Destined

Even immortals must answer nature's call, and Ye Shi'an, being a man of noble character, naturally couldn't afford to lose his composure.

Staring at the wooden bucket before him, he gritted his teeth and ultimately returned to his bed, hugging himself tightly against the cold wind while squeezing his eyes shut and forcing himself to endure.

He held out until the morning star rose, finally hearing footsteps outside—it was Gu Jiusi returning at last. Shen Ming escorted Gu Jiusi back and brought Ye Shi'an his official robe. The moment Gu Jiusi entered, Ye Shi'an sprang up, snatched the robe, and hurried out. After pulling a guard aside to whisper a couple of questions, he vanished around the corner.

"What's he doing?" Shen Ming was bewildered.

Gu Jiusi was equally puzzled. "Is he so angry he won't even speak to me?"

But with time pressing, Gu Jiusi had no chance to figure out Ye Shi'an's intentions. He entered the cell, closed the door, and said to Shen Ming, "Hurry to court! Remember to update me if there's any news."

Having said that, he dutifully locked himself in and told the guard, "You can rest now—I've secured it."

By then, Ye Shi'an had relieved himself and emerged from around the corner. He shot a cold glance at Gu Jiusi and strode away without a word. Shen Ming quickly followed. Gu Jiusi was taken aback, rubbing his nose in surprise—he hadn't realized Ye Shi'an was this furious.

Ye Shi'an and Shen Ming attended court that day. Fan Xuan announced that the Crown Prince would tour the southern regions on the emperor's behalf to inspect the Yellow River embankments and bestow imperial grace upon the people. Since the Crown Prince was Fan Xuan's only heir, five thousand elite troops were dispatched from the Eastern Capital to escort him.

This decree left everyone momentarily stunned. After the court session concluded, many ministers gathered around Zhou Gaolang, asking, "Lord Zhou, what does His Majesty mean by this?"

Zhou Gaolang spread his hands. "I'm not His Majesty—how would I know what he intends?"

Lu Yong stood nearby, his expression as calm as ever. What was unusual, however, was that he would typically be the first to inquire in such situations, yet now he seemed utterly indifferent to the matter.

Zhou Gaolang glanced subtly at Lu Yong. Upon exiting the palace gates, he called out to him, "Lord Lu."

Lu Yong halted. Zhou Gaolang caught up and walked alongside him, smiling. "You seem different lately, Lord Lu."

"How so?"

Lu Yong's face remained placid. Zhou Gaolang chuckled. "You've never been one to hold your tongue before."

Lu Yong stiffened slightly, then sighed. "To be frank, Lord Zhou, the Ministry of Revenue has been overwhelmed with work lately—I'm simply exhausted. If I've offended you in any way, I hope you'll forgive me."

"Why would I take offense?"

Zhou Gaolang smiled and turned to gaze at the sky beyond the palace walls. "Old Lu, we've climbed our way up from Youzhou over a dozen years. You ought to trust Old Fan more."

Lu Yong clenched his fist inside his sleeve, reminding himself to stay calm. Zhou Gaolang didn't even look at him, merely adding, "Don't hide what shouldn't be hidden—it won't stay concealed anyway. His Majesty has always treated you well. With over a decade of camaraderie, no one would be so heartless."

At these words, Lu Yong's heart leaped into his throat. Zhou Gaolang patted his shoulder and strode off.

After Zhou Gaolang left, Lu Yong stood at the gate for a while, closed his eyes, and let out a soft sigh.When the order for the Crown Prince's southern inspection was issued, Fan Yu immediately panicked. He hurriedly sought out Luo Zishang and anxiously asked, "Imperial Tutor, my father has ordered me to go on a southern inspection. What does this mean?"

Luo Zishang lowered his head to look at the chessboard without making a sound. Fan Yu grew somewhat displeased and raised his voice, "Imperial Tutor!"

"If His Majesty has ordered the Crown Prince to go on a southern inspection, then it shall be a southern inspection."

