Tigers Sniff the Rose

In Shu, Yan Shang first applied pressure to the major powerful local families.

Using his authority as an inspector dispatched from the central government, he forcibly demanded that these families—who lacked neither grain nor wealth—surrender provisions unconditionally to the government for disaster relief.

Under normal circumstances, when government granaries were insufficient, these families would be asked to contribute funds and labor. However, Yan Shang’s demands this time were excessive—he insisted on confiscating over eighty percent of their grain reserves. Such a levy would disrupt the families’ daily operations.

The families sent emissaries to plead their case, explaining their difficulties and emphasizing their willingness to share the nation’s burdens, but the amount demanded by the government was simply too large for them to provide.

Yet Yan Shang remained resolute, allowing no room for negotiation.

For three consecutive days, different families sent representatives to appeal to Yan Shang. Finally, they managed to enlist the help of a highly respected elder clan leader and two Sima officials from the local government office, beseeching Yan Shang to moderate his demands.

That night, in Yan Shang’s study, the group argued until they were hoarse, only to find the young central government official sipping tea and attending to official documents, completely ignoring them. Fuming inwardly, they wondered who had spread the rumor that this young official was easy to fool and approachable.

The elder clan leader they had brought along began to cough violently, his hacking fits so severe that Yun Shu, the attendant grinding ink beside Yan Shang, glanced over.

Yun Shu approached, helped the elder sit, and offered him tea to soothe his coughing. At this, Yan Shang—Yun Shu’s master—finally looked up from the mountain of documents, his expression concerned. “If you are unwell, Elder, you should return home early to rest. Such trivial matters are not worth troubling yourself over.”

Infuriated, the elder rapped his cane loudly on the floor. “Trivial matters? Not worth troubling over?!”

Yan Shang replied gently, “Is that not so?”

Seeing Yan Shang’s refined, scholarly appearance, the elder couldn’t help but plead earnestly, “Young Master Yan, we understand. You came here for disaster relief. Otherwise, a promising capital official like you would never set foot in such a humble place as ours. Having served in Chang’an, you are accustomed to the immense wealth of its great families and cannot comprehend our hardships here.”

Yan Shang offered no response.

Interpreting his silence as a sign of hope, the elder grew more impassioned: “It shames me to say this, but though we style ourselves as powerful local families, beyond Yi Province, which of the true great families acknowledges us? They dismiss us as mere local gentry without proper lineage. We send our children to study, to learn the classics, to enter officialdom… all in the hope of truly joining the ranks of the great families.

“So, Young Master Yan, though you may think us prosperous upon first arriving here, that is not the case. For a century, we have lived honestly in Yi Province, never oppressing the common people or exploiting our neighbors. Perhaps some misguided villagers have spoken ill of us in your presence, but they are mistaken. We and the people…”

Yan Shang cut him off: “I am here for disaster relief, not to mediate disputes between you and the common people. There is no need to tell me these things, Elder.”The old clan leader was taken aback for a moment. Seeing Yan Shang’s amiable demeanor, he continued, "Yes, yes. Disaster relief is important, very important. What I meant to say is... Lord Yan, you have the people’s best interests at heart and are a good official. But you must also leave us a way to survive. If we collapse, how can we support Yizhou? Yizhou is indeed prosperous... but Yizhou is vast, and remote counties like ours are truly no match for the prefectural capital.

"If Lord Yan insists on forcibly requisitioning grain, you are driving us to our deaths! This old man will not leave tonight—I will dash myself against the pillar right at your doorstep to show my resolve!"

As he spoke, the old man stood up, trembling, and made as if to charge at the pillar. The young men in the room hurriedly rushed to stop him, repeatedly saying, "Lord Yan surely does not mean this." Yan Shang was also startled by the old clan leader and rose from behind his desk to check on the situation.

The old clan leader, tears streaming down his face, clutched Yan Shang’s hand and pleaded incessantly.

Yan Shang sighed and asked, "Are you truly unable to provide the required amount of grain?"

The crowd replied, "We truly cannot! If we were capable, we would grit our teeth and endure it no matter what. How could we dare to come to you again and again to beg for leniency?"

