Xing Xiuyan: Now... I'm afraid we are in trouble.

Volume Two
2.38 Xing Xiuyan: This... Might Be Trouble
Starting today, two major chapters of over 4,000 words each, every single day!
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Early the next morning, the embroidered tower in the back garden.
Lin Daiyu sat dazedly on the edge of the bed, acting like a puppet as Xing Xiuyan and Xueyan dressed her, looking half-asleep and half-waking. The newly arrived Zijuan suppressed a smile, nimbly arranging the washed toiletries on the basin stand.
"Miss Lin, it is quite late already; you ought to get up." Seeing that the upper garments were already on, yet the little willful girl showed not the slightest intention of cooperating further, Xing Xiuyan had no choice but to pull her firmly toward the edge of the bed, squatting down before her to continue dressing her lower garments.
"Sister Xiuyan!" Only then did Lin Daiyu half-open her beautiful eyes helplessly. "There is nothing much going on anyway."
"Big Brother gave specific instructions that every day you must be made to get up on time, first walk around the garden paths three times, and then eat your breakfast!" Xing Xiuyan stood up with a trace of annoyance, pulling her to stand properly by the bed. "If you lie down all day every day, your body will waste away!"
"Sister, aren't you tired coming over so early every single day?" Lin Daiyu asked, feeling deeply reluctant.
"In any case, this maid was coming to pay her respects." Xing Xiuyan looked at her earnestly.
Although Sister Lin had not yet officially entered the household, the young ladies of the family all regarded her as the "First Young Mistress of the Lin Family." While their forms of address for one another were a chaotic mix of sisters, the proper etiquette was never omitted.
As for the "morning and evening greetings," it was more of a formality, yet everyone understood its weight.
"Hmph!" Lin Daiyu completely ran out of arguments, and could only resign herself to being ordered about. Still, she did not forget to ask clearly, "Did Brother Rui go straight to the official yamen this morning? I heard he returned very late yesterday after taking up his post. Is everything all right?"
"Rest assured, Miss, everything went smoothly." Xing Xiuyan did not answer directly. "Minor troubles are not difficult to handle. When Big Brother left the house this morning, he even said to let them enjoy themselves for now, and once he finishes the official business assigned by Lord Niu, he will deal with them properly."
"The Lord Niu that Sister mentioned, could he be the Minister of War?" Xueyan could not help asking.
Yet even she did not notice the faint trace of lingering resentment in her voice.
"You are quite right, Sister." While the other maids might not have understood, Xing Xiuyan saw through it clearly. She smiled, cast a teasing glance back at her, and then replied, "Strictly speaking, they are old family acquaintances. The Niu family is that of the Duke of Zhenguo, and they have had generations of friendship with the Rongguo Mansion."
Xueyan blushed and hurriedly lowered her head, her pretty face blooming with an intoxicating flush.
"No wonder Big Brother said there was nothing to worry about!" Zijuan could not help uttering a silent praise.
Xing Xiuyan smiled without offering any further explanation.
For in reality, the interactions between the Niu family and the Jia family had essentially been reduced to routine courtesies during festivals and New Year visits.
And not just them—the other six houses of the "Four Kings and Eight Dukes" were all the same. Aside from formal occasions such as holiday gifts or banquet invitations, they had no contact whatsoever on ordinary days. You could not blame the others; the Jia family did not even have a single person qualified to attend court audiences, so even if they wanted to chat, they could not find a common topic.
People must first humiliate themselves before outsiders will humiliate them; people must first save themselves before outsiders will save them. Adults understood this truth.
Did they really expect to just lie there idly and have benefits delivered straight to their mouths? What a daydream!
"Why is Sister Miaoyu nowhere to be seen?" Once her clothes were finally arranged, Lin Daiyu was supported by the two maids toward the basin stand to wash up, but she still remembered to ask, "Usually, don't you two always come and go together?"
"She—" Xing Xiuyan's cheeks flushed. "She is feeling somewhat indisposed today."
"Is it serious?" Lin Daiyu asked with immediate concern.
