Di Ming

Chapter 131 A Whale Fall
Zhu Yin said calmly, "You know that Magistrate Zhuang is my backer, yet you still want to touch me, all for this piece of land. Don't tell me this piece of land is just a piece of land."

"If you don't have a secret that convinces me, then you're in big trouble. Kong Jiulang was very honest; he confessed readily and didn't suffer any consequences."

Wang Chaoque sighed, "I never thought I would be defeated by a mere child. My Wang family ancestors were the personal guards of the founding emperor, and we enjoyed wealth and honor for over two hundred years. We rose to power because of Zhu, and we also fell because of Zhu."

"You are a member of the royal family, aren't you? Which fiefdom?"

Zhu Yin laughed. "Wang Chaoque, you're a smart man. How did you know I'm a member of the imperial family?"

Wang Chaoque's gaze calmed down considerably. "I, Wang, believe most in fate and feng shui, and I firmly believe that there must be a great secret of life within them. My Wang family rose to prominence because of the Zhu family, and fell into decline because of the Zhu family. Isn't that fate? If that's the case, then you are not an ordinary person with the surname Zhu; you must be a member of the imperial family without a doubt."

"Besides, this land is inherently connected to the royal family. Now that you've leased it, how can this be just a coincidence?"

"However, I don't know which region you come from."

"Which vassal state?" Zhu Yin asked with a playful expression, looking south towards the South Seas. "I am indeed a member of the imperial family, but I belong to no vassal state."

“Not any of the vassal states?” Wang Chaoque was taken aback, and then a look of astonishment slowly appeared on his face.

He got it.

"Are you from the lineage of Crown Prince Yiwen, a descendant of Emperor Jianwen?"

Zhu Yin nodded. "Wang Chaoque, you know quite a lot. You know that Emperor Jianwen has descendants."

"Hahaha!" Wang Chaoque suddenly burst into laughter, a strange laugh, but with a look of relief on his face.

"So that's how it is! So that's how it is!" Wang Chaoque exclaimed as if he had gone mad. "Fate was predetermined! My defeat was not unjust, not unjust at all! Hahaha!"

Zhu Yin looked at him coldly, "Oh? I'd like to hear what you know."

Wang Chaoque laughed until tears streamed down his face. He gasped as he said:

"Do you know the history of this land? This is the site of the underground palace of Emperor Jianwen's mausoleum. This auspicious land should originally be called... Jingling!"

"As for what secrets the underground palace holds, that's anyone's guess; there's probably nothing there."

"The people in Qingqiaoli were originally moved here to guard the mausoleum."

What? The mausoleum of Jianwen, Jingling?
Zhu Yin was greatly surprised and was stunned.

He was familiar with history and knew that Jingling was the tomb of Emperor Zhang of Han, but he did not know that Emperor Jianwen's tomb was also called Jingling.

There is no historical record of Emperor Jianwen building a mausoleum, so there is no such thing as the Jianwen Jingling Mausoleum.

Wang Chaoque continued, "Beneath this land lies the underground palace that Emperor Jianwen secretly built! The tunnel he used to escape led to this palace..."

Wang Chaoque revealed the secret of the feng shui master Luo Wuming, and only then did Zhu Yin understand the whole story.

It turns out that Wang Chaoque was attracted by the feng shui of the "Jingling" tomb, not because the land contained buried treasure.

He didn't believe Wang Chaoque was lying. Even if he were lying, he couldn't have come up with such a seemingly absurd lie.

This secret sounds absurd, but it actually makes perfect sense.

It was customary for emperors to select an auspicious burial site shortly after ascending the throne. Emperor Jianwen had no reason to be an exception.

When Zhu Di first rebelled, Emperor Jianwen was full of confidence and thought he could quell the rebellion. Of course, he would not abandon choosing an auspicious site just because Zhu Di rebelled.

However, fearing that Zhu Di would have someone use witchcraft to suppress the evil spirits, the location of the auspicious site was not made public, and an underground palace was secretly built instead.

Because it was carried out in secret and was abandoned shortly after construction, there are no related records in historical books.

Some later generations speculated that Emperor Jianwen's burial site was certainly not far from Xiaoling Mausoleum, and was most likely located south of Nanjing.

Isn't this the southern part of Nanjing?
What truly surprised Zhu Yin was that he actually returned to the burial site chosen by his ancestors.

It seemed as if it were predestined.

