Time was approaching late at night, the time when ordinary shops usually closed. The lights of Gao Fu Building were dim, and an important meeting was taking place here.

"...There's no such thing as should or shouldn't. The imperial court values maritime transport, which is always a good thing in the long run. The seas are vast, and away from the land beneath our feet, natural and man-made disasters can take lives at any time. Apart from taking risks, only sturdy ships and powerful cannons can protect more people at sea for a few more days. Everyone should remember what happened in the third year of Jinghan. The emperor built treasure ships to send envoys to all directions, making the barbarians submit. Before long, the craftsmanship of the treasure ships leaked out. Several scapegoats were killed in the southeast, but some of us sitting here still benefited from the advantages of that technique."

"The capital of the Jinghan Dynasty was in Bianliang, far from the emperor. A few scapegoats were enough, but today… Moreover, the style of this new emperor is very different from that of the one back then."

"Since the new emperor came to power, he has been striving for popular support and seizing power, which can be described as sharpening his sword and preparing for battle. Now that his next step is to go north to return to Lin'an, why is he suddenly interested in maritime trade? Does he really want to go to sea, or does he want to squeeze us?"

"Is the little emperor short of money?" Wang Yikui, who arrived last, asked coldly at this moment.

"The imperial court is always short of money," said the old Confucian scholar Tian Haoran.

Gao Fulai said, "Since the new emperor came to Fuzhou, he has been promoting science, running newspapers, and implementing new policies. Recently, he has been talking about 'honoring the king and expelling the barbarians.' Half of the aristocratic families who originally stood on the side of orthodoxy have been offended by him. Even if some are loyal to the Wu Dynasty, they are too far away to reach this southeastern coast. But within and outside Fuzhou City, the most supportive of him have always been us maritime merchants. Since last year, my Gao family has subsidized the imperial court with more than 800,000 taels of silver, and the amount that you all have contributed should not be less than that."

He paused and said, "The new emperor is powerful, which is a blessing for the people. Now that Wu Qimei, Tie Yanzhi and others have knelt down to the Jin dogs and occupied Lin'an, we citizens of the Wu Dynasty cannot stand it. If we need money for the war, we can say so. But now it seems that being headstrong is the real problem..."

Tian Haoran shook his head and said, "Brother Gao, you are thinking too much. The reason why the emperor is like this is entirely because we are merchants. If the imperial court wants to share power with the scholar-officials, it has to shout the slogan of 'honoring the king and expelling the barbarians.' There is no precedent for seizing profits from merchants. Moreover, the new emperor has only been on the throne for a short time and has encountered battles and killings. It is normal for him to be more direct, but the people around him should not be like this. I think there are treacherous officials around His Majesty."

Gao Fulai smiled and said, "In this room today, it doesn't matter if we call ourselves merchants. The Tian family has been a family of scholars for generations. Now, are you also listing yourself as a merchant?"

Tian Haoran stroked his half-white beard and smiled, "We claim to be a family of scholars for generations, but our business has grown so big that the outside world has long regarded the Tian family as merchants. Actually, Fuzhou is located in the southeast, and we couldn't produce a top scholar in the imperial examination in the past. Instead of burying our heads in books, it's better to do some business. If I had known that the Wu Dynasty was going to move south, I wouldn't be sitting with you here."

After the old man said this, most of the others laughed. After a while, Gao Fulai stopped laughing and said solemnly, "Brother Tian is being modest, but among those present, you have the most friends in the court. Senior officials in various departments and the current Left Prime Minister are all your guests. Who are you referring to as these treacherous officials?"

Tian Haoran shook his head and said, "The current ministers and prime ministers are all old officials. They followed the dragon boat to sea and watched the new emperor ascend the throne, which is a great contribution. But in the emperor's eyes, it may only be a hardship. The new emperor is young and has a radical personality. He doesn't like the steady words of the old officials. He has always used some young people in private, some people from the Princess's residence. You all know that. But these people don't have enough qualifications and their reputations are not good, so the position of prime minister went to several old officials."

