"Oh? It seems like you didn't lose your character... I sure hope that your meager achievements will not be too outshined by my performance. The gathering will take place in the Divine Feather pavilion in the residence of the governor. I'm looking forward to seeing you there."
Just before leaving, Huang Lü threw a letter to Huang Cixi with disdain. This was a formal invitation to the poetry gathering of Governor Leng. The gathering was going to be attended by many people who had a lot of influence in the Wu Province. There would be Governor Leng and his wife of course. But given the nature of the gathering, Huang Cixi was sure that Fang Shaolong would be there, the Major Hall's Hall Master.
Such a gathering wasn't just about poetry of course. Although poetry was really appreciated by noble families, and jousts of this art were loved, this kind of event was a great way to get information on what was going on in the upper society. Historically, alliances had often been sealed in this kind of events. By inviting Huang Cixi there, Huang Lü wanted to humiliate her and show her superiority. Even though she was doubtful about her weakness, she knew that shooting her down as fast as possible was the best course of action.
The more Huang Cixi could meet with various people and form relationships, the more difficult it would be for Huang Lü. But if she could show her superiority in public among people who practically knew nothing of her, she would score a great victory. In fact, given her attitude, Huang Cixi was almost certain that Huang Lü had given up on becoming the next matriarch. Right now, she was probably trying to secure enough support to still have power after Huang Si's ascension to this position.
All this brutality and vulgarity in her approach made Huang Cixi absolutely sure of her analysis. However, she was gravely mistaken if she thought she could use her as a stepping stone to shine in society.
Huang Lü walked past Bao Zhong whose clothes were wrinkled. He even had some bruises on his hands from the moment when he had tried to prevent his fall. After all, Bao Zhong was almost a normal human. His cultivation had never exceeded 1st-grade Mortal. As such, his body was just slightly stronger than the average human.
Just like Huang Cixi, he had suffered from an injury that had prevented him from cultivating his body. Sadly, it was essential to do before cultivating one's Qi. If he tried to cultivate his Qi with a weak body, it would damage his organs and he could die.
Even after Huang Lü's departure, Huang Cixi kept acting as though she didn't care for her servant. Finally, she heard a telepathic message in her head.
"Young Mistress, they are gone."
Huang Lü was almost a Mortal Warrior. Even without spiritual senses, she had sharp senses and could feel the Qi in a larger area around her. Now that Huang Liyue had ascertained that she was out of range, Huang Cixi stood up and went toward Bao Zhong.
"Mister Bao, how are you?"
"I'm fine. I'm fine, Young Mistress."
Thankfully, Huang Lü had been gentle in her action. Clearly, she was here to stir up trouble but she still had enough decency not to harm the servants. Nonetheless, Huang Cixi was more than crossed. During this poetry gathering, she would completely crush her. In public, it was best not to humiliate her own family, but she would have less restraint with this brute.
"Mister Bao, take a seat please. Rest for a while."
"But..." Before he could protest, Huang Cixi lead him in her own study and gave him a comfortable chair to sit in.
Huang Cixi had always been nice toward her faithful servants. And now that her closest family was dead, she was even nicer to them, only, not in public.
-
In the following days, Huang Cixi read again a few anthologies about poetry. Even though she had memorized everything, poetry was not just about memory. This imperial art was mainly focused on writing nice poetry of course. But the way this poetry was recited meant as much as the content itself. Poetry and song were two arts that were very close to each other. And despite her now perfect memory, Huang Cixi still had to practice on her diction.
Moreover, she didn't slack off neither on her blood cultivation, her mind cultivation nor her Qi cultivation.
Her two True Fiery Drops had increased the quality of her blood, but also of her Qi. Combined with her mind cultivation, she realized that her Qi cultivation was way easier now. She could open several acupoints every day. With this speed, she would only need four or five months to break through. And then, she would probably reach Mortal Warrior in less than ten months. Reaching Mortal Warrior just before hitting eighteen was really miraculous. The average cultivator would only do so around thirty. Of course, there was nothing average about the Huang family, but this was still incredible.