Zhu Yin was deeply moved. No one knew that the Jianwen Emperor was actually buried in Bagan Api, Sumatra.

The more than forty men who accompanied Emperor Jianwen on his voyage to Sumatra all changed their surname to Hong, meaning Hongwu.

Only in the secret family genealogy does he still show that his ancestors were surnamed Zhu, but to outsiders they are all surnamed Hong.

The eunuch Zheng He passed through Sumatra several times without noticing anything. Perhaps he was feigning ignorance.

Wang Chaoque gave a bitter laugh, "After Luo Wuming died, only my brother and I knew about this matter. Even the Zhou family didn't know. Now that my brother is dead, I can't escape death either. This secret is now only known to you."

"And you happen to be a descendant of Jianwen, isn't this the will of Heaven? How could human effort possibly change this?"

He had always believed in feng shui and fate, and when he learned that Zhu Yin was a descendant of Jianwen, he no longer hated him.

This was destined.

Wang Chaoque closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them, looking at Zhu Yin's small face:
"The descendants of Emperor Jianwen happened to live in the Jingling Mausoleum and returned to Nanjing. This is not a coincidence. It shows that the lineage of Crown Prince Yiwen is about to return to the throne."

"The throne of the Chengzu lineage will not be secure in the future. The Ming Dynasty will eventually return to the hands of the eldest son's direct line; this must be fate."

"No wonder you are so extraordinary at only ten years old, completely unlike a child. So you have come with destiny, to reclaim the throne. How could you be an ordinary person?"

Zhu Yin's gaze was deep and unfathomable as he sneered, "The mysteries within are beyond your comprehension. But you're right, I will reclaim the throne. Zhu Di's lineage are all rebels; what right do they have to remain on the throne?"

"Take Wanli for example. He actually allowed Tian Yi to use all sorts of methods to confiscate property and amass wealth in Nanjing. How could such a person be the emperor? It's like dog meat that can't be served in public."

"If Wanli hadn't wanted to profit from confiscating the Wang family's wealth, the Wang family wouldn't have perished. The Wang family was powerful and wealthy; without Wanli's greed, what could I have done to them? Remember, after you die, don't look for me; look for Wanli."

Wang Chaoque looked north and suddenly burst into laughter again.

"Hahaha! Wanli, you greedy and incompetent emperor! You were born of a palace maid! You're utterly unworthy of respect! You confiscated my property, but your future fate will likely be worse than mine, worse than mine! Hahaha!"

"Zhu Yin, just give me a quick death."

Zhu Yin nodded and gave Lan Cha a wink.

Lancha grabbed Wang Chaoque by the neck and squeezed hard, crushing his throat with a snap.

Wang Chaoque's eyes suddenly bulged out, and he died instantly, a quick and painless death.

Zhu Yin was actually a man of his word.

Kangxi swiftly searched Wang Chaoque's body and found a stack of ordination certificates, which he then handed to Zhu Yin.

The ordination certificate was the most durable paper currency in ancient times. Today, each certificate is worth ten taels of silver, and its value is expected to rise further.

This stack of certificates contains over a hundred documents, worth more than a thousand taels of silver, making it ideal for fleeing for one's life.

If you're carrying silver, it would weigh over a hundred pounds—how could you possibly carry that? Even gold would weigh over ten pounds, and it wouldn't be easy to travel long distances.

The ordination certificate is the most convenient. If necessary, one can fill out an ordination certificate, shave one's head, escape to a temple, and continue to live a carefree life as a monk.

Zhu Yin tucked the ordination certificate, worth over a thousand taels of silver, into his pocket, feeling a warmth in his chest.

“Eh, his body, or…” Lancha pointed to the deep ravine below Dongshan Mountain.

Zhu Yin nodded, "Throw it down when it gets dark."

Lancha obeyed: "Yes, sir!"

Zhu Yin watched as Lan Cha packed Wang Chaoque's body into a sack, his mind racing with thoughts.

How deep is the underground palace? Where is it located? Should we dig down to take a look?

After thinking it over, Zhu Yin decided to leave it alone for the time being.

Because if anything is discovered, with his current weak power, he cannot protect the secret and it is easy for it to be leaked.

Let's do it later.

Zhu Yin left the woodshed in the courtyard and returned to the red building in the inner courtyard, where he saw Zhao Chan'er breastfeeding Ning Qingchen.

Zhao Chan'er said with a touch of emotion, "Next spring, Qingchen won't need to drink my milk anymore."