"Rest assured, Miss, a little rest will mend it. It's nothing!" Xing Xiuyan did not dare meet her gaze when she answered.
She recalled the "performance" of a certain stubborn ox the night before and felt too embarrassed to say much more.
"That is good. Shall we have a physician come and take a look?" Lin Daiyu remained uneasy.
"What are you saying?" Xing Xiuyan hurriedly shook her head. How could such a matter be shown to a doctor? "It is merely a private matter among women; she will recover after resting for a couple of days. Besides, we already have our Big Brother's instructions, so there is no need."
The others clearly misunderstood her meaning and pressed the matter no further.
Lin Daiyu went off to dress and arrange her hair.
Seeing that all was well here, Xing Xiuyan offered a gentle curtsy and took her leave.
When she returned to her quarters in the east wing of the middle east courtyard, she found that the other willful young lady had not gotten up either.
"Miss?" Even though she knew the reason, she was reluctant to let her good sister be burdened by misunderstandings such as "laziness and willful indulgence." She sat down on the edge of the bed, pulled back a cool quilt, and gently clasped a soft, slender hand. "It is late; won't you get up and have something to eat?"
Yet looking at the willful beauty before her, thinking of Lin Daiyu, and then recalling the Yu sisters in the opposite room whose window curtains were still tightly drawn, she felt an inexplicable sense of an "aging mother"—both exasperated and amused.
Miaoyu did not rise in response to her pull. Instead, with a casual tug, she drew Xing Xiuyan back down to lie beside her.
Volume Two
"Sister, what were you thinking at the time?" Her tone was deeply complicated.
There was worry, helplessness, and a great deal of a sense of relief.
"Thinking about what?" Xing Xiuyan failed to follow the other's train of thought.
"I mean—" Miaoyu's cheeks gradually reddened. "The first time... after it happened?"
"Only Sister could utter such words." Hearing her question, Xing Xiuyan wore an expression of utter speechlessness. "This 'maid' was merely here to serve others. Isn't it true that whenever Big Brother wishes to make use of me, he simply pulls me over? How could a mere maid ever dare to indulge in stray thoughts?"
"You misunderstand me, Sister!" Miaoyu's expression shifted slightly as she reached out to embrace her tightly. "What kind of talk is this? We have been sisters for so many years, don't you know what kind of person I am? If I ever treated you as a mere servant, I would rather die this instant!"
"Sister is overthinking it!" Xing Xiuyan looked at her earnestly. "Big Brother is a tender and considerate person. Although he took us in yesterday, he has been caring throughout. Indeed, so as not to cause Sister distress, he bore the brunt of his fiery temper upon me alone—don't you understand?"
"I simply—" Miaoyu slowly shed tears. "I feel unreconciled!"
Xing Xiuyan understood her state of mind and could only sigh helplessly.
Miaoyu also hailed from an official household; her late father had likewise been an Imperial Censor Inspecting Salt Production. In every respect, she could match Lin Daiyu, and even their names had been chosen after careful deliberation. Yet, a single step behind had led her to her present plight. To say there was no lingering resentment in her heart would be an insult to intelligence.
Yet a gap was a gap. No matter how unreconciled she felt, what could she do?
"Very well!" The principle was simple enough, and she understood it herself. Rather than saying she was truly distressed by the situation, it was more like she was venting her emotions. Once finished, she wiped her own tears, propped herself up on the edge of the bed, and sat up. "I was merely speaking idly—when did he leave?"
"Big Brother left early this morning without even eating breakfast." Xing Xiuyan wore a worried expression. "Although he made light of it yesterday, in reality, things are probably not so simple. Otherwise, he would not have left at such an hour, forsaking even his rain-or-shine morning martial practice."
"How could matters in the yamen ever be simple?" Miaoyu sighed softly. She casually reached for an inner robe from the inner side of the bed, draped it loosely over her shoulders, letting her charms scatter freely. Yet the moment her feet touched the ground and she exerted a little strength, a painful, heartbreaking grimace crossed her pretty face.
