Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Summer of the tenth year of the Yongle reign.

Summer in Nanjing is always accompanied by continuous plum rains, and the air is so humid that you could wring water out of it.

Gu Yannian's courtyard was kept in perfect order, with the moss on the blue brick floor cleaned up.

Several pots of orchids grew lush and green under the eaves.

Shen Wan is a competent shield.

She didn't ask about Gu Yannian's official business, nor did she inquire why he meditated on the Luohan bed all night without needing to sleep.

She gets up before dawn every day to sweep, clean, and cook.

He ironed Gu Yannian's official robes until they were perfectly flat.

The two lived under the same roof, rarely communicating, yet they achieved a tacit balance.

Gu Yannian was very satisfied with this situation.

This purely contractual relationship spared him the trouble of dealing with emotional entanglements and allowed him to perfectly integrate into the life trajectory of Ming Dynasty officials.

The rain gradually subsided that evening.

Gu Yannian returned from his official duties and, having just changed out of his official robes, was sitting in the main room reading a newly acquired agricultural book.

Shen Wan served a bowl of warm lotus seed and lily bulb soup, then quietly retreated to the backyard.

Before long, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Gu Yannian put down his book and went to open the door.

An elderly man with a slightly hunched posture, wearing a black bamboo hat, stood outside the door.

He took off his straw hat, revealing a face covered with fur, but with eyes as sharp as lightning. It was none other than Yao Guangxiao, the seventy-seven-year-old Junior Tutor.

"Young Master."

Gu Yannian stepped aside, "My humble abode is simple, please come in, sir."

Yao Guangxiao folded his dripping umbrella and stepped across the threshold.

His sharp gaze swept over the ordinary courtyard.

His gaze lingered for a moment at the curtain at the backyard entrance, where he could faintly hear the soft sound of water as a woman washed clothes.

"I heard that Clerk Gu got married a month ago. I haven't had a chance to offer my congratulations until today. I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd ask for a cup of tea."

Yao Guangxiao sat down in the armchair in the main room, his voice hoarse with the vicissitudes of time.

Gu Yannian picked up the copper kettle on the red clay stove, rinsed the teacups with boiling water, brewed a pot of coarse tea, and respectfully offered it to the teapot.

"It is a great honor for me that you, the Junior Tutor, have graced my humble abode with your presence amidst your busy schedule."

Gu Yannian sat down to the side with a calm expression.

Yao Guangxiao picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and found the tea to be slightly bitter, lacking any of the rich aroma of fine teas.

He put down his teacup and looked at Gu Yannian.

"His Majesty has decided to move the capital to Shuntian Prefecture. I have been working on the blueprints for the Forbidden City for several months."

Yao Guangxiao changed the subject very quickly, as if it were just casual conversation.

"The location of the Hall of Supreme Harmony needs to suppress the imperial aura of the north while also receiving the earth's energy from the south. Registrar Gu, you've been organizing numerous books in the Hall of Literary Glory and are quite knowledgeable. Do you have any insights into the art of feng shui?"

This was a subtle test.

The construction of the Forbidden City was a matter of national importance, and it was strange in itself that Yao Guangxiao would ask a seventh-rank clerk about such a secret.

Gu Yannian lowered his eyes, his expression one of fear and trepidation.

"Your Excellency is too kind. I usually only know how to memorize official documents and account books, how would I know anything about the great principles of feng shui and geomancy?"

Gu Yannian's answer was watertight.

"The Forbidden City is the residence of the emperor. With a brilliant strategist like the Grand Tutor planning and strategizing, it is naturally a foundation for an everlasting dynasty, as stable as Mount Tai. I only know how to organize the timber accounts sent by the Ministry of Works step by step. I know nothing else and dare not speak presumptuously."

Yao Guangxiao gave him a deep look.

This prime minister in black had seen countless people and could see through the Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi's kindness and scheming at a glance.

He could also see through the arrogance and ambition of Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han.

But in front of Gu Yannian, he always felt powerless, like punching cotton.

This person has no weaknesses, no ambitions, and not even a trace of curiosity about power.

He was like a wisp of air, clearly present yet impossible to find.

"Fine."

Yao Guangxiao shook his head slightly, his withered fingers turning the prayer beads.

