史阐立 walked out of the Bamboo Garden Pavilion, hissed softly, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The building behind him was under renovation, but it would still be a while before it opened. The expansion of Bao Yue Lou into Jiangnan seemed to be off to a smooth start. However, they had encountered some minor problems buying girls in Suzhou these past few days. Although they were able to smoothly poach girls from rival establishments, thanks to the prestige of the Third Prince, they hadn't managed to attract many courtesans of renown.

Every time he thought about it, Shi Chanli felt a headache coming on. The women of Jiangnan were known for their delicate beauty, so why couldn't he find any decent girls? Were they all being hidden away? There were other avenues, and he had even visited the matchmaking agencies, but the girls that the matchmakers eagerly introduced were all pitiful young girls who had fled from Jiangbei. Even though their parents were selling them, their figures hadn't even developed yet. Shi Chanli couldn't bring himself to buy them and was afraid of angering Fan Xian.

Speaking of his mentor, Shi Chanli's head throbbed even more. He really didn't know what that young master was thinking. After returning from the Internal Treasury the day before, he had shut himself up in the Hua Garden, which had been vacated by the salt merchants, and hadn't come out. It seemed as if he hadn't made any preparations for the upcoming Internal Treasury bidding.

Shi Chanli was wearing a cotton robe today. Although he was now a merchant, he couldn't shake off the scholarly manner that had been cultivated by more than a decade of studying hard. He rested his hand on the smooth carriage wall but didn't get in.

The guards beside the carriage looked at him curiously.

Countless pedestrians walked past the carriage. Right in the middle of the bustling Suzhou street, Shi Chanli suddenly drifted into a daze. He frowned slightly as he looked at the contented faces of the Jiangnan people and reflected on the events of the past year. He suddenly felt a few pangs of fear about his choice.

After Yang Wanli's conversation in Hangzhou, these people still followed Fan Xian, resolutely marching towards that unknowable future. However, Shi Chanli was different from his three classmates. He had lost interest in a career in the government and had begun to handle some secret matters for Fan Xian. He also knew some confidential information, so he felt that Fan Xian was increasingly difficult to fathom. He and the others wanted to help the world and nourish the people, but what exactly was his mentor thinking?

He knew that the expansion of Bao Yue Lou was partly to provide Fan Xian with a second way to gather news from across the land, besides the Overwatch Council. But more importantly, it was to facilitate Fan Xian's future money laundering. His mentor's actions might be for a good purpose, but in the process of achieving that purpose, many things might have to be sacrificed, such as the lives of innocent people, the righteous path that scholars had always adhered to, and the conscience that everyone should have?

By today, Shi Chanli certainly knew that Fan Xian was already a powerful minister, not the upright official he had hoped for. But he also understood that if one wanted to be an upright official who would be remembered in history, it was essential to seize power. In that process, the word "upright" would seem too foolish.

This was a philosophical dilemma. Shi Chanli was caught in it, but couldn't find any answers. He could only silently get into the carriage and bet on his trust in his mentor.

The carriage was heading to Taiping Bank. Recently, Shi Chanli had been transferring silver from there for various uses. The share of fifty thousand taels of silver made him feel somewhat apprehensive. Young Master Fan's silver was simply too much. He only hoped that after he had obtained enough power and financial resources in the future, he would still remember what he had initially intended to do for the world.

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"I know exactly what I'm doing." Fan Xian looked calmly at Yang Wanli in front of him. After returning to Suzhou from the Internal Treasury, he had summoned Yang Wanli. Although Yang Wanli shouldn't have left his post without permission, and Fan Xian's order was technically illegal, with the status of an imperial envoy, no official in Fuchun County, including the superiors in the prefecture, would dare to criticize Yang Wanli.

Yang Wanli sighed and said, "Teacher, I'm just worried that the officialdom is treacherous and can easily tempt people with extravagance and power..." He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Among Fan Xian's four disciples, Fan Xian actually liked Yang Wanli the most because the young man spoke directly and always remembered the hardships of his childhood. He was upright and unyielding, and his integrity was unusual. Fan Xian wasn't an honest official, but that didn't stop him from appreciating them. Although Shi Chanli had clarity in his heart, he was only willing to keep things to himself. As for the other two, Cheng Jialin was too mediocre and sought stability. Only Hou Jichang, the talented scholar who was as famous as He Zongwei in Kyoto back then, had a sharp mind and was a good choice for doing things. Unfortunately, he was currently far away in another state, and Fan Xian couldn't use him for the time being.

