I'll find another excuse.

Moreover, preparing for the establishment of a northern branch is the important matter.
This will both stabilize public morale and prepare for a future relocation of the capital; there's nothing to fear.

Liu Sili paused, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes:
"Are you really going to move?"

"The difference between moving the capital early and moving it late is that if the court wants to govern well, it cannot place the capital in the south."

Look at Yingtian now, surrounded by enemies and wolves.
The entire capital was completely sealed off; how could the palace feel at ease under such circumstances?

Liu Sili sighed and nodded slightly:
"The power of the many large clans in the south is still too great."
In Liaodong, achieving this level of success is extremely difficult.

Lu Yunyi laughed:
"Father-in-law, the north has been plagued by endless wars for a thousand years."

Countless powerful clans fell with each victory or defeat; they lacked the foundation and resources of the southern clans.

"Yes, Southern Zhili is still too peaceful."
"The Northerners have already fought their way this far, so there's no need to continue fighting."

"That makes sense. Many of the businesses involved this time are backed by powerful clans. They are invisible and intangible, but they really exist."

At this point, Lu Yunyi shook his head, his face full of emotion:

"In Liaodong, 100,000 taels of silver can stump many people, but here it's nothing."

"I dare not deceive my father-in-law; this is the first time I've ever heard that the Ming Dynasty is so wealthy."

"Hahahaha, the imperial court is hiding its wealth among the people."

Liu Sili laughed heartily and began to speak, not delving too deeply into the matter, but instead changing the subject to the affairs of Liaodong:

"I read the letter from home. Why didn't you keep those two iron ore deposits? Why did you insist on giving them to Wanyi?"

Lu Yunyi answered honestly:

"Those two are both rich mines."

Once it's unearthed, it's more prudent to leave it in Wanyi's hands.

The son-in-law is always in the midst of trouble.
If you get caught up in this for no reason, you'll regret it.

Liu Sili was about to offer some advice, but upon hearing his words, he fell silent.

He probably wouldn't have cared about these things in the past.

But after becoming the head manager of Yingtian Trading Company, he was well aware of the dangers of being at the core of power.

Calm waters often conceal turbulent undercurrents.

Yingtian Trading Company is located on the edge of the center.
But this son-in-law is right in the eye of the storm.

"You've thought of everything very thoroughly; there are many things I hadn't considered."

Lu Yunyi smiled and shook his head, then asked:
"Father-in-law, you've been getting a lot of pressure lately, haven't you?"

Liu Sili's face darkened, his expression turned solemn, and he nodded almost imperceptibly:

"There are indeed quite a few, and many of them are unexpected; you would never guess them."

"Oh? Who is it?" "Lord Li from the Ministry of Rites."

"what?"

Lu Yunyi's brows furrowed instantly; he truly hadn't expected this person.

On the one hand, Li Yuanming held a prestigious position, being the head official among the court officials.

On the other hand, it's because he's getting old.

If His Majesty hadn't insisted on keeping me here, I would have gone home last year to enjoy my retirement.

Moreover, Li's original name was from Sichuan.

If the capital were moved to Xi'an, it would be much closer than moving from Sichuan to Yingtian.

From both a moral and logical standpoint, he shouldn't have gotten involved in this kind of thing.

Liu Sili sighed and said in a deep voice:

He summoned me to the Ministry of Rites the day before yesterday and said quite a bit to me.

But from what I heard, it was clear that they didn't want chaos to break out in the capital and wanted both sides to remain calm.

I couldn't promise him anything, so I just gave him a vague answer and let it go. Lord Li didn't press the matter further.

Lu Yunyi's brows furrowed even more.

This attitude clearly shows that they don't want to get involved but have no choice but to.

What force is driving this from behind the scenes?

Zhao Mian contacted me a few days ago.

They say you wield great power and are disrupting commerce in the capital, and they want me to advise you to restrain yourself.
He also said that if I kept causing trouble like this, I would eventually bring trouble to the Liu family. I ignored him.

Lu Yunyi nodded, not particularly surprised by Zhao Mian's move.
Now, the two at the forefront are himself and him.

"Father-in-law, the decision to move the capital cannot be changed."

Even their painstaking efforts to disrupt things cannot change this fact.

Liu Sili nodded:

"I don't want to stay in Yingtian either; it's too far from Liaodong."
It takes ten days for government orders to reach those places, so even if there's something good, you can't get a hot meal from it.

However, going to Xi'an isn't ideal either, as it's quite far.

Fortunately, it's still in the north, much better than the south.

At this point, Lu Yunyi looked thoughtful and said in a deep voice:

"My son-in-law has always agreed to move the capital to the north."

But recent changes in the political situation have brought forth valuable resources like sweet potatoes and cement.

Therefore, some of my thoughts have changed.

Compared to Beiping (Beijing), Xi'an was far too dilapidated and had inconvenient transportation.

"Beiping? You think we should move the capital to Beiping?"

Liu Sili looked shocked, but he quickly laughed.
How could the commander of Beiping Capital want to move the capital to Xi'an?

Lu Yunyi continued:

"In a few days, the imperial court will issue a plan for Beiping."

The business network, centered on Beiping, has already been established, and the official documents of the Left Army Commander's Office are available online.

We are just waiting for the court to discuss and for His Majesty to make a decision.

Therefore, I have come today hoping that the business will make preparations for both possibilities.
Since we're going to build a branch, we can't forget Beiping; it should be considered as a backup option.

Liu Sili looked somewhat bewildered.

What business website? He hadn't heard a word about it.

However, he never doubted the authenticity of the news, and he also figured out some things:

"No wonder the document issued stated the establishment of the Northern Trading Company, without specifying the location. It turns out you had your eye on Beiping."