Yan Shang murmured softly, "Yet I’ve heard that the disaster did not affect your area. Logically, you have countless acres of fertile land—how could you be unaffected..."

The crowd grew agitated, "Who said that?! Of course, it affected us! The disaster struck so suddenly, and our household grain reserves were depleted long ago! If not for the sake of pride, we would have sent people to the government to claim disaster relief grain as well!"

Yan Shang remained unmoved, "If you were truly short of grain, you would have gone to the government long ago. The fact that I can still reduce your grain quota means you are not lacking... I am curious, why is it that you are not in need?"

Just as the crowd was about to offer a flurry of explanations, the elderly clan leader waved his hand to silence them. He gave Yan Shang a deep look, and Yan Shang responded with a gentle smile. By this point, the old clan leader seemed to have grasped what this official truly wanted.

The old clan leader weighed his words carefully, "The reason we have managed to hold on until now is that we purchased grain from local wealthy merchants. Although we paid three times the market price, we were able to secure the grain..."

Yan Shang’s tone cooled, "If none of you have grain, how do the merchants have any? Even if merchants tend to hoard some goods, the disaster has been ongoing for several months now. Their stockpiles should have been exhausted long ago. How is it that they still have grain? Where did it come from?"

The old clan leader spoke cautiously, "They had stockpiled grain early on. Merchants travel far and wide and are more foresighted than we are..."

Yan Shang chuckled, "The disaster struck simultaneously, yet the merchants reacted faster than everyone else? If they truly possessed such remarkable foresight, why remain in business? I could directly recommend them to the Ministry of Revenue without hesitation."

The old clan leader sighed.

At this point, he had a fair understanding of what this court official was implying.

The old clan leader said helplessly, "Then, Lord Yan, what do you want us to do? If we cooperate, will the grain requisition be reduced?"

Yan Shang replied, "All I need is for you to personally identify which merchants are still hoarding grain and inflating prices. I will pay them a visit myself and inquire how their business acumen allowed for such foresight."

—Using the influence of the prominent families to root out the merchants profiteering from the disaster.The merchants were well aware that their actions must not attract attention, so they operated with extreme secrecy. If Yan Shang hadn't driven those noble families into a corner, they would never have exposed these merchants. Upon obtaining the list, Yan Shang discovered that the largest among these merchants was none other than the wealthiest man in Yizhou.

Even the richest man was profiting from the nation's calamity!

What more needed to be said? Naturally, he had to take the evidence and confront him directly.

This richest man was surnamed Chen, known as Lord Chen, who had cultivated a reputation for virtue. When Yan Shang visited his residence at night, Lord Chen showed no panic but was fully prepared.

Lord Chen invited Yan Shang to take the seat of honor and had his steward bring out the account books for inspection: "Young master, see for yourself. I have conducted my business honestly from start to finish. The grain was purchased, not seized. The sales were mutually satisfactory. Even if the prices were somewhat high, given Yizhou's current situation, isn't that perfectly reasonable? If the prices were lower, my estate would have been stripped bare by the common folk long ago.

"I was willing to sell, and others were willing to buy. What fault is there in that?"

Yan Shang glanced through the submitted account books and remarked, "You began hoarding grain a full month before the disaster even started? What reason did you have to stockpile grain at that time?"

Lord Chen remained unperturbed: "Merely a merchant's intuition. Young master, you've never engaged in trade, so you wouldn't understand."

Yan Shang neither agreed nor disagreed. In truth, he likely understood business matters quite well.

Partly because he now served in the Ministry of Revenue and had inevitably observed merchants' tactics; and partly because of his restless third younger brother, who had never been content with mere book learning.

Since childhood, his third brother had delighted in dabbling in business, earning petty profits. In fact, it could be said that while Yan Father was inept at management, the Yan family's apparent prosperity in Lingnan was entirely due to Yan Sanlang's schemes. Had commerce not been considered a lowly pursuit that could hinder scholars' careers, his third brother would likely have abandoned literature for business long ago.