Through all the records, Huang Cixi knew no one who had cultivated this fast since the beginning of the Forsaken Dao Era. Her speed was equivalent to the speed of cultivators before this dreadful period. Could the rumors be true? Would humanity finally break the shackles of this era and usher in a new prosperity?
Huang Cixi soon realized that everything was thanks to Cao Yun. But more than that, it was also thanks to this strange green manual. 'Sealing the Seven Demons in the Nine Peaks' had the potential to change everything. Her decision to try and keep it secret was a good idea. She could share it with specific people, but letting anyone have access to it right now was too dangerous. Huang Cixi wanted to know more about this beforehand.
-
As she was training, Huang Cixi finally received the visit she was looking for, Ye Zhiyun.
Just as she was paying homage to her family by burning some incense stick, Ye Zhiyun knocked on the door. He was let in by Bao Zhong. In an instant, he saw the vague silhouette of his mistress and the smoke of the incense in the courtyard. Of course, he understood immediately what she was doing and waited with Bao Zhong and Zhao Guodong.
Ye Zhiyun was the man she had helped put in charge of the Yinmen Auction Hall, the branch of the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall. Thanks to his new position, he had enjoyed many benefits and had become a 7th-grade Mortal despite lacking talents in cultivation. This man was completely loyal to Huang Cixi and also very competent. Before her departure, she had asked him to petition for a transfer. She wanted him in the Major Hall of the Wu Province, here in Baziyun City. In less than a year, he had managed to climb the hierarchy and was the right hand man of the Hall Master.
As soon as Huang Cixi entered back in her chambers, he knelt in front of her.
"Young Mistress, you called for me?"
Seeing him, Huang Cixi was quite happy. She walked to him and took him by his arms to make him stand up.
"I have. Ye Zhiyun, you did a great job. But I need your help even more now."
"Young Mistress, I prepared everything. Fang Shaolong trusts me to a great degree."
Huang Cixi had heard many rumors, contradicting each other about this man. The few reports she had read about him from Ye Zhiyun seemed more trustworthy in her eyes. Ye Zhiyun was very competent when it came to managing a business or gathering information. One of the many talents of Huang Cixi was her way to tell someone's usefulness. She had deemed Ye Zhiyun very useful and she was absolutely sure of his loyalty. Even though she was young, she had been able to test it several times in her short life. She would definitely trust Ye Zhiyun with her own life.
"I read about him, but I want to hear your direct opinion. How is this man?"
"Young Mistress. I must say that Fang Shaolong is an impressive man. His work is alway impeccable. However, his cultivation is quite weak for his age, he's in his forties and still a 2nd-grade Mortal Warrior. And his physique has nothing impressive. Hall Master Fang is short, a bit round and his face is rather ordinary. But there is always a sense of elegance radiating from him, as well as a natural authority. In a word, he is competent. And when he's faced with something he's not sure about, he doesn't fear delegating his authority.
"Moreover, he is always fair when giving out rewards or punishments. Hall Master Fang would never accuse a subordinate to save his own face. After you, he's probably the one I loved working under the most, Young Mistress."
Hearing all this, it completely seemed to align with what she had read in Ye Zhiyun's reports. But it troubled her a bit.
"What about his lifestyle?"
"Oh? He's quite austere in that regard. Although his salary is certainly grand, his residence is quite small in comparison with other merchants. He only has a handful of servants. Moreover, his wife is only a mortal. They don't have any child. And Hall Master Fang doesn't seem to be inclined to take another wife to remedy the situation."
The more she heard, the more confused she seemed to be.
"Tell me about the Xiliang Mines."
