Chapter 118

Pei Jian, in his previous life, had already dealt with Zhang Hongzhe and his son; in this life, he was even more adept at handling them.

Salt and iron were state monopolies. Zhang Hongzhe, as the Vice Minister of Revenue, oversaw the salt tax of the entire Jing Dynasty.

The salt tax was highly lucrative, with merchants purchasing salt permits. Amid this, corruption and bribery flourished, and Zhang Hongzhe profited significantly. His backer was none other than King Jing.

Pei Jian specifically visited the Crown Prince’s mansion and reported this matter to Xiao Heng. However, he deliberately left out the issue regarding Wen Yuanqiao.

Father Wen, Scholar Wen, was a man of noble character and integrity, practicing the virtues of a gentleman. He was not suitable for involvement in the political party struggles at court.

Xiao Heng had already placed great trust in Pei Jian after the previous incident involving Duke Zhen’s residence.

It was Pei Jian who suggested venturing deep into Northern Liang to investigate military intelligence and relocating the administrative division from the western border to the northern region, which allowed them to assist the Gu family in breaking the siege in time.

For this, the Emperor had repeatedly praised Xiao Heng; even the usually flamboyant King Jing’s momentum was overshadowed.

Salt and iron were crucial sources of the dynasty’s revenue. The current dynasty had stringent anti-smuggling laws in place.

If King Jing, Xiao Xun, indeed meddled with the salt tax, even with the Emperor’s favor, the censors and court officials would not tolerate it. When that time came, Xiao Heng’s position as Crown Prince would only become more secure.

Overjoyed, Xiao Heng said, “You only need to investigate thoroughly. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

His Highness, the Crown Prince, was kind-hearted but not naive. He stepped forward and patted Pei Jian on the shoulder. “If this matter truly leads to exposing King Jing, then the position of Deputy Chief Censor at the Censorate belongs to none other than you.”

The Deputy Chief Censor, ranked second and just below the Chief Censor at the Censorate, held a prestigious and powerful position.

If Pei Jian were merely a young man who had just come of age, receiving such a high-ranking position with ample rewards would inevitably move him, no matter how composed he was. It would be hard not to show joy.

However, Pei Jian had truly stood at the pinnacle of power, overlooking the entire dynasty. Thus, he did not react with the excitement and exhilaration that Xiao Heng had anticipated. At most, his gaze displayed a slight ripple of emotion. Then, he respectfully bowed and said, “I will not fail Your Highness’s trust.”

Such humble composure made Xiao Heng trust him even more.

The subtle ripple in Pei Jian’s eyes calmed as he walked out of the Eastern Palace.

Serving the monarch was akin to walking alongside a tiger. Thanks to his past life experience, he deeply understood the dynamics of relationships between ruler and subject.

In truth, Pei Jian had not initially planned to deal with Zhang Hongzhe so early.

Zhang Hongzhe was the financial lifeline of King Jing and a core member of the Jing faction. To act rashly against him, especially when Pei Jian’s own foundation was still shallow, was not a wise move.

Moreover, His Majesty was still in his prime. If the faction of King Jing were suppressed too harshly, it would not be beneficial to the Crown Prince, given the balance of power within the monarchy.

However, when Pei Jian encountered Zhang Wang, the son of Zhang Hongzhe, bullying his father-in-law at the teahouse that day, it stirred up memories of past events. From that moment, he had already made up his mind.

Pei Jian was a meticulous person who disliked troubles outside of his plans. Yet, some people and events were not about reason but about emotions.

Still, things not only needed to be done but also had to be expressed well.

Pei Jian recalled a moment from his previous life, after his father-in-law had just been wronged, when Nianxi leaned against him, grieving: “Where has justice gone in this world? Why can bad people roam free while good people must endure and retreat? If the heavens have eyes, they should let Zhang Wang taste the suffering that my father has endured.”

But, silly girl, the strong has always defined justice in this world.

Pei Jian gently stroked the thin back of the girl and comforted her softly, “There will be retribution.”

If the way of heaven doesn’t deliver it, then he will. And thus, Zhang Wang’s dispute, which left him bedridden, came to be. However, throughout, Nianxi always believed it was the justice of the universe at work.