As Yan Shang reviewed these account books, he recalled his third brother's constant chatter about money-making methods. Yan Shang said, "In one month, you couldn't possibly have hoarded this much grain. Even if you opened trade routes to transport grain from other prefectures, one month wouldn't suffice. Moreover, your purchase prices were far below market rates. While I might temporarily credit your business acumen—worthy of Yizhou's richest man—the volume is too large. You couldn't have achieved this alone."

Yan Shang lowered his gaze, mentally calculating.

Lord Chen protested indignantly: "Young master, you cannot assume something is impossible just because you couldn't accomplish it yourself."

Yan Shang: "Are you claiming that every coin spent corresponds exactly to the grain purchased? All the figures match perfectly?"

Lord Chen declared proudly: "Yes! The account books are flawless, down to the last coin! Young master, even if you investigate, my hands are clean!"

Yan Shang lifted his eyes: "The only way you could have achieved this is if someone secretly notified you a month before the disaster began... Aside from Shu Commandery, all other counties in Yizhou had blocked transportation. Even if you found sellers, you couldn't have transported the grain intact. Did you not need to bribe local bullies along the way? Did you encounter no bandits during transport? Did your porters not consume a single grain, starving for thirty days to deliver your provisions perfectly intact?"

Lord Chen stared in astonishment, momentarily speechless. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he realized his fatal error—he had made the accounts too perfect!Yan Shang slammed the account book down and rose to his feet, his anger barely contained. "The only possibility is that you purchased grain from the government before the disaster even began! You tapped into the government granaries! The grain was sold off early, and the records haven't matched up for some time—that's why it's now adulterated with water and impurities... This is nothing but a farce for mutual convenience!

"How dare you! You knew about the impending disaster a month in advance... yet instead of reporting it to the court, you conducted private deals first?! What regard do you have for imperial law? Do you even acknowledge the central authority? A month before the disaster struck! Instead of preparing to mitigate it, you schemed to profit from the nation's calamity? Are the tens of thousands in Yizhou mere playthings in your eyes? Do they deserve to die?"

Such grave accusations sent Lord Chen into a cold sweat, his portly frame trembling uncontrollably.

He dropped to his knees with a thud, wailing pitifully, "Young master, young master! I knew nothing of those matters—they have nothing to do with me... I'm just a merchant. If someone wants to sell, I buy. If someone wants to buy, I sell! I merely profit from the price difference!

"I—I've even donated funds! The relief grain distributed by the government now includes my contributions! I led other merchants in making donations."

Yan Shang closed his eyes, forcing himself to endure.

Reminding himself this was just a merchant—the bigger players had yet to be uncovered...

He declared, "Hand over all your remaining grain!"

Lord Chen looked up blankly, surprised by Yan Shang's leniency. "Young master... are you buying grain from us?"

Yan Shang shot him a look.

Lord Chen instantly realized the other man wasn't proposing a purchase but demanding confiscation. Cold sweat drenched him—how could he dare comply with such a monumental demand?

Trembling, he pleaded, "Young master, you're cutting off our livelihood! If we surrender our grain, countless among us will face ruin and death when our funds dry up... Young master, you can't condemn us to die! We're only conducting business—you can't force us to our graves! Why can't you consider our perspective?"

With this thought, he broke into loud sobs as he spoke. "We're always looked down upon, accused of caring only for money. Now that we've finally earned a little, you want to strip us bare... We've worked tirelessly for our earnings! We aren't the ones exploiting the people! We've done no evil—it's just trade! Trade isn't a crime! We haven't harmed anyone's interests, only sought our own profit—is that so wrong? Why won't you think of us?"

Yan Shang looked down at the rotund man clinging to his leg, face smeared with snot and tears. A rare disgust stirred within him. "You have harmed the people's interests! True, your dealings were always with powerful families. But when you inflated grain prices, didn't other costs follow suit? And that initial grain came from government stores... Isn't the current relief shortage linked to your early transactions? Even if you sold grain to the people now... how many could afford it?