After saying that, she wiped Ning Qingchen's mouth and revealed a serene smile.

Looking at Zhao Chan'er's beautiful face, Ning Qingchen couldn't help but think of Jilan's mother from the Jurchen tribe.

Zhu Yin personally brewed a cup of tea for Zhao Chan'er, saying, "Sister-in-law, when Qingchen is weaned, I will need your help again."

He knew that Zhao Chan'er's family was not wealthy and she had two children to support. Although her husband, Gu Qiyuan, would become a third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination in a dozen years, Gu Qiyuan was currently obsessed with epigraphy and would take another ten years to pass the provincial examination in history.

For the next ten years, the Gu family continued to struggle financially.

I'll help as much as I can.

Zhao Chan'er smiled and asked, "What do you need my help with?"

"Teaching," Zhu Yin said with a smile, "becoming a female teacher. Next year, Caiwei's workshop will open, and we'll need to hire several hundred people at the beginning."

“Teach them to read!” Zhao Chan’er exclaimed excitedly. “Yin-ge’er is really something else, teaching the hired workers to read. Okay, I’m willing to do it.”

She was a woman from a scholarly family; if she were a man, she would have passed the imperial examination and become a scholar long ago.

Zhu Yin said, "Then it's settled. I'll only teach for half an hour each day, and I'll receive five taels of silver a month."

According to the plan, Ning Caiwei recruited "worker seeds," all of whom were teenagers, to serve the group long-term.

Zhao Chan'er's eyes reddened, and she couldn't help but wipe away her tears. "Yin-ge'er, I know you mean well and are helping me. But five taels of silver is just too much..."

"Not much." Zhu Yin waved his hand. "Normally, hiring a tutor would only cost two or three taels of silver, but my sister-in-law is Qingchen's wet nurse, a half-elder, and this is a lifelong bond."

“If we give too little, Qingchen will think we are mistreating her wet nurse when she grows up. So, this is reasonable, sister-in-law, please don’t refuse.”

Zhao Chan'er was very grateful upon hearing this, and felt very warm inside. "Brother Yin, since you say so, it would be pretentious for me to refuse again."

At this point, he smiled and said, "Yin-ge is only ten years old, but he is like an adult. If he becomes an official in the future, who knows what it will be like to sit in the court and run errands at such a young age."

"Now that you've entered the Imperial Academy and are classmates with your husband, you should get closer to him."

She was worried that Zhu Yin was too young and might be bullied at the Imperial Academy. With the older Gu Qiyuan taking care of him, things would be better.

Zhu Yin knew her good intentions and nodded, saying, "Okay. I've wanted to get to know Brother Gu for a long time."

Zhao Chan'er continued, "The Wang family deserved to be punished, but there are already rumors circulating, saying that..."

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "They say the Wang family offended me, that's why they're in trouble."

Zhao Chan'er nodded, "Isn't it just made up? But there are always people who believe these rumors."

Zhu Yin said with a playful expression, "Let them guess. It's not like I'm the one who seized the Wang family's wealth. I didn't take a single tael of their gold and silver."

Just then, Kangxi cautiously entered and reported:

"My lord, a few people have arrived outside. The one leading them is the eunuch who attacked the Wang family today. He wants to see you."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chan'er's smile froze on her face, and her lips parted involuntarily.

Zhu Yin stood up and said, "Sister-in-law, please make yourself at home. I'll be right back."

After Zhu Yin left, Zhao Chan'er said to Ning Qingchen:

"This Brother Yin is really ruthless. No wonder he's called Little Tiger, he truly is a little tiger!"

"Qingchen, with a brother-in-law like this, no one will dare to bully you in the future."

Ning Qingchen chuckled, seemingly understanding Zhao Chan'er's words.

……

The living room was filled with the aroma of tea. A sixth-rank official, wearing a three-peaked hat, a robe with a qilin pattern, and a shovel-shaped ivory tag hanging from his waist, sat with his legs crossed.

A sixth-rank eunuch cannot be called a eunuch, but because he is a middle official, a sixth-rank official such as a Fengyu or Changsui has the opportunity to be bestowed with a Qilin robe.

"Brother Ma," Zhu Yin said with a smile, "I am ashamed to trouble you to make this trip in person."

This eunuch, surnamed Ma, was an official in the garrison headquarters and the Directorate of Ceremonial. The two had met at the garrison headquarters.