"Now, as Brother Gao said earlier, a bunch of brats from the China Army have come, and they are even younger. They have won the emperor's favor. They enter the palace every day and give pointers on the country and spread rumors in front of the emperor. They were taught by that Demon Ning from the southwest. Why would they have good intentions towards us? The emperor can't think of such a simple truth and has been bewitched by them. That's why the rumors came out today. Brother Gao, do you think that's the reason?"

"That's right," Gao Fulai nodded, "The new emperor has now occupied Fuzhou, and people all over the world are eagerly waiting for him to sharpen his swords and return to Lin'an. If this can be done within a year or two, the foundation of the Wu Dynasty will still be there. But these brats from the China Army have come and are bewitching the emperor to care about maritime trade... There is money to be made in maritime affairs in the long run, but in the short term, it is just throwing money and people into it. And if a war breaks out at sea within three or two years, I'm afraid no one will be able to do business. The Black Flag's intention is to drag the emperor down in Fuzhou."

When he said "a war breaks out at sea," he looked at Wang Yikui across the room, then looked away.

"So now there are two possibilities: First, either the emperor has been bewitched and is determined to get involved in maritime affairs. Then he will offend the officials first, then the gentry, and today he will offend the maritime merchants. If this happens, I think the Wu Dynasty is in danger, and we cannot sit idly by... Of course, there is also a second possibility: His Majesty is short of money, too embarrassed to ask, and wants to come and have a good time. In that case... everyone, we have to pay to settle this matter."

The others looked at each other, and the room was silent for a moment. Pu An'nan spoke first, "The new emperor wanted to come to Fuzhou, and we never interfered. After arriving in Fuzhou, we contributed money and effort. Pu doesn't care about the hundreds of thousands of taels we gave earlier. But today, it seems that this money was spent a bit unfairly. We spent so much money, and the emperor turned around and said he wanted to dig up our roots?"

"It's right to give some money when the country is in trouble," said Shang Bingchun, "But we can't spend the money without hearing a sound."

"It's okay to spend money, but what if His Majesty is determined to participate in maritime trade?" Gao Fulai held a teacup and made a soft scraping sound on the coaster.

Wang Yikui, who had been silent all along, looked at the others and said, "This is your place. If the emperor really wants to participate, he should discuss it with someone. Can you ask someone to advise him first?"

"If the emperor really comes to discuss it, there's no way to persuade him. Those of us who do business wouldn't dare to refuse..." Tian Haoran reached out and drew a line across his neck.

"The emperor has been chased to the southeast. Can he still do this?"

"It's hard to say about the previous emperors, but this one... doesn't seem to be afraid of offending people."

The five of them said this, either playing with their teacups or stroking their fingers on the table, and didn't speak for a while. After another while, Gao Fulai spoke, "I have an idea."

Tian Haoran, Shang Bingchun, and Pu An'nan raised their teacups. Wang Yikui watched quietly.

"If the imperial court wants to participate in maritime trade, whether it's true or false, they will eventually pass the word on. If we say no when the above's intention comes down, I'm afraid we will offend people. Let the old men in the court lobby. We need to be psychologically prepared. I think... we can spend up to this amount to settle this matter."

As he spoke, he moved the five fingers of his right hand.

"Fifty thousand?"

"Five hundred thousand."

"We're giving this much just from being scared?"

"If the imperial court just wants to squeeze us, giving money directly is just like ladling soup to stop it from boiling. Ladling soup to stop it from boiling only solves the superficial problem. The real solution is to remove the firewood from under the pot. Brother Shang said he wanted to hear a sound, and Brother Tian said there were treacherous officials in the court, so what we have to pay today is life-saving money."

Gao Fulai's gaze swept over everyone, "When the new emperor entered Fuzhou, we supported him with all our strength. Many aristocratic families pointed to the imperial court for benefits, but only we gave money to the imperial court. It seems that we may really seem a little soft, so now they don't even say hello and are coming to us. Since that's the case, the impression really needs to be changed, before they come to us. We can donate money, but we can't keep people."

