Chapter 1 A Baffling Start

Zhang Ci felt utterly baffled at first. Two entire carts of goods were delivered to his home, piled unceremoniously in his courtyard, brooking no refusal. The deliverers said nothing except that the matter was of great importance and that Kong Xinhua would call upon him shortly to clarify everything.

Zhang Ci suggested opening the packages to see what was inside, and the men Kong Xinhua left to guard the items didn't object. However, after unwrapping layer upon layer of packaging, all they found were meticulously crafted precision steel components. Zhang Ci was completely bewildered, and Kong Xinhua's men seemed just as clueless. Zhang Ci had expected Kong Xinhua to arrive quickly, but after waiting in vain, he sent for Situ Lian. The residences of the Six Ministries were not far apart, and Situ Lian arrived shortly. After one look at the components, Situ Lian immediately ordered a small squad of Imperial Guards to be summoned and commanded that the items be taken to the Ministry of Industry's secret workshop at once.

Zhang Ci asked, "Minister Situ, what is this...?" He knew Situ Lian was not one to covet his belongings. But whatever could make Situ Lian tremble with excitement certainly piqued his curiosity.

"Grand Secretary Zhang, these are...airship components. Make a gasbag, a gondola, and fit them together, and you have an airship. Not those balloons I've been laboring to produce, an airship!"

Zhang Ci exclaimed in astonishment, "What! Then get them out of here at once. Too many eyes and ears here, news is bound to leak."

The two men hurriedly arranged for the stealthy removal of the two sets of airship components. Then, Situ Lian asked cautiously, "Grand Secretary Zhang, where did you get these? These are...priceless."

Zhang Ci frowned. Situ Lian thought he was unwilling to say, but Zhang Ci sighed. "Come, let's go to my study." He then instructed his steward, "If young Master Kong arrives, send him to the study immediately."

Without realizing it, Kong Xinhua's status in their minds had risen several notches. Situ Lian was somewhat reluctant to leave. Having studied airships for years, he greatly valued this technology. However, now that the components were being taken to the workshop, he would have plenty of time to investigate and research them. For now, it was more important to understand the gravity of the situation with Zhang Ci.

About half an hour later, Kong Xinhua arrived. He looked anxious. Upon seeing Zhang Ci and Situ Lian, he bowed deeply, seemingly trying to control his emotions. "My lords, I truly don't know what to do. I...I've caused trouble."

"What is it?" Zhang Ci asked quickly.

"These goods...I seized them from a Western Route Army smuggling ring." Kong Xinhua told the truth. Of course, he didn't mention the Special Operations Unit's involvement, nor did he reveal that he had always kept a close watch on the Western Route Army's smuggling operations. He merely explained that after his own merchant caravan had been unjustly seized by the Western Route Army, he began to pay attention to their movements. This time, he noticed that their behavior was suspicious. They had lingered in a small town for three extra days in order to join forces with this group of guards, and his interest was piqued. Among those goods were items that his own caravan had acquired. So he immediately mobilized all his military strength and intercepted them outside Yan Jing. The interception went smoothly and secretly, but when he saw these two sets of components, he knew something was wrong. He wouldn't dare to hide these. He could have destroyed them and eliminated the evidence, and no one would have been able to implicate him, because few people knew that he had a hidden, powerful military force. However, he understood the importance of these two components to Northern Liao, and he didn't dare to keep them hidden. Without hesitation, he decided to hand them over to Zhang Ci, hoping that Zhang Ci could mediate and protect him from the Western Route Army's wrath.

Zhang Ci and Situ Lian exchanged glances. This was no small matter, and they couldn't agree to anything rashly. Zhang Ci looked at Situ Lian, seeking his opinion. Situ Lian quickly understood that by siding with Kong Xinhua, they could gain the most benefit. The Western Route Army was currently the first line of defense against Dongping, but this shield wasn't performing well. Leaning on them was acceptable, but trusting them completely was dangerous. Moreover, the Western Route Army was becoming increasingly arrogant both at court and in the provinces. For one thing, the Western Route Army's territory was now completely under military and political control, ignoring all imperial orders. While this was a necessary measure to defend against Dongping, it angered many at court. Furthermore, if the airship technology could be successfully replicated, it would be a feather in their caps, but they couldn't let the Western Route Army have it. The Western Route Army already had its own ordnance department, producing and equipping itself with crossbows and oil bombs, and even selling some to other armies. If they were to gain control of airships as well, the Western Route Army would be too powerful, almost like another formidable nation. In any case, limiting the Western Route Army, restricting the Gao family's power, maintaining the balance of power within the country during this critical time to prevent problems caused by the Western Route Army's excessive strength, promoting competition, and making multi-faceted preparations to strengthen the Eastern Route Army and the Imperial Guards—protecting Kong Xinhua this time was just the beginning.