Upon hearing Zhu Yin's address, Ma Fengyu's face immediately lit up with a smile.

As eunuchs, they preferred to be called "Big Brother" or "Master".

"Young Master Zhihu!" Ma Fengyu stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, "Today's events are all thanks to Young Master Zhihu..."

Zhu Yin was a relative of Tian Gong, so of course he dared not be presumptuous.

"Brother Ma, you're too kind. Please sit down and have some tea!" Zhu Yin returned the courtesy. "This 'Bijian Mingyue' tea was a gift from my aunt."

Ma Fengyu laughed and said, "In that case, I'm in for a treat."

He looked grateful. "No wonder Master Tian instructed us to consult Young Master Zhihu if anything was amiss. Although you are young, you are truly a prodigy rarely seen throughout history..."

Zhu Yin said sincerely, "Brother Ma, if you keep calling me Young Master Zhihu, it's like you're deliberately creating distance between us. Do you think I'm too young and don't want to address me as a brother?"

“Brother Zhihu…” Ma Fengyu couldn’t help but feel moved, and his goodwill towards Zhu Yin grew even stronger. A scholarly talent, yet willing to address him, a man who had been convicted of a crime, as a brother, showed that Brother Zhu was a righteous and honorable gentleman, unlike those pretentious and self-righteous scholars.

Zhu Yin poured Ma Fengyu a cup of tea and said:
"Gong Ji, who helped the government troops kill the traitor, was my friend. It was he who told me that the Wang family colluded with foreign barbarians and Japanese pirates to cause trouble. Otherwise, how would I know the inside story of the Wang family?"

Ma Fengyu said, "Young brother, you did not wrong an innocent person. Your report is correct. We did find evidence of crimes in the Wang family, as well as foreign writings that we could not understand. It should be a secret letter written to foreign barbarians."

“Now that I have this physical evidence, I can seize it directly and confiscate it very quickly. This is intolerable under the law.”

Zhu Yin nodded, "Isn't that right? The law cannot tolerate this! The Wang family holds official positions in the Ming Dynasty, enjoying the Ming's bounty for generations, yet they betray their own people, colluding with foreigners to rebel and cause chaos. They truly deserve to die; they are traitors!"

"Traitor?" Ma Fengyu's eyes lit up. "That's a good way to put it, that's exactly what a traitor is!"

Ma Fengyu looked regretful as he said this, "It's a pity that Wang Chaoque, the patriarch of the Wang family, escaped. We don't know where that traitor went."

Zhu Yin thought for a moment, "He has most likely sided with foreign barbarians or Japanese pirates. The Wang family has ships along the coast. It will be difficult to capture him now."

"By the way, has the Wang family's wealth been tallied yet?"

Ma Fengyu laughed and said, "The statistics have already been compiled. We have the ledgers, so it's easy to do the statistics. That's exactly what I came here for, brother."

"The gold and gold artifacts weigh more than 5,300 taels. The silver and silver artifacts weigh more than 232,000 taels."

"The ancestral home consists of a large courtyard house and three garden villas, with the land value estimated at 20,000 taels of silver. There are also jade, jewelry, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques, which are difficult to value, but are probably worth 30,000 to 50,000 taels as well. The furniture is also worth 30,000 to 50,000 taels. These items are worth at least 100,000 taels."

“Three thousand six hundred mu of top-quality fertile land, valued at fifty thousand taels; fifty-six shops, businesses, and workshops, valued at fifty thousand taels. This is another hundred thousand taels as a minimum.”

"More than 300 oxen, more than 130 horses, more than 200 mules, plus pigs and sheep... the livestock alone are worth tens of thousands of taels."

"More than thirty ships of various kinds, with a minimum value of tens of thousands of taels."

"There are more than 5,000 shi of grain, more than 1,000 bolts of various cloths, more than 300 pieces of various fine furs, more than 30 jin of ginseng, more than 100 shi of salt, as well as oil, charcoal, wood, copper, iron, candles and other items, which are estimated to be worth at least 30,000 taels."

"There are over five hundred slaves with indentures; they're not worth much silver..."

"In total, the Wang family's assets are worth at least 550,000 taels of silver, but no more than 600,000 taels."

Zhu Yin nodded; the number was roughly the same as his previous estimate.

Although the Wang family did not hold high official positions, they were good at business. Over two hundred years, they must have accumulated a very large fortune, making them true large landowners, not just ordinary wealthy families.