The others looked at each other. Tian Haoran said, "If there are no malicious people to bewitch him, His Majesty's mind will indeed fade a lot."

"That Ning from the southwest killed the emperor of the Wu Dynasty. The people of the Wu Dynasty are sworn enemies with him," said Pu An'nan. "Today, they came here swaggeringly. Those who truly care about the Wu Dynasty can't wait to kill them. It's not surprising if something happens to them."

"Although Mr. Pu comes from a foreign land, his sincerity to our Wu Dynasty is quite genuine, which is admirable."

"My family has been here for several generations. Pu grew up in the Wu Dynasty since he was a child, so he is a genuine citizen of the Wu Dynasty. It is right for him to care about the Wu Dynasty. I will prepare these five hundred thousand taels first."

The others drank tea and chatted for a few words. Shang Bingchun said, "If we still can't solve the problem even then, what should we do?"

"Then pack your luggage, go to the sea, guard the trade routes with the Dragon King, and fight with the imperial court for three years. We would rather not make any money in these three years than let the imperial court taste even a bit of sweetness – this can be spread out, so they know how ruthless the men who sail the sea can be..." Gao Fulai put down his teacup.

**************

Under the night, the wailing sea breeze blew through the streets of Fuzhou.

Near midnight, a carriage passed through the streets of Fuzhou, heading towards the royal garden in the northwest of the city.

This garden located in the city is not far from the bustling city center of Fuzhou. After Jun Wu occupied Fuzhou, many places inside were divided and distributed to officials for office use. At this time, the night was deep, but over the walls of the garden, many places could still be seen lit with lights. The carriage stopped by a side door. Zuo Xiuquan got out of the carriage, entered the garden, walked for a while, and entered a place called Wenhan Garden.

This Wenhan Garden was originally used as a royal library and to store ancient books and rare objects. There are three two-story buildings with gardens and ponds nearby, and the scenery is beautiful. At this time, the hall of the main building was wide open, with lights on inside. Long tables were put together to form a lively office space. Some young people were still writing and processing documents at their desks. Zuo Xiuquan greeted them.

"You haven't rested yet? Where is Jiazhen?"

After finding out the location of Zuo Wenhuan, he went to look for him on the second floor of a nearby small building. On the way, he met a few more young people and greeted them.

There were more than thirty young people in this team from the southwest, led by Zuo Wenhuan, but of course not all of them were children of the Zuo family. In these years, the China Army fought from the northwest to the southwest, and most of the participants were staunch "rebels." But there were always some people who had different family backgrounds in the past and did not completely hate the new emperor of the Wu Dynasty. So, some people with aristocratic backgrounds followed them this time. There was also another group who came here out of curiosity and to observe.

The journey from the southwest to Fuzhou was thousands of miles away, and they were also transporting some supplies from the southwest. This journey was not easy. Although they took advantage of the identity of the Zuo family and borrowed from several large merchant groups to travel all the way, they still encountered several dangers along the way. It was also when facing several dangers that Zuo Xiuquan saw how fierce these young people were when facing the battlefield. After experiencing a series of battles in the southwest, these battlefield survivors, who were originally quick-witted, were all transformed into weapons on the battlefield. They were determined when facing chaos, and in Zuo Xiuquan's view, the battlefield vision of many people even surpassed many of the Wu Dynasty generals.

In fact, Ning Yi did not give any special preferential treatment to these elite soldiers with basic education in the past – in fact, there was no room for preferential treatment. After various selections, they were transferred out this time. Many of them were not superiors or subordinates to each other, nor did they have any partnering experience. The thousands of miles of road and the several tense situations along the way allowed them to understand each other. When they arrived in Fuzhou, they were basically a team.

They arrived in Fuzhou in April, bringing with them the science system and many advanced experiences from the southwest, but of course these experiences could not be fully integrated into the Fuzhou system through a few "secret books." Especially in Fuzhou, Ning Yi had not sent a large number of specialized teachers and technicians like he did to Jin, so the preliminary planning for reforms in various fields became quite critical.

