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

As Qian Dafu listened to the crowd's discussion, he frowned and stopped playing with the walnuts in his hands.

He snorted and slammed the walnuts onto the table.

"What's the panic! This city of Nanjing isn't under the control of a mere Imperial Guard from the north! When we bought this batch of timber, we went through the proper procedures with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works in Nanjing, and we paid them a hefty sum of money!"

"Even if Pei Yuan is arrogant, can he really overstep the laws of the Ming Dynasty?"

Qian Dafu picked up the Ru kiln teacup on the table and took a sip of tea.

A hint of merchant cunning and calculation flashed in his eyes.

"Don't worry, everyone. I've already inquired. Pei Yuan's reputation in the capital is already utterly infamous."

"He rose to power by lining his own pockets for the emperor; at heart, he was a ruthless and greedy official. Since he was a corrupt official, that made things easy."

He looked around at everyone and lowered his voice.

"Let's chip in from a few families. Let's put together 500,000 taels of silver! I refuse to believe that money can't buy a mouth. Although the nanmu wood is precious, Pei Yuan wants to build a ship, so he can use other wood instead."

"With this 500,000 taels, Pei Yuan will not only refrain from demolishing our house, but he will also have to treat us to drinks with utmost respect."

When everyone heard that they had to pay 500,000 taels, they all felt a pang of regret.

But when faced with the choice between the destruction of their home and their lives, they could still tell which was more important.

"Brother Qian is right. We'll chip in the money!"

Just as the several wealthy gentlemen had reached an agreement...

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief and was about to call his maid to sing a song to calm his nerves,

"boom!"

A deafening roar came from the front yard of the Qian residence.

The ground of Tingyuxuan even trembled slightly.

Immediately following was a commotion of screams and shouts, the screams of the women, and the cries of the servants who had failed to stop them.

"Who dares to cause trouble at the Qian residence!"

Qian Dafu suddenly stood up, his face ashen.

However, before he could even leave Tingyuxuan.

At the end of the winding corridor, a breathtaking red figure had appeared.

Pei Yuan was dressed in a bright red flying fish robe, with an embroidered spring knife hanging at his waist.

Surrounded by a group of Imperial Guards wielding embroidered spring knives and exuding murderous intent, he strolled leisurely through the corridor towards Tingyu Pavilion.

Wherever they went, the guards of the Qian family, who usually swaggered around, were gone.

They were all kicked into the pond by the Imperial Guards like mud, not even daring to draw their swords.

"Oh dear! Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy! Lord Pei!"

Qian Dafu was a shrewd businessman who had been navigating the business world for decades.

Upon seeing the impressive array of the visitors, their arrogance vanished instantly.

His obese body rolled out of Tingyu Pavilion like a ball of flesh and knelt down with a thud at the bottom of the steps.

A fawning smile appeared on his face.

Upon seeing this, the merchants' legs went weak, and they knelt down on the ground.

Pei Yuan walked to Tingyu Pavilion and stopped.

He did not look at Qian Dafu kneeling on the ground.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly, his gaze lingering on the eight thick golden nanmu pillars.

He reached out and stroked the warm, jade-like wood grain, taking a deep breath.

The faint scent of wood carries the weight of time.

"Good wood. Really good wood."

Pei Yuan's voice rang out in the quiet back garden, carrying an elusive sense of admiration.

"If it were used as the main keel of a ship, the ship would be as stable as Mount Tai when sailing in the wind and waves."

Qian Dafu knelt on the ground, listening to these words, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

He swallowed hard, mustered his courage, kowtowed, and spoke with a fawning smile.

"Lord Pei, this...this Listening Rain Pavilion was built by me in my younger days when I was confused and unaware of its true nature, mistakenly buying some timber of unknown origin. Your Excellency has made great contributions by overseeing the construction of the treasure ship for the country."

"I have discussed this with several merchants in Jinling and we are willing to donate 500,000 taels of silver to help you purchase even better timber!"

"I beg Your Excellency to show some leniency and grant this humble subject a small favor."

As Qian Dafu spoke, he took out an exquisite sandalwood box from his pocket and raised it high with both hands.

The box contained bills of exchange from the largest money exchange in Jiangnan.

Five hundred thousand taels.

To ordinary officials, this was nothing short of a gold mine.

It was enough to silence any proud censor and turn any cruel official into a soft, yielding man.

Pei Yuan turned around and looked down at Qian Dafu.

A playful smile flickered in those narrow eyes.

"Five hundred thousand taels?"

Pei Yuan slowly walked down the steps and reached out to take the sandalwood box.

He opened the box, glanced at the thick wad of silver notes inside, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Boss Qian is indeed a straightforward man. Among the merchants of Jinling City, when it comes to extravagance, you, Qian Dafu, are second to none."

Pei Yuan smiled and casually handed the wooden box to Lu Zheng behind him.

When Qian Dafu saw that Pei Yuan had accepted the money, the huge weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.

He let out a long sigh of relief, his face regaining some color, and said repeatedly.

"You flatter us, sir. We will serve you faithfully in any way you may require of us in Jinling!"

The other merchants also secretly wiped away their sweat.

He secretly mocked Pei Yuan, thinking that he was indeed as rumored—a greedy official who only cared about money.

Anything that can be solved with money is nothing in front of this lord.

"I naturally appreciate Mr. Qian's kind invitation."

Pei Yuan put his hands back behind his back.

Turning around, I looked once again at the magnificent Tingyu Pavilion.

"The gardens in Jiangnan are indeed unique. This pavilion is elegantly built; standing here and listening to the rain must be a wonderful experience."

"If Your Excellency likes it, this humble subject may..."

Qian Dafu was about to offer the house to Qian Dafu in order to forge this great and powerful connection.

Pei Yuan suddenly interrupted him.

"It's just a pity."

Pei Yuan's tone was low and cold, his voice like the cold wind in December, instantly freezing the hearts of everyone present.

"Unfortunately, I have already seen the blueprints for building this treasure ship. The main keel of the thousand-ton treasure ship can only be made of golden nanmu wood that is over a hundred years old."

"Ordinary autumn wood cannot withstand the towering waves of the vast ocean."

Pei Yuan turned his head and looked at Qian Dafu, his smile turning chillingly cold.

"Boss Qian, silver is a good thing. I've accepted your silver; it's your tribute to me for buying tea."

"But if the Emperor is short even one piece of wood for building the ship, he will cut off my head."

Pei Yuan spoke slowly and deliberately, each word piercing the heart.

"I am a greedy and treacherous official, but I am not a fool who has a death wish. You think you can buy my head with 500,000 taels of silver?"

Qian Dafu was terrified, his legs trembling like a leaf.

He never imagined that there would be people in this world who would take money and not do the job!

"My lord! You accepted my silver notes! You can't break the rules!"

Qian Dafu roared in despair.

"rule?"

Pei Yuan suddenly drew half of his Embroidered Spring Blade, and the cold blade struck Qian Dafu's fat face directly.

He screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

"I am the rule!"

Pei Yuan sheathed his sword, turned his back to the Listening to the Rain Pavilion, and waved his sleeve.

"Lu Zheng!"

"Your humble servant is here!"

"Brothers, get to work! Tear this Listening to the Rain Pavilion apart inch by inch!"

"These eight pieces of Phoebe zhennan wood, along with the timber from the roof beams—not a single shaving is to be missing. Transport them all back to the Longjiang Shipyard!"