"Sister!" Xing Xiuyan hurriedly supported her, helping her with a wry smile to sit before the writing desk. "Why must you torture yourself so? Can't you see what is in Big Brother's heart? What can a mere piece of news decide?"
"Master Sun said, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles'!" Miaoyu's cheeks flushed red. She shot Xing Xiuyan a sideways glance before pulling out a booklet, flipping through several pages before finally letting out a breath of relief.
"We have not been in the capital long, and we do not know much, but we cannot afford to remain completely in the dark. Ever since it was confirmed that he would take up the post of Director of the Armament Bureau in the Ministry of War, I used every resource available to our family to make inquiries. In the end, it was Lin Yu who brought people to ferret out information from the underworld ruffians—that place is truly 'a small temple with fierce winds, a shallow pond full of turtles.'
"Aside from him as the Director, there are four Vice-Directors. Three of them are old and useless sinecures who draw a salary while idling away; they can be completely discounted. The remaining one, however, is definitely not an honest man, for he was likely the original candidate slated for the post.
"The five departmental managers each have their own backers, dividing their domains like spoils of war, refusing to allow outsiders to meddle on ordinary days. Unfortunately, our connections do not run deep enough yet, so we could not find out who their ultimate masters are, but they are certainly no simple figures."
"Why didn't Sister mention this to Big Brother?" Xing Xiuyan's expression changed.
"I had planned to tell him this morning," Miaoyu sighed softly. "Now it is too late."
"This... might be trouble after all." Xing Xiuyan's face showed deep concern.
Is it trouble?
Not necessarily.
Ministry of War, Armament Bureau.
Lin Rui had rushed over early in the morning, but he did not immediately seize anyone to make a fuss. As the saying went, taking action without figuring out the current state of affairs was something only an idiot would do. The ironclad rule that "without investigation, one has no right to speak" held true in any era.
For example, the simplest first step was to summon everyone together.
"So, only you people are free?" He sneered coldly as he looked at the crowd before him.
Indeed, it was a "crowd," and quite a large one at that, but of little use because they were primarily craftsmen.
A good number of officials had arrived, but a glance showed they were all idle onlookers. Those truly in charge were nowhere to be found. At the moment, they offered endless pretexts of "the master's orders," while stubbornly avoiding any actual work.
Today's events did not quite conform to common sense; normally, an official yamen would not descend into such an ugly mess.
Yet it depended on who was involved.
Lin Rui's appointment to the Ministry of War was fundamentally a maneuver by the civil faction to plot against him. He had no overt connections with the military aristocracy yet. Although everyone knew that the Lin family of his origin had ties of kinship with the Ning and Rong Jia families, leave aside him—what of the Jia family itself?
Furthermore, the post of Director of the Armament Bureau was inherently a coveted plum. The original "occupant" had prepared everything and was merely waiting to step into the position when Lin Rui was "airdropped" in. Could there be any warm welcome?
Naturally, everyone inside treated him as a transient passerby. It would be strange if they showed him any respect.
"Because Your Honor the Director gave no instructions yesterday, the others probably assumed there was nothing urgent, and thus—" An old man, presumably the head of the craftsmen, braced himself and stepped forward to explain. "Please do not misunderstand, sir."
"What is your name?" Lin Rui interrupted indifferently.
He was not prepared to hold anyone accountable just yet, for the time being was not right, but the work still had to be done.
"This humble one's surname is Li. I never had a given name since childhood, but being the eldest in my family, people simply call me 'Old Li.'" The craftsman leader hurriedly explained. "There is nothing much to it on ordinary days—I simply listen to the instructions and arrangements of the lords and bring the men below to do some work."
"In other words, you lead the craftsman camp?" Lin Rui nodded, his tone softening considerably. "Very well, Master Li, continue leading them in the future—let me introduce you. This is He Shan, whom I brought from Yangzhou. From now on, he will serve as your deputy."
He had brought quite a number of craftsmen himself—ten master artisans and over twenty apprentices. Gathered together and supplemented with some recruited laborers for odd jobs, they could easily set up a sizable workshop. Yet after repeated consideration, he felt there was no need to go through such trouble.