He waved his hand to stop Yang Wanli's excessive worries and said with a smile, "My heart is firm, so why should you worry? Don't always be afraid that I'll slide into the abyss of evil. When you get used to the darkness, you can't see the light."

Yang Wanli was slightly stunned. Then he thought about what kind of person his mentor was. How could he be so incompetent? Perhaps his worries were really excessive.

"Money is just a tool," Fan Xian said. "Those who are greedy always need to use money to obtain some kind of physiological or psychological pleasure. But for someone who has enough money, being greedy for money... if it's not for counting silver, then it must be for some purpose."

Yang Wanli shook his head and said, "Desires are insatiable. There are too many such things in the world." Although Fan Xian often came up with some strange words, Yang Wanli had gotten used to it. Anyway, he could understand the general meaning.

"I'm not a eunuch," Fan Xian said with a smile. "I don't have any special hobby for things like silver."

Yang Wanli smiled wryly, thinking that if you didn't love silver, then why would you run a brothel in Shi Chanli's name? Especially this time's actions against the Ming family and the Internal Treasury, it was obvious that you wanted to intercept the silver. And how much of it would be handed back to the imperial court at that time?

Fan Xian simply ignored his student's complaints and said directly, "I called you here because I have some things to tell you."

Although Yang Wanli didn't agree with some of Fan Xian's methods and had some resistance in his heart, he was extremely diligent and forceful in carrying out the things that Fan Xian told him to do, as long as they didn't violate the law.

"Please instruct me, sir." He looked at Fan Xian with a serious expression, thinking that it was a matter of government affairs, so he changed his address and responded very seriously.

Fan Xian glanced at him and said carefully, "An appointment will be coming from Kyoto soon, transferring you to the Ministry of Works. I'm notifying you in advance so that you won't be at a loss."

Yang Wanli was shocked when he heard this and was really at a loss. He was doing well in Fuchun County. According to custom, he could enter the prefecture next year, and his career prospects were good. Moreover, this was the proper path. Although he was a loyal person, he wasn't ignorant of the entanglements in the officialdom. Of course, he knew why his mentor had sent the three of them to the various prefectures after the spring examination, instead of trying to keep them in the various ministries in Kyoto.

Because the Fan family's power in Kyoto was already strong enough, they needed some help in the outer prefectures. That was why Yang Wanli had been sent to Fuchun County.

So when he heard that he was going to be transferred to the Ministry of Works, Yang Wanli was somewhat puzzled. With his rank, he could still help his mentor do some things outside Kyoto. After returning to Kyoto, he would be of low rank and unable to say anything... He didn't know what deep meaning there was in his mentor's arrangement.

Seeing his doubts, Fan Xian explained in a low voice, "Entering the Ministry of Works from the local government, according to custom, will be promoted by half a grade. Don't think that this is another trick I played. As for why I'm letting you enter the Ministry of Works, you don't need to guess too much."

Yang Wanli nodded in confusion.

"The Ministry of Works has four departments," Fan Xian said, staring into his eyes. "During the Qingli New Policy, the Water Department was changed to the Capital Water Conservancy Department... This time, you're going to enter the Capital Water Conservancy Department."

Yang Wanli opened his mouth slightly, thinking that he could guess what his mentor was planning to do. His tender face flushed red, and he said, "Sir, although river construction costs countless silver taels, that silver... can't be touched."

Fan Xian was stunned, and then scolded with a smile, "What kind of pig brain do you have? Didn't that scolding in Hangzhou wake you up?"

Yang Wanli then came back to his senses and thought that even if his mentor wanted to be greedy for silver, he wouldn't care about the Ming family and the Internal Treasury under his nose, so how could he reach out to the river construction? He must have misunderstood. He sighed in extreme shame.

Fan Xian glared at him irritably and sighed, "You have to change your reckless nature. It's okay in front of me, but if you're like this in front of those cunning officials in the Ministry of Works, how can I rest assured letting you go?"

Yang Wanli gritted his teeth and said, "I'll listen to my teacher's words. I'll definitely be more calm in the future. Please give me your instructions, teacher."