However, the Wang family's wealth is insignificant compared to that of the top merchants from Anhui, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, and Shanxi.

During the late Ming Dynasty, there were so many business tycoons with assets worth millions that you couldn't count them on two hands.

Why did Emperor Wanli, who was fond of confiscating the property of the wealthy and powerful, not confiscate the property of these top-tier merchants?
These business oligarchs are the business agents of civil servants, and they have powerful backers in the officialdom, with many officials protecting them.

In addition to providing benefits to officials, they also bribed scholars, controlled public opinion, influenced policies, swayed public sentiment, befriended military generals, colluded with bandits, and raised private armies.

If the emperor wanted to take action against them, he would have to offend a group of officials, a group of scholars, and even a group of military men.

It's a delicate matter; a small change can have far-reaching consequences.

Without such immense power, one could never become a tycoon. Those who become tycoons possess this kind of power!

Forget about confiscating property, even collecting taxes is difficult.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty, which emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce, was actually the most prosperous period for great merchants in ancient times.

In the early to mid-Wanli period, the total value of all social classes in China was at least seven or eight hundred million taels of silver.

Of the at least seven or eight hundred million taels of silver, the royal family and the government combined only amounted to tens of millions of taels, less than ten percent.

The vast majority of the population, the lower classes, had an estimated total of over 100 million taels of silver. They mostly used copper coins, and many of them had no silver at all.

The wealthy, noble, and royal family members may have 300 million in their hands.

The merchants' silver, when added together, might amount to three hundred million.

It is clear that the country and its people are poor.

Then these wealthy people hoarded the silver as family heirlooms... In the end, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty had nine hundred million taels of silver but suffered a silver shortage and died of poverty.

Ma Fengyu's words interrupted Zhu Yin's thoughts: "Gold and silver are easy to deal with, just confiscate them according to the account book, but many things are not so easy to handle, they have to be sold off."

He gave a knowing smile and said, "I've come to see you, young man, about the sale of the Wang family's assets."

"Brother, would you like to buy the Wang family's inferior land? If you buy it, you won't have to lose your land as government land."

“Inferior, low-quality land,” Zhu Yin chuckled. “How much is it per acre?”

Ma Fengyu put down his teacup, smiled, and held up two fingers. "Although land in Jiangnan is expensive, even inferior land is only worth two taels of silver."

Two taels of silver!

Zhu Yin almost laughed.

Outside Nanjing, a mu of land costing two taels of silver was considered the lowest grade, yielding only a little over one shi of white rice per year after two harvests.

But the Wang family's fields yield four or five bushels of white rice a year, with two harvests! Such fertile land costs more than ten taels of silver per mu, and it's not easy to buy.

However, Ma Fengyu wanted to sell him 3,600 mu of top-quality farmland at a price of two taels per mu.

This is equivalent to giving him tens of thousands of taels of silver!
Ma Fengyu certainly didn't have that much power, nor did he have that much courage.

This is Tian Yi's intention.

If these fields are not sold to Zhu Yin, they will become government land. Once they become government land, they will be managed by Jiangning County and Yingtian Prefecture.

The garrison prefecture is not a prefecture or county, and does not manage government-owned land.

So, what benefit would the garrison headquarters gain from confiscating these thousands of acres of fertile land?
What the Emperor wants is silver, not a few thousand acres of official land in local prefectures and counties.

Following the principle of keeping the wealth within the family, Tian Yi simply sold his 3,600 mu of land to Zhu Yin at the lowest price for inferior land.

Anyway, Zhu Yin settled in the local area, and he needed local farmland.

In this way, Zhu Yin not only gained a great benefit, but also had to pay more than 7,000 taels of silver.

Of course, the main purpose was to support Zhu Yin in various ways and provide him with benefits.

Otherwise, you could simply sell it to someone else at the normal price.

“I’ll buy it,” Zhu Yin said without hesitation. “Brother Ma, I won’t say thank you; it’s all in this cup of tea.”

Zhu Yin did the math in his mind: if he bought the Wang family's fertile land at a price of two taels per mu, he would make more than 40,000 taels in one go.

"No need to thank me, I don't deserve it," Ma Fengyu said in a low voice. "To tell you the truth, half of this is the dowry that the old lady gave to her niece."

Zhu Yin immediately understood.

This was not only Tian Yi's reward to himself, but also the dowry that Madam Ning gave to Ning Caiwei.