"But..."

"His Majesty's foundation in the court is unstable," Luo Zishang said calmly. "Some tangible achievements are still necessary. This year, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau predicts the Yellow River will face flooding. Every year there are breaches in the dikes. If the Yellow River remains calm after the Crown Prince's southern inspection this year, Your Highness's standing among the people will surely rise, and it will count as a tangible achievement for the court."

"None of that matters," Fan Yu frowned. "I am my father's only son. Whether I have achievements or not, could someone else possibly become emperor instead?!"

Hearing this, Luo Zishang's hand, holding a chess piece, paused briefly. After a moment, he lifted his head and smiled respectfully at Fan Yu, "Your Highness misunderstands His Majesty's intention. His Majesty not only wants Your Highness to become emperor but also to become a good emperor praised by all and remembered in history. Although Your Highness is already outstanding, it is still necessary to let people know."

These words pleased Fan Yu. He nodded and said, "You are absolutely right. I must let people know these things. When I go on the southern inspection, will you accompany me?"

"This humble official will naturally accompany you."

Luo Zishang turned his head, his gaze falling on the chessboard.

Preparations for Fan Yu's inspection tour took about three days before he set out with his entourage in a grand procession.

At this time, the grain that Liu Yu Ru had purchased and planted in Wangdu had also been transported to the Eastern Capital.

After the recent war, grain prices were not cheap anywhere. Back when Wangdu had ample grain after Liu Yu Ru's purchases, and with refugees later reclaiming land, this year's harvest was abundant. The profit from grain compared to the Eastern Capital was more than tenfold. Liu Yu Ru personally went to the gate to receive the grain. Coincidentally, she encountered the Crown Prince's grand procession. Sitting in her carriage, she lifted the curtain and watched the Crown Prince's southern inspection team leave the city. Behind the Crown Prince's carriage in the procession was a small, plain carriage. Just as she was wondering who was in that carriage, she saw its curtain suddenly lifted.

A pale, somewhat sickly face appeared before Liu Yu Ru. The person saw Liu Yu Ru, and his eyes held an indescribable smile—a very complex expression that made Liu Yu Ru frown.

As the carriages passed each other, Luo Zishang lowered the curtain, as if lifting it had been solely to catch a glimpse of this person.

Yin Hong hurried over and said to Liu Yu Ru, "Madam, stay away from him. That person is too unsettling."

Liu Yu Ru did not speak. She lowered her eyes to the account book and simply said, "Turn the page."

Her fingers were currently immobile, so she could only have Yin Hong help her turn the pages to read the account book. Liu Yu Ru looked at the grain quantities recorded in the book. Shortly after, she heard people outside announce that the grain transport team had arrived.

Liu Yu Ru got out of the carriage and personally met the grain transporters. She gave each of them a small money pouch, saying it was for good luck. Everyone had been weary from the journey, covered in the World of dust. Liu Yu Ru's waiting at the gate and this gesture of hospitality excited them all, making them feel that this trip was not in vain.Liu Yu Ru led her people to the warehouse in the outskirts of the Eastern Capital, a plot of land she had specifically rented for storing goods and grain. She stood by the back door supervising the grain inventory count, watching as bags of grain were carried in one by one. After all the grain had been stored, she couldn't help but frown.

The head of the grain transport team, Lao Hei, noticed Liu Yu Ru's frown and grew uneasy. Liu Yu Ru escorted him to the main hall, asked him to sit down, and then spoke: "Brother Hei, there's something I don't quite understand."

"Please, go ahead," Lao Hei quickly responded, "Boss, if there's anything you don't understand, just ask me. I'll explain everything clearly. We shouldn't have any misunderstandings between us."

Liu Yu Ru smiled slightly and said, "Brother Hei, I'm just a bit puzzled." She gestured for Yin Hong to open the account book. "I ordered thirty thousand dan of grain from Wangdu, but now only fifteen thousand have arrived. How did half the grain disappear?"