Fan Xian was silent for a moment, then slowly raised his head and stared into Yang Wanli's eyes until he felt a little scared in his heart. Then he said calmly, "The Capital Water Conservancy Department... is responsible for reviewing and distributing the silver allocated by the imperial court to the rivers along the river, which is a very large amount. Especially last year, the Great River burst its banks, causing countless deaths and injuries. This year, as soon as the imperial treasury improves slightly, His Majesty will definitely allocate real silver. And I'm letting you go to the Capital Water Conservancy Department so that you can... watch this silver."

Yang Wanli was stunned in his chair and didn't come back to his senses for a long time... River construction? Embankments? Floods? Silver like floods? Everyone knew that river transport was the most expensive affair in the country and the people's livelihood. Especially in the Qing Dynasty for more than a decade, rivers were repaired every year, and embankments were breached every year. Silver was poured into it like a flood, but no one heard anything.

On the one hand, the heavens weren't giving face, and on the other hand, it was naturally a man-made disaster. From the Ministry of Works in Kyoto to the officials at all levels under the River Transport Superintendent's Office, no one knew how much benefit they had gained from this huge amount of silver. The disaster of corruption was worse than the flood.

His Majesty certainly knew about this. Four years ago, when the Great River burst its banks, the Overwatch Council conducted a detailed investigation and beheaded the River Transport Superintendent of that time in court. It was said that the River Transport Superintendent's family had accumulated a wealth that rivaled the country's, and his backing was the Empress Dowager. However, even though the Qing Emperor killed him so severely, he still couldn't stop the trend of corruption in river construction. And the position of River Transport Superintendent had been vacant for four years, and no one had taken it.

In addition, in recent years, the Internal Treasury's revenue had been declining year by year, and the two-line wars had emptied the national treasury. The water conservancy facilities on both sides of the Great River had been in disrepair for many years, which caused the terrible consequences of the Great River breach last year.

Even the Emperor couldn't completely solve the problem... and he was asking him to do it?

Yang Wanli couldn't help but be dumbfounded by this fact. He knew his own abilities. He might have the ability to govern a prefecture or a state, but he wouldn't dare to boast about managing the river, which involved the lives and deaths of the people of the world.

So he prostrated himself before Fan Xian and repeatedly asked to resign.

Fan Xian looked at him and shook his head, saying, "What's the panic? I'm just asking you to watch the silver, not to fill the river with soil."

"In order to protect the safety of the Great River, what fear is there in filling the river with soil?" Yang Wanli said with a wry smile. "But since the teacher is thinking about river construction, you know that this matter is of great importance. A slight mistake will lead to the tragic event of flooding the people. I really don't dare to accept it."

Fan Xian said with a cold smile, "Don't you want to be an honest official who will be remembered in history? I'm letting you go to the darkest nest of corrupt officials in our Qing Dynasty, and you don't dare to go?"

Yang Wanli's face turned red, and he slowly lowered his head.

Fan Xian didn't say anything more, just looked at him coldly.

After a long time, Yang Wanli finally bravely raised his head and said with a bite, "Then I'll follow your instructions, sir." He thought to himself that even if he was framed to death in the River Transport Office, he could still contribute some effort. As his mentor said, since he wanted to benefit the world, why should he cherish his life?

A hint of appreciation flashed in Fan Xian's eyes, and he said in a gentle voice, "If you're willing to risk your life, you dare to... ahem, pull the superintendent down from his horse."

Yang Wanli was stunned, thinking that this sentence was a little strange.

Fan Xian smiled to cover it up and said, "Moreover, the position of River Transport Superintendent has been vacant. With my Fan family and the Overwatch Council watching you, although the River Transport Office is as deep as a dragon's pool, if those corrupt officials want to deal with you with insidious methods... they have to see if I agree."

Yang Wanli thought, that's right, he had a big backer like his mentor, so what was there to be afraid of those people? He changed his mind quickly, and a look of eagerness immediately appeared on his face. It seemed that he was ready to rush back to Kyoto to report, and then hurry to the banks of the Great River to see if the imperial court's silver was being spent effectively.

Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh when he saw his expression. Then he said sternly, "But there's one thing you have to remember clearly."

"Please instruct me, teacher."

"You... can only manage the silver, you can't manage the river construction." Fan Xian looked at him very seriously.