The Xiliang Mines were the main source of revenue for the Huang family. However, they were not directly exploited by the Huang family. Indeed, the mines were rightfully owned by them but they rented the right to exploit them. The Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall was the one who had bought these rights. As such, the Major Hall of Baziyun City was tasked with their exploitation. A substantial part of the profits was then shared between the Major Hall and the Huang family.
There were also other investors as well as taxes. These mines were the most important of the entire kingdom. Neither the Imperial City nor the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall could let go of such a profit. And many other people were trying to fructify their own assets by investing in the mines, while the work was mostly done by the Major Hall.
"Well, Hall Master Fang takes care of them personally. Nothing happens there without his say-so. Considering their importance, this is not a surprise at all."
"So it's impossible for anyone to alter the records about the Xiliang Mines?"
Ye Zhiyun was surprised by this question.
"No, Young Mistress. Not even I could do so. What do you have in mind?"
"Never mind. But I'm quite interested in these mines. At how much are they estimated?"
"Right now, the most conservative estimate would be around 7 millions Yuanbao*. Every year, they can produce around three or four thousand Yuanbao worth of ores. And from what we know of it, it could still be exploited for thousands of years."
A Yuanbao was a small statue of gold or silver weighing 50 taels. In truth, it was a fancy ingot of gold. But this was also the highest form of physical currency. For trades exceeding hundreds of those, paper notes or bonds were mostly used. The Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall also managed a banking system that was rather archaic but still effective for the use of the citizens.
"How much of it does Hall Master Fang personally own?"
"Right now, he owns around seven percent of it. But he has to pay taxes to the Imperial City and to the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall as well as to the Huang family."
"Well, his wealth should still be consequent... Do you any idea of how he spends his money? And more specifically, did his lifestyle change recently?"
"I'm sorry. From what I understand, he almost never spends anything. Not even his wife spends too much. Compared to the wives of other merchants, she almost seems poor. As I said, they have a very austere way of life. And, even though I looked through his past, he didn't really change in any way. However I know nothing of his life thirty years ago. He just suddenly appeared in Baziyun City one day. From this moment onward, he began as a small servant in the Major Hall and quickly reached his current position.
"Even though he got offered some promotions, he decided to stay in the city. According to him, he just loves this place and its people. And to be frank, it seems to be mutual. No one ever complained about him. Some commerce owners find him a bit too stubborn and adhering too much to the rules, but even they have to agree on his impartiality."
Hearing all this, Huang Cixi's confusion began to clear away.
"I need you to find everything you can on what happened around the time he arrived in Baziyun City. This may contain the answer I'm looking for. Also, there's something I want to confirm. In order to do so, I'll need several documents about the Xiliang Mines and the taxes of the Myriad Hall. I already have what you brought me through Bao Zhong, but I need more. Through my grandfather, I've obtained some reports about the mines. What I lack are documents from the Imperial City."
When he heard about this, Ye Zhiyun became a bit reluctant. But, seeing the flame in his mistress' eyes, he had to let go of his apprehension.
"Fine, Young Mistress. I'll find you what you need."
"Thanks. I know this is hard for you. But I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
Huang Cixi knew enough about Ye Zhiyun's past to know that he didn't want to be associated with the Imperial City. But she also knew he was the only one who could get documents from there.
"It will take some time though."
"I know. But I'm already quite sure of my findings. I just need them to confirm other things I'm not too sure about. Moreover, while you're at it, you could use this opportunity to find more information on the Cao family."
"Young Mistress, are you that interested in this massacre? I already received your orders through Bao Zhong."
"Demonic cultivators attacked and slaughtered an entire family right in our city. Of course I'm interested. They also infiltrated the Wubei Sect and maybe many other organizations. What if some of them tried to infiltrate or destroy us?"
With these words, she worried everyone present, including Huang Liyue. Even with her spiritual senses, she knew she was inferior to Xiao Xuefeng. And even she had failed to detect their presence. Indeed, what if there were already demonic cultivators in her own family?
*1 Yuanbao = 50 taels of gold = 100,000$