"I have lived for nearly eighty years and have seen countless people of extraordinary talent, all of whom are burdened by fame and fortune. I have never seen anyone like you who can maintain such tranquility."

"To settle down, start a family, get married, have children, and live like an ordinary person—that may be the true path."

Gu Yannian lowered his head and agreed, without responding.

Yao Guangxiao did not stay long; he got up to take his leave after the rain stopped.

Gu Yannian saw him off at the door and watched the simple carriage disappear into the alley.

He returned to the house and washed and put away the teacup that Yao Guangxiao had used.

The old man, who was almost supernaturally wise, clearly sensed something was off about him.

But finding no flaws, they ultimately chose to classify him as a "recluse who has seen through the illusions of the world."

This is the best outcome for Gu Yannian.

He picked up the agricultural book again and continued to read it by the dim candlelight.

Autumn of the tenth year of the Yongle reign.

With several autumn rains, Nanjing has ushered in a cool season.

However, the atmosphere in the Ming Dynasty court was completely thrown into turmoil by an imperial edict issued from the Fengtian Hall.

Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) officially issued an edict, elevating Beiping to Shuntian Prefecture and fully launching the massive project of constructing the Forbidden City in Beijing.

He also ordered all ministries and government offices to begin preparations for the northward relocation.

This was not just a simple relocation, but a major strategic shift of the political, economic, and military center of the entire Ming Dynasty.

Wealthy merchants from Jiangnan were forced to be transferred north to reinforce the capital region.

Ancient camphor trees from Sichuan and Hubei were felled and transported downstream.

Bricks and stones from Linqing, Shandong, are piled up like small mountains at the canal wharf.

The Wenhua Hall, as the central hub for the Crown Prince's oversight of the country, was instantly overwhelmed by a massive amount of files and official documents.

On the desk in front of Gu Yannian, the registers of timber, stone, craftsmen, and laborers were piled higher than those of other people.

He held a Huzhou brush in his hand, quickly sketching and checking on the paper.

Zhu Gaochi has not returned to the Eastern Palace for several days.

His dark circles were very pronounced, and his plump body sank into the chair as he listened to the Minister of Revenue report on the money being spent like water, pulling his beard anxiously.

"Your Highness, the Ministry of Works sent another document yesterday, saying that many laborers transporting giant timbers in the Sichuan-Guangdong area have died or been injured, and the mountain roads are rugged, with timbers often rolling down and being damaged. They request the Ministry of Revenue to allocate another 100,000 taels of silver for compensation and road clearing."

A vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue reported to his superior with a bitter face.

Zhu Gaochi slammed his fist on the table in anger:

"One hundred thousand taels? Did the silver in the national treasury fall from the sky?! Tell the Ministry of Works that there are only fifty thousand taels of silver left, and let them figure out how to make ends meet themselves!"

Chaos reigned inside the hall, with shouts and sighs rising and falling.

Gu Yannian sat in the corner of the side hall, like a puppet isolated from the world.

He was handling the accounts that had been distributed to him.

He perfectly concealed his terrifying strength and agility, which were nearly a thousand points high, within his body.

Even the way he turned the pages was exactly the same as an ordinary book editor, without revealing any extraordinary skills.

While reviewing a document about the waterway for transporting timber, Gu Yannian discovered that one of the routes planned by the Ministry of Works required traveling upstream by boat, which would consume a lot of manpower.

He neither stood up and spoke out, nor did he try to curry favor with the crown prince.

He simply picked up his pen and, on a blank sheet of paper beside him, wrote in neat small regular script the old practice of the previous dynasty of using the flood season to float logs downstream in this section of the waterway.

After he finished writing, he casually tucked the note into the top of the folded paper.

Then it was placed in the "pending submission" folder.

That afternoon, the memorial was delivered to the desk of the Vice Minister of Works.

The vice minister saw the note and treasured it, immediately keeping it for himself.

The revised timber transport plan not only saved manpower but also saved the Ministry of Revenue a large sum of money.

The Crown Prince was overjoyed and rewarded the Vice Minister of Works handsomely.

Meanwhile, Gu Yannian, who actually came up with the idea, was on his way home after finishing his official duties.

He stopped at the butcher shop on the street corner and bought two jin of high-quality pork belly, carrying it in his hand with steady steps.