Yang Wanli was slightly stunned, thinking that repairing the river was beneficial to the country and the people, so why couldn't he do it?

Fan Xian stared into his eyes and said very earnestly, "The repair of the river will naturally be done by professional engineers in the Ministry of Works. You only need to ensure that the silver is used for the right purposes. You must not manage the river construction... The most frightening thing in this world is for an amateur to manage a professional. Do you think repairing the river is as simple as raising the embankment?"

Yang Wanli's face showed a natural expression.

Fan Xian sighed in his heart and instructed, "I'm letting you go to the Ministry of Works just because of your integrity and sincerity, and because you can't stand any dirt in your eyes. I'm not relying on your half-baked river management skills."

He looked at Yang Wanli, who seemed to be nodding in agreement, but still didn't seem to have listened to him. He said with a cold snort, "Don't think that I'm joking... Yang Wanli, listen to me clearly!"

Yang Wanli stood up subconsciously.

Fan Xian stared at him and said word by word, "If I find out that you dare to interfere in the specific affairs of river construction, and dare to make suggestions in my name... I'll immediately send someone to chop you into thirty-six pieces."

Yang Wanli trembled under Fan Xian's cold gaze and knew that his mentor was giving serious instructions. He quickly corrected his attitude and agreed sincerely.

The two discussed the specific details after taking office and the things that could be trusted in the River Transport Superintendent's Office. At this time, Fan Xian truly believed that Yang Wanli wasn't as foolish as he had previously thought. He should be able to solve the things that he had told him to do in a relatively smooth manner. Then he began to say the focus of today's conversation.

"I'm letting you go to the Capital Water Conservancy Department, but I don't really expect you to eliminate the long-standing corruption in the river construction." Fan Xian said thoughtfully, "The Overwatch Council also has many nails there, but there are too many officials, and their ties with the court are too deep. Moving one part will affect the whole body, so it's always difficult to deal with."

Although Yang Wanli was somewhat surprised, he had finally learned to be smart at this time and didn't ask, but listened quietly.

"So, the silver that the imperial court allocates to the Great River... in the end, it will always be insufficient." Fan Xian said sarcastically, "Whether you believe it or not, in the end, this situation will always form. Even if His Majesty allocates two million taels of silver, the Ministry of Works will still say it's not enough."

"Originally, if we proceeded slowly, it wouldn't be completely impossible to reverse this situation."

Fan Xian squinted and said, "It's just that there's not enough time... Last year, the Great River burst its banks, washing away many embankments, making the long-disrepaired embankments and water conservancy facilities on both sides even more unbearable. And when the water dried up last winter, it was a good time to repair the river, but there wasn't much silver in the national treasury at that time... So what will happen this year?"

"If there isn't a big flood this year, then it's good luck for our Qing Dynasty." He said with a cold smile, "If there's another big flood, then we can't resist it. And the river construction still has to rely on those officials, so it's not suitable for the Overwatch Council to take too much action."

At this time, Yang Wanli vaguely realized that his mentor was in Suzhou, but his heart was on the people of the world. His heart warmed slightly, and he tentatively said, "The national treasury doesn't have enough silver, and it's already spring. Even if we can survive the spring flood, we'll still need silver later."

"This is the real purpose of me letting you go to the Ministry of Works." Fan Xian said calmly, "I'll raise a large amount of silver. Most of it will enter the national treasury through the Ministry of Revenue and then be transferred to the River Transport Office. But as I said before, there will be deductions along the way, and I don't know how much will be left. The most important thing is that I'm afraid there won't be enough time, so I'll directly transfer the other part of the silver to the River Transport Office, and you'll take over it."

Yang Wanli was shocked. The amount of silver that Fan Xian was talking about was definitely extremely terrifying. It must have been obtained from the Internal Treasury. But this silver should be returned to the Internal Treasury and then allocated to the national treasury according to His Majesty's will. Directly transferring silver as Fan Xian said... to put it lightly, it was privately moving state funds. To put it bluntly, it was no different from treason.

"Time is too tight." Fan Xian said helplessly, "The transfer of money in previous years took half a year. By that time... damn it, the Great River would have burst its banks long ago. Bureaucracy is killing people."