"You've thrown the entire market into chaos, yet now you claim you're merely trading, merely profiting from price gaps—that you're innocent? Yes, from your standpoint, you are blameless. But I cannot stand where you stand."Lord Chen wept bitterly: "Yan Lang! Do you only have public duty in your eyes, with no room for personal consideration? Must you crush our individual households for the greater good? Are we not common people too? Have you no compassion whatsoever? Should merchants simply go to their deaths?"

Yan Shang pulled his sleeve free from the other's grasp. His mind settled momentarily, yet he quickly steeled himself against Lord Chen's emotional appeal.

In the merchants' view, they had done no wrong. They had even contributed to disaster relief, providing grain and funds... Lord Chen's actions would likely earn him praise as a benevolent man among the populace. Meanwhile, someone like Yan Shang, who forced Lord Chen to surrender his wealth for public use, would be denounced as a "corrupt official."

The common people were ignorant.

Yet as he had stated, Yan Shang could not adopt the merchants' perspective.

Amid the other's wailing, Yan Shang finally declared: "I can offer you a way out."

Kneeling on the ground, Lord Chen immediately looked up with tear-streaked face.

Yan Shang said: "I need you to identify which officials in Yizhou knew about the impending disaster one month before it began. After the disaster started, whether you continued doing business with officials. Which officials maintained contact with you..."

Lord Chen sat frozen in silence, then suddenly scrambled to his feet and lunged toward a nearby pillar.

Yan Shang reacted swiftly—he had been alert when the other charged forward. Lord Chen failed to kill himself, thwarted by Yan Shang's intercepting palm. Yan Shang grunted in pain but maintained his grip on the other's shoulder, his eyes cold as ice and sharp as swords.

Yan Shang murmured darkly: "I understand your fear, your reluctance to speak. But the choice is this: either I purge all merchant houses in Yizhou completely, or you follow my instructions and watch officials fall one by one..."

Lord Chen trembled in terror: "Many will die!"

Yan Shang: "Rest assured, I won't push matters to extremes. I cannot possibly move against all of Yizhou—I only need to target the most egregious officials..."

Through alternating threats and inducements, Yan Shang ultimately persuaded this wealthiest man in Yizhou to cooperate with him.

With Lord Chen's assistance, when Yan Shang discovered which officials had known about the situation, he nearly fainted from dizziness, his vision darkening.

Because almost—almost the entire Yizhou officialdom, from top to bottom, had known!

They all knew! Yet no one had reported to the central government!

Gritting his teeth, after two days of contemplation, Yan Shang had to admit he couldn't possibly take on all of Yizhou. Such massive vacancies in official positions were beyond his power to create or fill. The only feasible plan was to start with less culpable officials, instigate covert conflicts among them, demote the most vicious offenders, and promote some conscientious junior officials...

In early August, late one night, Yan Shang visited a Sima—

While these changes unfolded in Yizhou, the latest sensation in Chang'an was the Emperor's complete division of the capital's military forces into the Southern and Northern Agencies. The Southern Agency remained under its previous generals' command, though the Crown Prince had inserted some of his own men; meanwhile the Emperor reclaimed control of the Northern Agency, placing a eunuch above all generals.

The eunuch, having no roots or power base, could only rely on the Emperor. By using eunuchs to interfere with military affairs, the Emperor ended Prince Qin's absolute authority over what had been clearly divided forces. Moreover, since this eunuch was personally elevated by the Emperor, Prince Qin's faction dared not resist.The humble scholars were temporarily unable to suppress the influential families, so the Emperor devised an unconventional strategy by introducing the eunuch faction into court affairs. At this time, the eunuch faction essentially represented the Emperor's own influence, serving as his eyes and ears within the court. Although the scholar-officials were displeased with having to work alongside eunuchs, aside from submitting memorials of protest, they had few other options.

Among the eunuchs, the most prominent figure at present was Liu Wenji. Holding the position of Military Supervisor, he controlled the Northern Agency and wielded military authority—few dared to show him disrespect.

"The winds in Chang'an have shifted..." became a common lament among court officials recently.

