The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 126 She Provoked Me
"Who are you, young lady? Why are you looking for me?" A young man with white edges on his collar and cuffs, still dressed in a single layer of clothing in early winter, stood in front of Shang Mingshu. His hair was slightly disheveled, his features were handsome, and he was somewhat thin and pale, but his spine was straight. He showed no embarrassment in front of the richly dressed Shang Mingshu.

"Young Master Tan, do you wish to take revenge?" Shang Mingshu asked.

Tan Si was the elder brother of Tan Niangzi, the woman whose younger sister had shown affection for Cheng Mian and was driven to suicide by drowning by Yan Zhiyi. His father was the warehouse manager of the Censorate, a very low-ranking official in the capital.

Even though they were both in the Censorate, Tan's father had to kneel down and look up to Censor Yan.

The daughter committed suicide by drowning, Tan himself was wrongly accused and lost his job, and his father fell seriously ill and was bedridden. Some people took the opportunity to curry favor with Yan and kick him while he was down. The Tan family was already destitute and could not even afford to pay for the medicine for Tan's father.

After learning about the existence of the Tan family from Xu Tianxing, Shang Mingshu immediately gave He Mu a large sum of money to investigate the matter upon arriving in the capital. Tan Si was someone He Mu brought back from the pharmacy, where Tan Si had been thrown out by the pharmacy for buying medicine on credit.

He Mu paid for his medicine in advance and accompanied him back to serve his father the medicine before bringing him to Shang Mingshu.

"The young lady is dressed in fine clothes, but her accent is not from the capital." Tan Si naturally wanted revenge, but the other party was rich and powerful. Unless his power was greater than the other party's... no, for the sake of Chief Minister Yan's reputation, even his relatives might not be willing to stand up for him, a complete stranger and a useless person.

Sensing that Tan Si didn't trust her, Shang Mingshu wasn't angry. Instead, she looked at Tan Si with newfound respect, thinking that at least he hadn't been blinded by hatred: "If you dare, if you want to, I have a way to help you succeed. But life is like a game of chess, danger and opportunity go hand in hand, and whether you succeed or not depends on your luck."

"Why are you helping me, young lady?" Tan Si's fingernails dug into his flesh, the slight pain reminding him to stay calm.

He never doubted that Shang Mingshu was sent by the Yan family to test him. In their eyes, he was a piece of trash, not worth a second glance. They were certain that he couldn't cause any trouble, and they weren't even interested in watching him run into obstacles everywhere.

"She provoked me." Shang Mingshu's eyes were slightly cold.

Tan Si didn't know who Shang Mingshu was referring to, or even whether it was a man or a woman. He could sense that Shang Mingshu's aura had suddenly changed, giving him the feeling that they, like them, hated the Yan family.

Tan Si was in a deep inner turmoil. His parents were loving, but his father only had his mother's side of the family, and he, his younger sister, and his seven-year-old younger brother were the only children he had. If something happened to him, there would be no one to support the family...

“If you fail, I will give your family one hundred gold pieces, enough for your parents to take your younger brother back to their hometown and live a peaceful life.” Shang Mingshu knew what Tan Si was hesitating about, so she added more weight to the deal. “If you succeed, this one hundred gold pieces will not need to be given to you by me; you will have a bright future and wealth waiting for you.”

Tan Si looked at Shang Mingshu in disbelief. This woman, whom he did not know, was so calm and composed that he was shocked. He had grown up in the capital and, although his family was poor, he had seen many noble ladies. He had never seen anyone as arrogant and self-righteous as Shang Mingshu.

Why should she?
Before Tan Si could finish speaking, for some reason he couldn't muster the energy to question him.

He bowed respectfully to Shang Mingshu and said, "Please enlighten me, young lady."

Shang Mingshu raised her hand, and He Sui handed a thick letter to Tan Si.

The letter wasn't sealed. Tan Si pulled it out and quickly read it from the first word. The more he read, the wider his eyes became. He showed doubt at times, and anger eventually turned into struggle. After finishing it, he couldn't look up for a long time. His heart was extremely complicated, and he couldn't calm down no matter how many times he read it.

“If you are unwilling, I will not force you.” Shang Mingshu did not intend to force her, and even if Tan Si found out about her method, it would not leave any evidence. “I will find another victim.”

Yan's arrogance has harmed far more than just Tan's wife. It's just that Tan's wife's matter is recent, and she has also discovered that Tan has the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination) and is known for his literary talent. She believes that if he passes the imperial examination next year, he may very well achieve great success. Therefore, she felt that she should make the most of him.

Tan Si's hand, holding the letter, showed prominent veins on the back. After a long while, he bowed respectfully to Shang Mingshu and said, "Thank you for your guidance, young lady. Do you have any pen and ink?"

Shang Mingshu gave He Sui a look, and He Sui immediately prepared pen and ink. Tan Si burned the letter in front of Shang Mingshu, leaving the envelope with the character "Tan" on the blank envelope.

He bowed and handed the envelope to Shang Mingshu with both hands: "If this succeeds, whenever you need me in the future, just hand me this, and I will do my utmost to repay your great kindness."

Shang Mingshu admired Tan Si even more, and she accepted the gift with both hands, saying, "I wish Mr. Tan all the best in the future and a meteoric rise in his career."

Tan Si then disregarded etiquette and gave Shang Mingshu a deep look. In just one glance, he was struck by Shang Mingshu's beautiful and delicate appearance, and dared not look at her any longer: "Farewell."

Shang Mingshu watched Tan Si leave and instructed He Sui, "Extend the stay for two more days."

She orchestrated this whole affair, and she won't leave until she sees the results for herself.

Although she was confident, she knew that one could not be blindly arrogant in this world. Even the slightest loss of control could lead to complete failure. If all else failed, she would have to deliver the money to the Tan family and ensure their safe departure from the capital.

Two days later, Chief Minister Yan rode his sedan chair down from the morning court session. At that time, people were coming and going. Tan Si, dressed in white with a white sash around his head, rushed out to stop the sedan chair. Before anyone could drive him away, he shouted loudly: "After the chaos at Jiangguan, only ruins remain. In spring, the pear trees weep for the fallen people!"

"Wait." A dignified and powerful voice came from inside the sedan chair.

At this moment, countless people gathered on both sides, including officials and commoners, and even people from the surrounding high-rise buildings crowded around to watch.

"Your Excellency, I have heard that you passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty-five and, despite your meager salary, used two years' worth of your salary to repair roads and build bridges in your hometown, simply to express your gratitude to your fellow villagers for the food and clothing they provided during your years of hard study." Tan Si's voice was clear and resonant.

The surrounding crowd fell silent instantly, and his voice carried far, each word distinct: "You wrote poems of lamentation upon seeing the people who perished in the war, lamenting the ruins of Jiangguan after the chaos, and the weeping of the fallen people under the crabapple tree in spring. You rose again at the age of 37, appointing virtuous and capable officials, providing disaster relief, and punishing corrupt officials. Even when you held high office and great power, you respected your first wife and never took another woman as a concubine..."

Tan Si's words left many people bewildered. The current chief minister, who has held power in the court for more than ten years, has a poor reputation. Many honest historians wanted to refute him, but upon careful consideration, they realized that Tan Si had not exaggerated, flattered, or fabricated a single word!
It turns out that the child prodigy, the prime minister Yan, who came from a poor family, was once such a person...

Not only those listening, but even the chief minister Yan himself in the sedan chair was slightly stunned. The version of himself that had been exiled nine years ago seemed distant and unfamiliar to him, but now it gradually became clear in the young man's resounding words, and he closed his eyes heavily: "What you ask for."