And Kong Xinhua's actions had already proven that he was worth the risk.

"Ah, young friend Kong, rest assured. Although this matter is troublesome, we will do our best to mediate. Come, tell us in detail how you did this and how you handled the aftermath." Seeing support in Situ Lian's eyes, Zhang Ci immediately displayed the competence of an experienced official.

"Yes, thank you, my lord, for your thoroughness." Kong Xinhua recounted his carefully rehearsed explanation from beginning to end, and answered all of Zhang Ci and Situ Lian's questions without holding back. This attitude greatly pleased the two ministers.

However, after he had finished, Zhang Ci said calmly, "You may return for now. Don't go anywhere, and don't prepare to resist. This matter...the two of us ministers...haha, our power is not enough. I will find several influential figures in the court. Tomorrow...haha, the imperial council will be very interesting."

Kong Xinhua solemnly agreed, bowed deeply again, and said, "Thank you, my lords...I...I rely entirely on you this time. I take my leave."

With that, he withdrew. As soon as Kong Xinhua left, the steward entered, carrying two gift boxes, one large and one small, panting as he said, "These were sent by young friend Kong's men after he arrived earlier...my lord, what should we do?"

They had already decided to stand by him, so what was the harm in accepting gifts? Zhang Ci smiled and said, "Open them and take a look."

The gift for Zhang Ci was a pair of tortoiseshell spectacles inlaid with gold thread. Zhang Ci had heard of them before, but unfortunately, they were a specialty of the Ye Family Workshop, and only Danying, Yicheng, and Gondor had newly qualified optometrists running stores; other places didn't offer custom orders. This gift might seem small, but the thought behind it was considerable. Zhang Ci put them on and found that his vision was indeed much clearer. He could now see the text in books without having to get close. Zhang Ci had no idea how long Dongping's intelligence agents had been observing him from afar, gathering his various vision data, in order to get this gift right. The comfortable yet understated and elegant spectacles, which exuded luxury in every detail, were also very pleasing. Zhang Ci was naturally extremely satisfied with them.

Situ Lian was also very satisfied with the large gift package. Inside was a complete set of tools, packed in a linden wood box, along with a convenient double-layered leather pouch for holding tools and a work apron—everything was meticulously provided. The tools, emanating a faint pine resin scent, felt very comfortable in his hands, and every curve of the handles was so smooth and fitting. For a craftsman like him, such tools always held immense appeal. The Ye Family Workshop's stamp was on the back of each handle, but there was no ostentation or showiness. And on the metal blade of each tool was a small mark, which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a person's name, representing the tool's supervisor. Looking closely at these tools, Situ Lian couldn't bear to let go...the supervisor of this set of tools was actually Ye Laogeng. It was rare for Ye Laogeng to personally make something or even carefully supervise it these days. Although he wasn't a high-ranking official, he held a position in Dongping's Ministry of Industry, and he was always the one to solve any problems related to manufacturing or craftsmanship. As Ye Tao's father, he had enough prestige, and as a master craftsman, his technical foundation was so solid that it left people dumbfounded, and he was also so gentle and rational. Situ Lian knew that in recent years, he had trained thousands of military apprentices who, in his opinion, hadn't even reached the qualified level, and as a result, Dongping's ordnance repair shops had become so powerful that they were coveted by all nations. Tools personally supervised by Ye Laogeng would probably be worth a fortune outside, and it was fortunate that Kong Xinhua was able to acquire them.

For Kong Xinhua, these things were not a problem at all. The intelligence bureau simply obtained the data for the glasses and had them custom-made in Yicheng. As for the tools, Ye Laogeng would customize a batch for himself and his disciples every year, and if some old friends or veteran technicians pleaded, he would make a few extra to give away. These items were all carefully inspected by him, controlling the entire process, but he didn't make them himself, so it didn't take too much effort. It was easy for Ye Tao to ask his father for an extra set of tools to give away. But as a result, Kong Xinhua seemed to have connections to the highest echelons of power in the eyes of the two ministers.

Kong Xinhua didn't know what was happening in the court, but he did stay in his mansion for three full days. He heard that there was a fierce debate in the court, and his subordinates told him that there were people watching his mansion, but they later withdrew. But finally, on the morning of the fourth day, Zhang Ci sent someone to summon him for a talk. Seeing the messenger's relaxed expression, Kong Xinhua breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that he had passed Zhang Ci's test.