He had witnessed firsthand the extravagance of the powerful and wealthy, who delivered dowries in this manner.

Overnight, he became the biggest landowner in the village.

Ma Fengyu added, "Besides that, if there's anything else you want to buy, young brother, you can buy it. If you don't have enough money, you can pay for it temporarily. This is also the old lady's wish."

It's truly a case of "one whale fall, and all things flourish." With the Wang family's downfall, many people benefit.

Zhu Yin didn't stand on ceremony. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I don't want the house; it's bad luck. I want to buy a boat, and all the cattle, horses, and mules."

Zhu Yin was not greedy and knew his limits.

Apart from the fields that Tian Yi and his wife deliberately gave to him and Ning Caiwei, he only wanted the boat, oxen, horses, and mules.

Ma Fengyu couldn't help but secretly praise Zhu Yin's intelligence and understanding, and smiled:

“Those dilapidated boats, old oxen and skinny horses are not worth much money. I’ll sell them all to you for two thousand taels of silver.”

Something worth 20,000 was sold for 2,000.

This operation felt familiar to Zhu Yin.

After chatting for a while, Ma Fengyu declined Zhu Yin's invitation to stay for dinner and took his leave.

Zhu Yin personally saw him off at the door.

Ma Fengyu did not take the money Zhu Yin used to buy the land, meaning there was no rush, and it was fine to owe it for now, as long as there was a debt.

Zhu Yin returned to the living room alone, sat there drinking tea, and digested the joy of making another windfall.

He needs to think carefully about how to deal with these 3,600 acres of fertile land.

If you resell it, you can make more than 40,000 taels of silver!

If you keep planting them, after deducting all costs, the annual income will be only three thousand taels of silver.

It would take more than a decade of farming to earn the same income as selling the land.

But that's not how you calculate things.

In ancient China, farmland was the foundation for consolidating power.

Otherwise, why would Tian Yi give him land instead of just money?

If the land is sold, the three hundred tenant farmers who cultivate it will be controlled by others.

If we don't sell, the three hundred tenant farmers will remain our tenant farmers.

This is population!
Zhu Yin returned to Zhu Lou and told Ning Qingchen about his considerations. Ning Qingchen also advocated against selling.

The little thing was very happy because it had struck it rich.

"Good that you're not selling! We're big landowners!"

Ning Qingchen said in a childish voice, "At least we can make the three hundred tenant households live a better life and suffer less exploitation."

Her idea was also Zhu Yin's idea.

That's right, even if it's to lessen the exploitation suffered by the tenant farmers, they cannot be resold.

Ning Qingchen then asked, "Tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival, shall we climb a mountain to enjoy the view?"

Zhu Yin nodded: "Tomorrow I'll take you to climb Dongshan Mountain and enjoy the view from the top."

Ning Qingchen grabbed his hand, "Tell me, where is she now?"

Zhu Yin said, "She's been gone for two or three days, so she's probably already on Daishan Island."

As the two were talking, the cool autumn moon had already risen.

Looking at the autumn moon in the sea of ​​clouds is like seeing a ship sailing on the ocean.

"My lord," Kangxi's voice rang out softly from outside, "Fang Jian has arrived and says he has something to tell you."

Zhu Yin immediately perked up.

Fang Jian's arrival at this time must be for something significant.

"Let him in. I'll go see him in the living room."

Zhu Yin gave an order and then carried the sweet-smelling Ning Qingchen downstairs.

Fang Jian was already seated in the central living room.

He looked much better than a month ago, but he was still working as a mirror grinder.

"Brother Zhu." Fang Jian immediately stood up and bowed when he saw Zhu Yin.

Zhu Yin put Ning Qingchen down and also bowed to Fang Jian.

"Brother Fang, is there something important?"

Fang Jian said, "There is a very important secret. After thinking about it, I think I should tell you, young brother."

He was still hesitant at first.

But today he heard that the Wang family's downfall might be related to Zhu Yin, so he decided to tell Zhu Yin.

Given Zhu Yin's abilities and background, the secret should be useful to him, and it could also help him.

Zhu Yin also became interested. "A secret? Brother Fang, please tell me."

Fang Jian took a sip of tea and slowly said:
"About forty years ago, when my great-aunt Empress Xiaolie was still in the palace, a major event occurred that everyone knew about..."

P.S.: Guess what the Fang family's secret is? Thanks for your support, goodnight.

(End of this chapter)