My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

Wang Laosi.

Li Ju knew this person. He was a local tyrant at the Luoyang docks, with about a hundred laborers under his command, monopolizing half of the dock's loading and unloading work.

Previously, the clerks of the Grand Canal Transport Office colluded with him, extorting money and taking bribes, and sharing a considerable amount of the spoils.

After Li Ju reorganized the docks, he used the government's loading and unloading teams, cutting off his source of income.

They've come to get their revenge.

Li Ju stood up and straightened his clothes.

"Let's go take a look."

A large crowd had gathered in front of Warehouse C at the dock.

A man in his early thirties stood with his hands on his hips in the middle of the warehouse door, with seventy or eighty people standing behind him, all of them burly laborers.

He had a scar on his face, stretching from his left eyebrow to his right cheekbone, which looked ferocious, but his eyes weren't fierce; they even carried a lazy smile.

"Deputy Chief Chen, I'm not causing trouble," Wang Laosi said slowly. "I'm just asking, this dockwork used to be done by my men. Now the government can just replace them like that, what are my hundred or so brothers supposed to eat?"

Deputy Director Chen, clutching his sore shoulder, his face ashen, said, "Wang Laosi, are you trying to rebel?"

"Don't try to pin this on me," Wang Laosi chuckled. "I've worked at the docks for ten years, and I've always been law-abiding. If the government wants to use their own people, I have no problem with that. But they have to give my brothers a way to make a living, right?"

People around whispered among themselves. Some thought Wang Laosi was right, while others were waiting to see what would happen.

Li Ju walked through the crowd and stood in front of Wang Laosi.

He was half a head taller than Wang Laosi, looking down at him with a calm expression.

"Manager Li," Wang Laosi said, bowing respectfully, "I've long admired you."

"Wang Laosi," Li Ju spoke, his voice low, but the surroundings fell silent, "You said you want a way to survive?"

"right."

How many people do you have under your command?

One hundred and twenty-three.

How much can you earn in a day?

Wang Laosi was taken aback, not expecting him to ask this: "Twenty or thirty coins per person, depending on how much work is done."

Li Ju nodded: "I checked the accounts. In the past, the Grand Canal Administration paid 800 strings of cash to the dock contractors every year. Of that, less than 300 strings reached you. The remaining 500 strings went into the pockets of the clerks."

Wang Laosi's expression changed slightly.

"Your men work six hours a day and get twenty coins. The grain ships at the dock charge two hundred coins for loading and unloading, but you only get forty coins." Li Ju looked him in the eyes. "Wang Laosi, do you really think the government is stealing your livelihood?"

Wang Laosi fell silent.

The surroundings became quiet.

Li Ju turned to face the hundred or so laborers, raising his voice slightly: "From today onwards, all members of the canal transport company's loading and unloading teams will be paid by the piece. Five hundred cash for each boatload of grain unloaded, settled on the same day, without any intermediaries."

The laborers looked at each other, and some of them had a bright idea in their eyes.

Wang Laosi's face darkened completely.

"Manager Li," he lowered his voice, "are you trying to take away my job?"

"No." Li Ju looked at him, "I'm going to give you a different job."

Wang Laosi was taken aback.

"Your men are tough and capable, the best at the docks," Li Ju continued. "But you can't do accounting, so you're just a tool for the clerks. If you work for me, I'll make you the deputy head of the loading and unloading team, with a monthly salary, and you'll be a formal employee of the canal transport bureau, so you won't have to compete with others for work anymore."

Wang Laosi stared at him, his gaze complex.

Why should I believe you?

"Because I cleared the docks in three days, because I investigated the corrupt clerks, and because I'm standing before you now without a single soldier," Li Ju looked at him. "You're a smart man; you should be able to see that—following those clerks, you'll be a local bully your whole life. Follow me, and you can become an official."

The surroundings were completely silent.

Wang Laosi remained silent for a long time.

Then he laughed.

The smile was no longer lazy; instead, it carried a sharp, razor-sharp edge.

"Master Li," he said, his tone becoming more respectful, "you're a straightforward person. I like that."

He took a step back, clearing the warehouse door.

"Brothers, make way!"

The hundred or so laborers scattered in a flash, making way for each other.

Wang Laosi turned around, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Li Ju, and this time he was serious: "Your subordinate is Wang Yu, courtesy name Xingyuan. From now on, I will obey your orders."

Li Ju returned the greeting: "Wang Xingyuan, welcome."

That evening, Wang Yu was drinking tea in Li Ju's duty room.

"Master, were your words today prepared in advance?" Wang Yu asked casually, holding a teacup and crossing his legs.

"It was something I came up with on the spur of the moment," Li Ju said, bowing his head as he reviewed the documents.

"You're kidding me." Wang Yu scoffed. "You've even found out how many people I have under me and how much money I make, and you're saying you came up with this on the spur of the moment?"

Li Ju looked up at him and said, "Since you already know, why are you asking?"

Wang Yu chuckled: "I just want to hear you say it yourself—have you been keeping an eye on me all along?"

"Yes."

Why?

"Because you have the ability, but you're not content to just be a local bully," Li Ju said. "People like that either cause big trouble or achieve great things."

Wang Yu put down his teacup, looked at Li Ju, and his gaze became more serious.

"I've lived more than a decade longer than you," Wang Yu said, "but I can't figure you out."

======

East of Luoyang City, the Li residence.

Li Zixiong sat in the study, his face gloomy.

Standing opposite him was a middle-aged scholar, a staff member in his household, surnamed Sun.

"Mr. Sun, has word already spread that the girl from the Wei family publicly refused the marriage proposal?" Li Zixiong asked.

"Reporting to the General, I have already heard about it in the streets."

Li Zixiong snorted coldly: "A little girl like you dares to give me attitude."

Mr. Sun pondered for a moment: "General, although Lady Wei's refusal to marry you is a loss of face for you, it may not be a bad thing that can't be turned into a good thing."

"How so?"

"The reason Madam Wei refused the marriage was that she was 'physically weak' and 'not interested in marrying young,' but few people believed this. However, if we put it another way—"

Li Zixiong raised his eyes: "What do you mean?"

"Just say that the eldest daughter of the Wei family is arrogant and will not marry anyone but a king or general," Mr. Sun smiled. "In this way, powerful families will no longer dare to come knocking, and the Wei family will naturally seek refuge with the General."

Lee Chi-hung slowly smiled.

"Alright. We'll do as you say, and subtly criticize Wei Kuangbo for not disciplining his children properly."

Mr. Sun bowed and withdrew.

Li Zixiong sat under the lamp, recalling Wei Gui's words behind the curtain earlier that day, and clenched his teeth again.

A little girl like her dares to refuse Li Zixiong.

He will show her what regret is.

backyard.

Li Min sat by the window, clutching a jade hairpin in his hand. He had brought it with him today, intending to give it to Wei Gui, but he hadn't been able to.

He closed his eyes, and all he could see was that tall, slender figure—a lotus-colored spring robe, a plain white shawl, black hair like clouds, and skin as white as snow.

The moment she sidestepped behind the pillar, her slightly furrowed brows conveyed displeasure without being impolite, and indifference without being rude.

Like a flower blooming on the edge of a cliff, it is beautiful but unattainable.

He opened his eyes, looked at the jade hairpin in his hand, and sighed deeply.

"Lady Wei..."

He murmured something to himself, placed the jade hairpin under his pillow, and lay down fully clothed.

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She's all I can think about.