Every team member with science experience was drafted to be responsible for organizing data, discussing and making plans in a certain area. What was something like in the southwest? Why? What could be learned from it? Which areas could be changed? Which couldn't? Which were human problems? Which aspects had funding problems? During these days, Wen Ren'er led a team from the Wu Dynasty side to have a large number of meetings and discussions with everyone, and these young people worked until late at night every day.

Having traveled thousands of miles from the southwest, having gone through hardships together along the way, Zuo Xiuquan was familiar with most of these young people. As a representative of the great clan loyal to the Wu Dynasty, he felt excited and gratified to see these outstanding young people shine in various tests. But at the same time, he couldn't help but think that the minds of this young team were actually different. Even Zuo Wenhuan, as a member of the Zuo family, probably did not have the same thoughts as the Zuo family, let alone the others.

Ning Yi, who was far away in the southwest, casually threw over such a team of forty-odd seeds, and it seemed that they would sooner or later become outstanding figures who could stand on their own. On the surface, it seemed that they were bringing various experiences from the southwest to Fuzhou, but what role would they play in the future Wu Dynasty court? Thinking of this, Zuo Xiuquan vaguely felt a headache.

Of course, things were just getting started at this time, and there was no need to worry too much. He went all the way to the nearby second floor. Zuo Wenhuan and his deputy, Xiao Jingyi, were climbing down from the roof. They seemed to be talking about "paying attention to changing shifts." After the two greeted each other, Xiao Jingyi left on the pretext of preparing a midnight snack. Zuo Wenhuan and Zuo Xiuquan went to the study next door, poured a cup of tea, and began to discuss matters.

"...I left Fuzhou for a while and just came back. I heard some things tonight, so I came here... I heard that recently, you suggested to His Majesty that the focus of science should be on maritime trade? His Majesty was quite interested?"

After the Fuzhou court carried out massive reforms, it hurt the hearts of many aristocratic families, but after all, there were many old Confucians and aristocratic families who had been favored by the country for generations who were wavering. In this regard, the Zuo family had always been the best spokespersons for the Fuzhou court. After Zuo Xiuquan returned to Fuzhou, he began to move around again. When he came back at this time, he realized that things had changed.

When he asked this at this time, Zuo Wenhuan showed a relatively soft smile, "Mr. Ning used to pay a lot of attention to this area. I just casually mentioned it. I didn't expect that His Majesty really had this intention."

Zuo Xiuquan frowned slightly as he looked at him.

At first glance, his nephew seemed gentle and easy to bully, but after months of traveling together, he truly understood that the face under that smile was really ruthless and efficient. He might not understand most of the official rules when he first came here, but how could there be anything like a casual mention in such a crucial place as a royal audience?

Seeing his uncle show such an expression, the smile on Zuo Wenhuan's face changed, "The reforms in Fuzhou are too extensive, and there are not many allies. If we want to support a situation, we have to consider large-scale open source. At present, attacking north is not necessarily wise. Once the territory expands, the cost of implementing the reforms will only increase exponentially. At that time, the court will only increase harsh taxes and levies, and the people will not be able to live. It will kill itself. Located in the southeast, the largest open source can only be maritime trade."

"There are several major problems with maritime trade," said Zuo Xiuquan, "First, after His Majesty obtained Fuzhou, he has been saying to the outside world that he wants to attack north and return to Lin'an. This can be delayed for a year or two. If it is delayed for too long, the people who are standing with us today will slowly leave. Second, maritime trade management cannot be learned by one or two people in one or two days. If we want to take this route to open up the source of income, when will we be able to achieve success? Now there are corresponding maritime merchant forces on various sea routes in the southeast. If we are not careful, dealing with them may take a long time. At that time, on the one hand, the morale of the north will be damaged, and on the other hand, the trade routes will not be opened up. I'm afraid the problem will be even bigger..."