"Beiping is fine, at least it's close to Liaodong, so we'll be able to get news about any good things immediately."

Lu Yunyi didn't answer, but instead asked:
"Father-in-law, how's business at the trading company lately? Have you encountered any difficulties in preparing for the branch opening?"

Liu Sili's expression softened somewhat when the trading company was mentioned:
"Business is booming! The imperial court is currently undertaking a massive construction project."
Bridges and roads were built and houses were renovated everywhere, and the people made a lot of money.

However, the shops mainly sell everyday items; there are far fewer silks, porcelains, and artistic decorations.

It seems that many merchants have invested their money in the land.
Overall, business is getting better every day.

This year's shareholders' meeting can be handled well and will be sufficient to satisfy everyone.

As for the branch, several locations have already been identified.

Xi'an, Taiyuan, Kaifeng, and Beiping.

As for the final decision, we'll have to wait a few more days.

However, the money and craftsmen were already prepared.

By the way, are you coming to the shareholder dividend distribution this time?

Lu Yunyi thought for a moment and nodded slightly:
"If I didn't have an official position in the Market and Commerce Bureau, I wouldn't have come. It would be too conspicuous. I have no choice but to come now."

"Forget it, we're riding high right now, it's better to be more patient and low-key."

"That's true, they were fighting to the death yesterday."
It's rather strange that we'll be sitting in the same room dividing up the silver the day after tomorrow.

The two chatted about some trivial matters concerning the business, as well as recent developments in the capital.
Before we knew it, an hour and a half had passed.

Lu Yunyi glanced at the sky outside the window and, seeing that the sun had already risen, stood up and said:
"Father-in-law, I have to go to the Market Exchange Office, so I'll take my leave now."

Liu Sili also got up to see him off:

"Okay, be careful on the road. If anything happens, send someone to the shop to find me."

Lu Yunyi nodded, turned around and walked out of the room.

When Lu Yunyi stepped into the main hall of the Market and Exchange Bureau,
The sun, which was at Chen Shi (7-9 AM), had already climbed over the eaves and shone through the window onto the desk, making the stacked account books appear bright.

Hou Xianzheng was hunched over at the table, checking the numbers, the abacus beads clicking loudly.

Upon seeing him enter, he immediately stopped what he was doing, and stepped forward, holding a blue ledger:

"Sir, these are the account details of the various brokerage firms yesterday."

Lu Yunyi took the ledger, his fingertips brushing against the yellowed pages, and nodded slightly.

He walked to the head seat and sat down, just about to open another document about the preparation of the Beiping branch,

Suddenly, a series of light footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a slightly flustered report from a minor official:
"My lord, someone from the palace has arrived, saying that His Highness Prince Ning has come!"

"Prince Ning?"

Lu Yunyi paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Hou Xian was also taken aback, and quickly said:
"My lord, shall I go and greet him first?"

"No need, I'll go myself."

Lu Yunyi got up, straightened his robes, and strode towards the door.

As soon as they reached the corridor, they saw a group of guards standing in the courtyard, surrounding a young man.

The boy was thirteen or fourteen years old, dressed in a royal blue brocade robe with clouds and cranes embroidered on the collar, a white jade belt around his waist, and a jade pendant with two fish hanging from it, swaying gently with his steps.

He was still rather thin, with a touch of baby fat on his face.
A pair of bright eyes were curiously observing the courtyard of the City Exchange Bureau.

Upon seeing Lu Yunyi emerge, he immediately stopped and stood still, appearing somewhat reserved.

"Your subject Lu Yunyi greets Your Highness Prince Ning." Lu Yunyi bowed.

Zhu Quan quickly stepped forward and reached out to help.

Then, remembering etiquette, he paused in mid-air before softly saying:

"Lord Lu, there's no need for such formalities. I've come today to request a private audience."

This is not a formal visit; no need for formalities.

His voice still carried the clear, youthful tone of a boy.

As she spoke, her eyes unconsciously glanced at Lu Yunyi with a hint of curiosity.

He had heard many rumors about this Lord Lu while he was still in the palace; he was a capable official.

Lu Yunyi straightened up, looked at the young man in front of him who was acting mature despite his young age, and smiled:

"Since Your Highness has arrived, you are an honored guest. Please come into the hall and have a seat."
Hou Xian, brew a pot of the finest tea.

Prince Ning, Zhu Quan, pursed his lips, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Lu Yunyi noticed the gaze and smiled:
"Bring another pot of Coke, and another pot of black tea."

Zhu Quan's eyes lit up instantly.

Zhu Quan followed Lu Yunyi into the main hall with high expectations, his eyes scanning the hall.

On the wall hung a map of the Ming Dynasty's territory.

There is also a smaller map of Southern Zhili, with red markings on it.
The desk was piled high with account books, exuding a pragmatic atmosphere.

It was completely different from the exquisite but superficial decorations in the palace.

He sat down in the guest seat, placed his hands neatly on his knees, and said softly:
"Lord Lu, I came here today to ask about Da Ning."

Lu Yunyi took the cola and black tea that Hou Xian handed him and asked:

Which one to drink?

"Cola!"

"temple"

The eunuch following behind was about to speak when
But Lu Yunyi glanced at him and he immediately backed down.
Now everyone in the palace is wondering why Consort Ning speaks so highly of this Lord Lu. As a lowly eunuch, he dares not offend him.

Lu Yunyi handed over the cola and smiled:
"Why did Your Highness suddenly ask about the affairs of Da Ning?"

A flicker of panic crossed Zhu Quan's eyes, and his fingers tightened around the cola.

"My father said that I will be officially appointed to go to Daming in a few days."

(End of this chapter)