However, the Emperor was merely testing the waters. For a ruler of his caliber, granting Liu Wenji military authority was the extent of his concessions; he would not allow eunuchs to meddle in all affairs. Thus, beyond their sighs, court officials mostly speculated: "Who is this Liu Wenji, that he could seize control of the Northern Agency? Prince Qin must be growing anxious."

Prince Qin was indeed anxious.

But having just been released from confinement, no matter how frantic he felt, Prince Qin remained cautious. Contrary to public expectation, he did not provoke Liu Wenji or openly challenge his father, the Emperor.

Seeing that Prince Qin made no move to suppress Liu Wenji, court officials felt somewhat disappointed.

Scholar-officials naturally looked down upon eunuchs by default.

Yet exceptions always existed.

Take Duke Zhao, the Director of the Imperial Academy, for example.

Witnessing Liu Wenji's rise to military power—a clear effort by the Emperor to bolster his influence—Duke Zhao began to scheme. For years, Duke Zhao had been obsessed with climbing the ranks, yet he remained stuck in the ceremonial post of Director, devoid of real authority.

The emergence of the eunuch faction, however, presented an opportunity for Duke Zhao.

Since all scholar-officials despised eunuchs, no one would willingly align with them! But if Duke Zhao became the first to do so... should Liu Wenji ever achieve overwhelming influence, the Zhao family would reap immense wealth and status!

His concerns were twofold: first, whether Liu Wenji could truly amass such power, or if the Emperor would dismiss him once Prince Qin was balanced, before he grew too strong; second, as a respected scholarly family, the Zhao clan would face ostracism and scorn from all noble houses if they became the first to rely on eunuchs. The Zhao family might become a target of attacks among the elite.

After three days of agonizing, Duke Zhao resolved: What did it matter if other families looked down on them? The Zhao family's priority was to join the top tier of noble houses! Once they gained prestige, wouldn't those very families come seeking alliances?

The question now was how to pledge allegiance to Liu Wenji.

Liu Wenji, for his part, was well aware of the scholars' contempt, but he had no idea that a certain Duke Zhao was anxiously seeking an opportunity to attach himself to him. Liu Wenji's current focus was firmly on consolidating control over the Northern Agency, helping the Emperor fully reclaim its military forces.

The Emperor intended to weaken Prince Qin's backing, and Liu Wenji was determined to serve as the Emperor's blade. This opportunity had not come easily—why would he retreat over mere reputation?

Yet Liu Wenji never expected that during his first official appearance representing the Northern Agency before all military officers in Chang'an, he would spot someone in the crowd he never wished to see again.

The man stared back at him in stunned silence, clearly surprised by Liu Wenji's current status.

This person was Luo Xiu, the current Great General of the Right Guard—the same Luo Xiu who had previously come to Chang'an as an envoy ostensibly representing the Black Barbarians but actually serving the Southern Barbarians.This Luo Xiu, through private dealings with Liu Wenji, obtained intelligence from Great Wei. Originally intending to present it to the Southern Barbarian King, Meng Zaishi instead detained Luo Xiu in Chang'an. Fortunately, Luo Xiu later encountered a Black barbarian named Han Shu Xing and entrusted him to deliver the intelligence to the Southern Barbarians on his behalf.

Luo Xiu himself remained in Chang'an, where he and the official circles mutually rejected each other. No official took him seriously—his position as Great General of the Right Guard was merely Great Wei's pretext to forcibly keep him in Chang'an... Luo Xiu never expected to see Liu Wenji again.

Seeing that the young eunuch from back then now held military authority... Luo Xiu felt a stirring in his heart, wondering if they could collaborate once more to overthrow Great Wei?

Meanwhile, Liu Wenji gazed at this Luo Xiu, thinking only: This man cannot be allowed to live.

If this man lived, his secret dealings with the Southern Barbarians would be exposed. Only Luo Xiu's death could guarantee his safety.

Amidst the crowd of soldiers, Luo Xiu offered a friendly smile to the clean-shaven eunuch. Liu Wenji stared at him for a long moment before finally revealing a faint smile of his own—a friendly gesture masking his true intent: Lure him closer, then kill him.