"We have also considered these things, but Uncle Quan, have you ever thought about what His Majesty is reforming for?" Zuo Wenhuan looked at him, then paused slightly, "In the past, the aristocratic families pointed fingers and wanted to add sand to the imperial court. Now that we are facing internal and external troubles and can't live any longer, His Majesty said that he wants to honor the king and expel the barbarians. This is the first principle of this reform. Use what you have on hand well. If you can't hold on to it, don't think too much about it."

"...Our Zuo family is lobbying various parties, wanting those who still trust the imperial court to contribute money and effort to support His Majesty. It is certainly a good thing if someone does this, but should we satisfy their expectations if we can't persuade them? I think that at present, the ethereal support of these aristocratic families is not worth too much attention. For their expectations, we should fight back to Lin'an, then raise our arms and call out, and rely on the various support that follows to defeat He Wen... Not to mention that this underestimates He Wen and the Fairness Party, the entire process of deduction is too idealized..."

"...The future is the era of elite soldiers, Uncle Quan. I have stayed in the southwest. If we want to train elite soldiers, one of the biggest problems in the future is money. In the past, the imperial court and the scholar-officials jointly governed the world. The aristocratic families extended their hands into the army and into the imperial court. At every turn, there were millions of troops, but they embezzled military pay. They supported the army but also made money from the army... If we want to cut off their hands, we have to get the money ourselves. The past way of playing doesn't work. Solving this matter is the focus of the reform."

"...Regarding the second thing you said, Uncle Quan, the imperial court has two fleets in hand now. They say that there are no talents available, but in fact, there are many talents in the navy who have been to sea. Moreover, if the imperial court values maritime trade, it will be beneficial to all those who make a living by the sea in the long run. Some maritime merchants have short-sighted vision, and some have long-term vision. If the imperial court raises its arms and calls out, it may be able to attack and divide them. Mr. Ning said that conservatives are not extremely afraid of reform. What they are afraid of is losing their interests..."

Zuo Wenhuan's tone was not high, but it was clear and logical. He spoke eloquently and was different from his occasionally naive self in the golden palace.

After saying this for a while, Zuo Xiuquan said, "But have you ever thought that your identities are ultimately from the China Army? The first reform opinion you have put forward is so unconventional. Then some people will say that you were deliberately sent by Mr. Ning to confuse the people and obstruct the rise of the Wu Dynasty's orthodoxy... Once there is such a statement, all the reforms you want to do next may be twice the effort with half the results."

When Zuo Xiuquan mentioned this, Zuo Wenhuan was slightly stunned. He lowered his head and thought for a while. When he looked up, the light flashing in his eyes was already a chilling murderous aura.

"Uncle Quan, we are young people," he said, "What we have learned in the southwest over the years includes science, reasoning, and reform, but in the final analysis, what we have learned the most in these years is to go to the battlefield and kill our enemies!"

His words were full of murderous intent. After he finished speaking, the room fell silent. After a while, Zuo Wenhuan said, "Of course, we are new here, and we may inevitably have some things that are not well considered. But in the general direction, we still think that this should be better. There are many craftsmen in His Majesty's Science Academy. Copying the science technology from the southwest only requires a part of the people. It should be appropriate for the other part to explore the direction of maritime trade."

"In fact, it is already amazing that you can consider so much. In fact, some things are really as Jiazhen said, maintaining the confidence of all parties is just icing on the cake. If you value it too much, you will lose more than you gain," Zuo Xiuquan smiled, "People's words are formidable. Some things should be considered when you can consider them. But I was very moved when you said to kill the enemy just now. This is the look that you young people need, and it is also what the Wu Dynasty needs now. Let us old people fix some of the people's words in the next step. Since you have figured it out, you should focus on doing things. Of course, you must not lose your caution and think more about it at any time."

"Yes, Wenhuan has been taught. Thank you, Uncle Quan, for taking care of me."

Zuo Xiuquan stood up, sighed slightly, and then patted Zuo Wenhuan on the shoulder. They were both people with their own opinions. They couldn't convince each other for a while, so they compromised with each other. For people like Zuo Xiuquan, seeing that his family had produced real talents, even if their ideas were different for a while, he was ultimately more proud and gratified.