Hearing this, Lao Hei didn't even bother with his tea and hurriedly explained: "Boss, during grain transportation, the crew needs to eat along the way, and there are always some losses and spillage. It's natural to have some reduction."

"Brother Hei," Liu Yu Ru frowned, "I've handled grain transport before. When I shipped grain from Qingzhou, Cangzhou, and Yangzhou back to Wangdu, ten thousand dan would still yield over nine thousand dan upon arrival. I don't understand why your shipment would lose half."

"That's right, that's right!" Yin Hong chimed in unhappily from the side, "Don't think you can cheat us just because we haven't transported grain before!"

Lao Hei's face darkened at these words. He slammed his teacup down heavily, stood up, and knelt before Liu Yu Ru. "Boss, I know you suspect me in this matter, but even if I were to dash my head against this pillar right now, I must make it clear to you that we truly didn't take the grain."

"Then where did the grain..." Yin Hong started anxiously.

"The routes are completely different!" Lao Hei raised his head and glared at Yin Hong, angrily retorting, "What does a young girl like you know!"

"Brother Hei," Liu Yu Ru sighed and quickly stood up to help Lao Hei to his feet, "Don't be angry with the young girl. I don't suspect you, I just want to understand the reason. If there's a solution, we'll find it. In business, I need to know where my money is going."

Hearing this, Lao Hei's emotions finally stabilized somewhat. He sighed and said to Liu Yu Ru: "Boss, back when you shipped from Qingzhou, Cangzhou, and Yangzhou, you used water routes all the way to Youzhou, then from Youzhou to Wangdu was less than thirty li by land. Didn't you notice that the main losses from your ten thousand dan shipments occurred during the land transport?"

Liu Yu Ru nodded: "That's true.""The Eastern Capital is inland, not coastal," Old Hei sighed. "To transport the new grain here, we can only take the land route. But land routes are different from waterways. First, the number of people required differs. If we take the waterways, a single ship might only need a few dozen people. With just that many, they can transport a large amount of grain, and there's hardly any leakage along the way. As long as the ship doesn't capsize or encounter water bandits, aside from the grain consumed by those dozen or so people, there's practically no loss. Land routes are different. For one, grain leaks along the way—it diminishes bit by bit as we travel. Secondly, manpower and horses have limited carrying capacity. The same amount of grain that a dozen people could transport by water might require hundreds or even thousands on land, and the consumption losses differ too. Lastly, there are many mountain bandits along the way. As we traveled, we had to pay 'tolls' at regular intervals. After all that, how much could possibly remain by the time it reached the Eastern Capital?"

Old Hei spoke as if deeply aggrieved: "Boss, I know this reflects poorly on my abilities, but I truly did my best."

"Brother Hei," Liu Yu Ru sighed upon hearing this, "you've indeed been wronged. It was thoughtless of me. You've worked so hard, and here I am still worrying about the grain."

Hearing this, Old Hei felt a weight lift from his heart.

He quickly waved his hands and said, "Boss, please don't say that. You'll shorten my lifespan with such words."

Liu Yu Ru smiled and had Yin Hong fetch two taels of silver, which she respectfully handed to Old Hei. "Brother Hei, I didn't realize how hard it was for you all before, but now I understand the hardships you've endured. With my new shop just opening, we must be frugal in all matters. Please don't think this amount is too meager."

Old Hei declined the offer, but after some polite back-and-forth, Liu Yu Ru finally managed to give him the silver.

Afterward, Liu Yu Ru left with Yin Hong.

Sitting in the carriage, Yin Hong sighed. "Only half the grain remains, and our costs have doubled. I don't know how we'll sell it. With the young master still in prison and business not going well, Madam, do you think we should visit the temple to pray?"

Liu Yu Ru didn't respond. She swayed her round fan, turned to look out the window, and said calmly, "There's always a way."

Where there's a will, there's a way.