The Armament Bureau of the Ministry of War inherently controlled the craftsman camp, which boasted at least a hundred master artisans, several hundred apprentices, and hundreds of handymen. It would be sheer idiocy not to take control of such a goldmine.
In any case, officials in this era looked down upon craftsmen; if he wanted to seize control, no one would dare to block him.
The real trouble lay in the fact that having men alone could not get the work done; resources were also required.
"This humble one understands!" Old Li immediately went to summon the men.
Lin Rui did not rush to speak. After exchanging a few polite words with the two men, a smile finally appeared on his face.
"Let us do this, Master Li. For the next month, you and your men will take orders from Deputy Manager He. Since we are manufacturing pedestal guns and they are very familiar with it, they will pass on the craft without reservation." He directly assigned the work.
"Rest assured, sir!" Old Li naturally did not dare to utter a word of dissent.
"This subordinate understands!" He Shan made no redundant remarks.
"Only—" Old Li wore a troubled expression. "Crafting military equipment requires iron and timber."
"Are there none in the warehouse?" Lin Rui knew this was where the real issue lay.
"Naturally there are!" Old Li bowed hurriedly. "However, the ones who manage the warehouse..."
"Lin Zhao!" Lin Rui cared nothing for such obstacles.
"Here, sir!"
"Take twenty men with you, equipped with pedestal guns and waist sabers." Lin Rui wore a disdainful, cold sneer. "Take ten men to accompany Master Li to the warehouse. If there are locks, smash them open for me. Smash whichever ones you need to open until you have gathered enough, and remember to replace them with new locks.
"Lead the other ten men personally to the archives. Didn't I bring a group of accountants along? Have them follow as well. Sort out all the documents in the material warehouse, but do not touch them yet. From now on, you will take your men and guard that place until I give the order to withdraw!"
"Rest assured, sir!" Lin Zhao had never been one given to overthinking.
As soon as these words left his mouth, the complexions of all the "veteran" officials present shifted dramatically.
"Director Sir, is this quite proper?" One veteran official braced himself and spoke up.
"What? In this Armament Bureau, does my word count for nothing?" Lin Rui's expression turned icy cold.
"This subordinate wouldn't dare!" The veteran's complexion changed drastically, and he lowered his head, retreating back into his rank.
He had no direct authority over the matter anyway, and there was no need to stick his neck out now; he had already done his best.
"It seems I simplified things too much." Lin Rui pondered for a moment, feeling it lacked insurance. "I shall assign another twenty men, adding ten each to the archives and the material warehouse so there is at least a rotation. As for smashing the locks as I just said, smash them all and replace them with new ones. He Shan, you will hold the keys for now."
"Rest assured, sir!"
Both Lin Zhao and He Shan had been brought up by him and were now entirely devoted to his cause.
Only if he climbed higher would these subordinates have a chance; otherwise, they could only crawl back home and wallow in the mud.
"I will dispatch another batch of men to thoroughly audit the material warehouse, re-register and inventory everything, and cross-reference it with the original archives." Lin Rui sneered as he swept his gaze across the quailing veteran officials. "There should be no problem with that, right?"
With the Feng brand's businesses in the capital region at his disposal, he had no shortage of accountants or manpower.
The eighty personal guards he had brought to the capital were indeed slightly insufficient, but they would suffice for the time being.
Compared to ordinary newly-appointed officials, his greatest advantage was that he lacked nothing: neither various types of manpower, nor martial strength, courage, ability, or the silver required to fund his endeavors.
His words just now were merely a preliminary statement; the final outcome would depend on concrete circumstances.
Yet should any blind fool wish to play with fire, like staging an "accidental blaze," he would not mind sending a few of them down.
The kind of family reunion where entire households were executed; the excuses were already pre-arranged.
Every single one of the original officials in the Armament Bureau was guilty of offenses severe enough to warrant the execution of their entire clans.
As for resistance—at least until he manufactured the pedestal guns, things would not become overly troublesome.
And that was quite enough.