The trouble was that the other party was an official, and a hostage left behind by the Black Barbarians at that. Killing him would be somewhat troublesome—he needed to devise a foolproof plan.

In the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince received news from the disaster relief efforts in Yizhou.

The message, however, was not sent by Yan Shang but came through the Ministry of Revenue—a plea from Yizhou officials: Yan Shang had gone too far.

The Crown Prince gritted his teeth: "I only sent him to handle disaster relief! Couldn’t he just focus on that? Now he wants to shake up the entire Yizhou bureaucracy?"

The Vice Minister of Revenue, who had delivered the message, said with concern, "I fear we may have chosen the wrong person by sending Yan Erlang for this task. He is meticulous and bold, but perhaps too meticulous... I worry that if he continues investigating like this, he might uncover a major scandal, and none of us will escape unscathed."

The Crown Prince remained silent for a long while.

He finally spoke softly, "I’m not afraid of upheavals in Yizhou’s official circles... What I fear is that this turmoil might spill over to the Ministry of Revenue. Such a critical institution cannot afford to let Yan Erlang run wild."

The Vice Minister replied, "Fortunately, it will soon be September. Once the drought season ends, Yan Erlang will have no reason to remain in Yizhou..."

The Crown Prince murmured darkly, "With the way he’s stirring things up in Yizhou, I doubt he’ll even make it out alive."

Both fell into silence.

Then the Crown Prince added quietly, "No, I cannot rely on external forces or the possibility that Yan Suchen might back down... I have never underestimated Yan Suchen’s capabilities. If Yizhou doesn’t swallow Yan Erlang whole, he will turn his attention to the Ministry of Revenue, and that would be disastrous... The priority now is to conclude the relief efforts, dispatch new officials, and recall Yan Suchen!"

That day, heavy rain fell in Chang’an.

The summer heat was oppressive, and even the downpour did little to relieve the stifling atmosphere.

Mu Wan Yao was lounging in her Princess Residence, resting idly. After eating two slices of chilled green-skinned melon, she received word that the Crown Prince and the Vice Minister of Revenue had come to visit.

Mu Wan Yao was astonished, as she was usually the one who visited the Eastern Palace to pay respects to the Crown Prince. This was the first time he had ever come to her.

The Crown Prince arrived in the rain, his shoulders damp from the downpour. The Vice Minister of Revenue greeted the princess respectfully, but the Crown Prince, without bothering to tidy his appearance, immediately handed the memorial from Yizhou to Mu Wan Yao.

He fixed his gaze on her and said, "Yan Shang must be recalled! The officials in Yizhou are now up in arms. If Yan Erlang stays there any longer, his life may be in danger."

Mu Wan Yao turned pale as she read the memorial, recognizing the officials’ deep resentment toward Yan Shang. She, too, worried for his safety... He was only supposed to handle disaster relief—how had he managed to stir up such a storm? She had heard that many parts of Yizhou were uncivilized and that Yan Shang would be in great danger there.

Tormented by anxiety, she couldn’t help but ask the Crown Prince, "What does Eldest Brother suggest?"

The Crown Prince replied, "I want Yan Shang to return. But I fear the Secretariat will not issue such an edict, as Yan Shang’s mentor is there and will block it. Lord Liu is dedicated to the realm and has many disciples; he won’t concern himself with Suchen’s safety. But we care... Even if I order Yan Shang to return, he may not comply.

"So, I have no choice but to borrow your influence, little sister.

"Let’s say you’ve fallen gravely ill and are on the brink of death. That will compel Yan Shang to return to Chang’an and abandon his work in Yizhou!

"This is for Yan Shang’s own good! You know how the official world operates—no one is truly clean... Yan Shang must not investigate any further!"

The wind and rain raged on.In Yizhou's Shu Commandery, a group of officials gathered under the leadership of the Governor of Yizhou. What they were discussing was—

"Yan Shang cannot stay. If he remains any longer, our Yizhou will undergo a complete overhaul."

"Let's hire wandering knights and bandits to take him out."