Unbeknownst to anyone, it was his doing.

After all, in his past life, he didn’t have a sharp tongue.

Pei Jian reflected on himself, thoroughly learning from his past experiences. Subsequently, he would visit the Wen family every two to three days to update them on the progress.

At first, it was fine. Father Wen always expressed gratitude after hearing the updates. But over time, it started to make him quite anxious. In private, he discussed this matter with his wife, Madam Li. “Do you think Shizhang is hinting at something?”

Madam Li, being more adept at social customs compared to Wen Yuanqiao, nodded in agreement. “Perhaps the expenses for this case are significant? After all, it involves the son of the Vice Minister of Revenue. Why don’t I prepare an even grander gift tomorrow and have Heng’er deliver it?”

Wen Yuanqiao stroked his beard and nodded, “That seems appropriate.”

Though they said this, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy: This young Pei truly knows how to conduct himself in these matters!

And so, when Wen Qingheng visited for the second time, bringing an even more extravagant set of gifts—this time including a box of silver ingots—Pei Jian was completely dumbfounded.

Truly dumbfounded. He stood frozen for quite a while, unable to react.

Wen Qingheng was just as puzzled. Squinting his eyes, he asked, “Did you threaten my father? Or do you have some leverage over him? Be careful, or I’ll tell Nian’er!”

After recovering from his initial shock, Pei Jian quickly discovered the meaning behind this gift cart. He felt a mix of exasperation and amusement, but more than anything, he feared Nianxi might misunderstand.

Without the slightest delay, he threw a line to Wen Qingheng: “Take the gifts back; I’m going to find Nianxi to explain,” and quickly strode off.

Wen Qingheng wasn’t clueless. Seeing Pei Jian’s demeanor, he stood still for a moment and quickly pieced things together.

Recently, there had been underlying tensions in the household—Pei Jian persistently tried to gain favor with his father, while Zhou Yanli worked hard to please his mother—a true clash of titans.

Pei Jian, being overly clever, had gone all out to make the Zhang Hongzhe father-and-son duo a focal point. Now, he was reaping the consequences of his overreach—things had spiraled out of control.

Standing in the courtyard, Wen Qingheng chuckled twice. Noticing the worsening weather and the impending snowfall, he turned gracefully and left.

Whoever stirred up trouble should take responsibility.

He wasn’t about to clean up Pei Shizhang’s mess or take the cart of gifts back.

Pei Jian rushed straight to Fusheng Banzhan only to be informed that Nianxi had left a quarter of an hour ago. Initially, he thought of chasing after her, but now that his mind was calmer, he realized the most pressing matter was dealing with the cart of misunderstood gifts.

Given Wen Qingheng’s nature, he certainly wouldn’t take the gifts back.

His worry had clouded his judgment. Would Nianxi not know what kind of person he was?

At present, his top priority is resolving the misunderstanding between Wen’s parents. So, he turned his horse around and headed home.

Halfway there, snow began to fall gently from the sky. The northern wind gradually picked up, bringing a piercing chill. The people on the street hurried along, but Pei Jian reined in his horse and stopped.

The world seemed ancient and vast, shrouded in snow and mist.

In the past, Nianxi had always loved this kind of weather, when she would open the windows, sit by the fireplace, and enjoy the snow.

Newly brewed green wine, a small clay stove of red mud.

Only during such times would they drink together, enjoy the scenery, and find pleasure.

Pei Jian stood silently in the snow for a while before finally guiding his horse to return. At the same time, the clear, cold snowlight was also illuminating Nianxi’s face. On her way back, her carriage broke down, making it impossible to proceed further. The coachman had already returned to the residence to fetch a replacement.

Nianxi waited in the carriage.

The snow was falling heavily, with few pedestrians on the streets. It was utterly silent—she could even hear the rustling of snow landing on the carriage roof.

Nianxi loved the feeling of the world being pure and clean under the heavy snow, so she asked Xing Yue to roll up the carriage curtains so she could sit inside and admire the snowfall.

And in an unguarded moment, her gaze met a pair of clean, gentle eyes.