The two walked out of the door all the way. At this moment, they were just chatting about various family matters. When going downstairs, Zuo Xiuquan patted him on the shoulder and said, "There are also sentries on the roof."

"After all, we haven't been here for a long time. It's a habit, a habit," Zuo Wenhuan said with a smile.

"After arriving here, His Majesty attaches great importance to you. The forces of the Zuo family are also staring at this side now. You are home, so you don't need to be so vigilant. Don't tire them out."

"I know," Zuo Wenhuan nodded and smiled in response to his elder's words.

**************

In the early morning, in the imperial palace of Fuzhou, Tie Tianying walked along the eaves and patrolled the post once.

The lights in the imperial study were still on.

When Zhou Pei and the palace maid came over with lanterns, Jun Wu was wearing pajamas, holding a brush in one hand and a oil lamp in the other, looking at the Southeast map on the wall. On the table was a half-written letter.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late. You should rest."

Jun Wu did not turn his head, holding the oil lamp and still looking at a corner of the map. After a long time, he opened his mouth, "If we want to open up the sea route, I have been thinking about where to break the situation... Mr. Ning from the southwest said about the spider web. The so-called innovation is to use force on this spider web. No matter where you go, someone will pull you for their own interests. It is a common thing in the world for those with interests not to change if they can, but yesterday I thought that if we are really determined, maybe we can solve the Guangzhou matter next."

Zhou Pei frowned, then her eyes lit up.

Jun Wu was still holding the oil lamp, "Since we settled down in Fuzhou, we don't have much territory in our hands. Going south is only to Quanzhou, and most of those who support us can't transport things in. In the past year, we have been shaking Guangzhou's neck, asking for a lot of things. Didn't the Imperial Sister say recently that they also have ideas?"

"In the past two months, a few ships of goods were said to have had accidents. The specifics are still unclear."

"After all, our Wu Dynasty has lost the entire country. The merchants in Fuzhou are happy to recapture Fuzhou, but the interests of those far away in Guangzhou are inevitably damaged. Liu Fuming is guarding Guangzhou and has been transporting supplies to us diligently. But for the merchants and people in Guangzhou, what is the so-called sharing of difficulties different from scraping their people's fat and ointment? If we want to promote maritime trade this time, improve the ships with the power of the Science Academy, equip them with the new artillery from the southwest, and open them to the merchants in Guangzhou, we can form a joint benefit with Guangzhou. At that time, we can truly... have more territory..."

Zhou Pei looked at him quietly, nodded, and then asked softly, "Are you really sure? Do you want to go this way?"

The countless pros and cons analyses in peacetime will ultimately fall on a certain general policy. Should we go north to Lin'an or look to the sea? Once we start, we may form two completely different policies and routes. Jun Wu put down the oil lamp and did not speak for a while. But after a while, he looked up at the night outside the door and frowned slightly.

There seemed to be some movements coming faintly from afar.

"...Is there a fire in the city?"

The area of the original palace was not large, and it was located on a high place, so it could feel the signs of commotion from afar. Since something might have happened in the city, the palace guards were also mobilizing. After a while, Tie Tianying came over to report.

"Reporting to Your Majesty... Wenhan Garden was attacked by bandits and caught fire..."

Jun Wu was slightly stunned, "...What?"

"Wenhan Garden was attacked. This humble servant has sent the nearby guards over. According to the report, there was fighting and a fire broke out. The casualties are still unclear..."

With a bang, Jun Wu's fist hit the table, and the bloodshot eyes that had accumulated from staying up late were particularly obvious at this moment.

"Get the sword, put on the armor, I want to leave the palace."

"The situation is still unclear at this time. It is not appropriate for Your Majesty to move."

"Don't be impulsive—"

Tie Tianying, Zhou Pei, and others quickly stopped him.

In the city of Fuzhou, many people were awakened from their dreams, and the night seemed to be burning. The fire in Wenhan Garden ignited the prelude to a series of struggles in the southeast...