At this time, Yang Wanli certainly knew that Fan Xian's risky and unprofitable desperate actions were definitely not for his own benefit, but to make the river repair get on the right track as soon as possible. Although he was moved, he was more worried about his mentor. He anxiously advised, "Sir, this matter must be handled with caution. What if people find out... what will happen then?"

Fan Xian smiled and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Does His Majesty still want to kill me?"

Yang Wanli thought, that was indeed the case. Although the source of this silver could not be explained, as long as it was used for river construction and not for privately raising soldiers, how could the emperor go against his son?

"The source of that silver?" He asked cautiously. He knew that the source of this silver must be shady, but he was always a little uneasy if he didn't ask clearly.

"Swindling and stealing, I'm a person who likes to eat big households." Fan Xian said with a smile, "The bidding for the Internal Treasury will start soon. You don't have to worry about the silver. The key is to operate this silver well. The Overwatch Council will help you handle the specific affairs, and someone in the Ministry of Works will help you cover it up. You don't need to worry too much."

Yang Wanli understood when he heard this. Such a large amount had to be injected into the river construction through unconventional channels. Of course, the top officials of the court had to turn a blind eye. Perhaps the overall plan afterward was his mentor's father, the Minister of Revenue, who had always seemed somewhat silent.

"My silver will become more and more." Fan Xian sighed, "It will be more every year, so now I'm not worried about how to earn silver, but how to spend silver, how to spend it happily."

These words were somewhat arrogant, but he hadn't even tricked the Ming family's silver out of their hands yet, but he was already thinking about how to spend the silver. This was a bit absurd.

"The position of River Transport Superintendent has been vacant for four years." Fan Xian said to his most stubborn student with a smile, "I hope that in the near future, you will be the River Transport Superintendent of our Qing Dynasty, and the first River Transport Superintendent in history... who is not greedy."

Yang Wanli stood tall, a red sun rising in his chest, full of pride.

……

……

The reason why he wanted to transfer the silver in Suzhou to river construction was to seize the time and carry out the minimum repair of the riddled river dikes before the autumn flood. Yang Wanli was naturally unwilling to stay any longer. He hurriedly said goodbye and left. He had to go back to Fuchun County to explain, and then go to Kyoto to report, and then return to the River Transport Office. This journey was indeed a long and arduous one.

Fan Xian sat comfortably in his chair, waiting for the person who was about to arrive.

Before long, Haitang pushed the door open and walked in, looking at Fan Xian as if he were a god. After a long while, she said softly, "The problem is, where did you get so much silver?"

"The bidding for the Internal Treasury will start tomorrow," Fan Xian said with a smile. "If Xia Qifei isn't a fool, he'll definitely be able to raise the price to a suitable level. The 40% deposit isn't a small amount. Since the Ming family so honestly offered the silver with both hands and pressed it in the Transportation Department, I have to spend it to be worthy of the Ming family."

Haitang shook her head and said, "The Imperial Censor has already come from Kyoto, and the Jiangnan Governor's Office will also send personnel to listen. You can't move much of this silver at all."

She continued, "Even if Xia Qifei is able to take over Cui's line, it will take at least seven months for the goods to turn into cash."

Fan Xian smiled and looked at the young woman and said, "Anyway, we're transporting goods to the north, and anyway, your emperor has to pay the silver. And I have enough silver in my Transportation Department. After things are settled, I'll transfer some silver from Taiping Bank to use first. I think you won't have too many objections."

Haitang was slightly stunned, and then said with a wry smile, "That's not bad, but you can always pay it back in seven months... But His Majesty doesn't know about your arrangement, and... using the silver that my Northern Qi Inner Court has worked so hard to save for so many years... to repair your Southern Qing's river channels... that's just not right, is it?"

This matter was more than just not right. If the clever little emperor of Northern Qi knew that Fan Xian was playing like this, he would probably be so angry that he vomited blood.

Fan Xian spread his hands and looked at Haitang with compassion and said, "Duoduo, you once said that all the people of the world are God's grace, and we should treat them equally. If the Great River bursts its banks, and it's the people of Southern Qing who die, aren't they still people? Can you bear to watch this scene happen? The silver of the Northern Qi Inner Court, the silver of the Ming family, the silver of the imperial court... aren't they all the silver of the people of the world? I'm just risking a great risk to use it on the people of the world. What's wrong with that?"

Haitang smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "It's certainly not wrong to use the silver of the people of the world on the people of the world, but if there are any disasters or famines in my Great Qi in the future, I hope that Master Fan will not hesitate to provide assistance."

Without even thinking about it, Fan Xian said with a smile, "That's natural."

Haitang didn't seem to expect him to answer so quickly and couldn't help but be stunned on the spot. She didn't know if the other party really thought so, or if he was just talking nonsense. After all, there were really too few people in this world who had no concept of nation.

……

……

Haitang shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about the silver for now, but you really surprised me today. I've seen many officials and powerful ministers who are greedy for silver, but I never thought that you would use the silver you're greedy for in these things."

Fan Xian slowly raised his head and said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Is it difficult to understand? It's actually very easy to understand... Just like I said to Wanli earlier, silver is just a tool, just a means to obtain physiological and psychological pleasure. It's difficult to earn silver, but it's even more difficult to spend silver. How can you spend it comfortably? Some people like to buy horses, some people like to buy beautiful concubines, some people like to buy manors to be landlords, and some people like to buy official positions."

"And these things are too easy for me," Fan Xian continued. "Since I want to spend silver to buy happiness, I have to spend the biggest amount of silver to buy the biggest happiness in the world."

"Is it better to be happy alone, or to be happy with everyone?..." Fan Xian began to use Master Meng to educate Haitang.

Haitang sat down with a smile and said, "So in the end, you just want to make yourself happier, just like you mentioned in your letter before, you hope that this world can be more beautiful, and you will be more comfortable living in it."

"That's right," Fan Xian said with a smile. "Even if you live in luxury and have all the power and wealth, how can you enjoy it if the country is destroyed and the people die? Even if you sing and dance and have beautiful women accompanying you, and travel the world without carrying a trace of clouds, how can you be happy if you're surrounded by starving corpses and black crows pecking at them? It's a very low-quality life for a playboy to raise dogs to bite people and laugh heartily. I can't enjoy it."

He finally concluded, "It's not good if one person is good and ten thousand people are not good... It's really good if everyone is good."

……

……

Haitang stared into his eyes and suddenly shook her head helplessly, "I really don't know which of your words are true and which are false. What kind of person are you?"

After thinking about it, Fan Xian said very sincerely, "Why doesn't anyone believe that I'm actually a good person?"

Haitang lowered her head, hiding her clear lake-like eyes, and said softly, "A good person... Tomorrow is the opening of the bidding for the Internal Treasury. Are you going to continue to be a good person?"

Fan Xian's expression calmed down and said, "At certain times, I'm not only not a good person, but also a bad person, a butcher. But the two don't conflict."

Haitang didn't continue this topic and seemed to ask casually, "In the mornings these past two days, you've started to resume your cultivation again. Is the condition of your Zhenqi better?"

Actually, Fan Xian's routine meditation every morning and evening had begun to resume since the West Lake in Hangzhou, but he didn't know why, he was consciously avoiding Haitang, as if he was hiding something from her.

Now that Haitang had asked him directly, Fan Xian didn't respond and just shook his head with a smile.

Haitang smiled lightly and asked again, "The theory you mentioned earlier about spending silver is really novel, but there are many injustices in the world, and there are many poor people waiting to be helped. Why did you choose river construction as the first item?"

"Charity halls in various places will gradually open. The imperial court will find a way to resettle the refugees in the Jiangbei area. I've discussed it with His Majesty." Fan Xian said calmly, "I must keep at least a part of the Internal Treasury's silver in my own hands and then use it to do some appropriate things."

"Is this a wish of a certain senior?" Haitang asked curiously.

Fan Xian smiled and didn't say anything.

"You still haven't answered me why you chose river construction as the first item."

Fan Xian still didn't answer, but a picture suddenly appeared in his mind. In that picture, a beautiful woman in yellow was standing on the rocks on the riverbank, looking at the fierce flood dragon in the river with a worried expression, looking at the hardworking laborers on the river dikes on the other side.

"Let's rest first," he said softly. "Tomorrow is the opening of the Internal Treasury, and there's a battle to be fought."

……

……

(Please give me your monthly votes... The situation is tense, and the mood is exciting, as if I've returned to the new book month... scratching my head. The new book month was actually because I was nagged terribly by the editor. The battle situation wasn't as tense as it is now.)