At the top of Shoushan, the tiger had awakened and eaten a leg of wild boar.

Because the leg had been laced with a sleeping drug, the tiger soon fell asleep again.

Surprisingly, when the tiger woke up in the cage, it didn’t react aggressively.

It first roared a few times, then, upon seeing the chained person nearby, it quieted down.

After that, it gnawed on the wild boar leg and fell asleep again.

When the tiger roared, it woke the chained person, who also roared back at the tiger.

The sound of the chained person astonished Dr. Li and the others, who had never seen anyone mimic a tiger’s roar so accurately.

If they hadn’t witnessed it themselves, they wouldn’t have realized it was the chained person making the sound.

The soldiers sat on the ground having breakfast.

Today’s breakfast was sweet potato and brown rice porridge, enough to fill them up.

When Qin Fang arrived, he had brought each soldier a meat bun.

The meat buns in Yunxiang County cost two wen each; they were not small, but there was little meat inside.

However, even if the meat was scarce, it was still meat.

Captain Yang was also sitting there, sipping sweet potato soup and biting into his meat bun. “General, this tiger is quite cooperative; it didn’t crash into the cage when it woke up. I thought it would be dangerous.”

Qin Fang said, “I’ve heard that when tigers reach old age, they’re not good at hunting anymore; they can only catch small animals to fill their bellies or wait to die.

Another outcome is that they wait to be eaten by other beasts.

This tiger looks very old and probably won’t last much longer; it might have given up struggling. However, the way it interacts with the chained person is indeed surprising; they seem to communicate through their roars.”

The fact that the chained person could communicate with the tiger through sound was a miracle in itself.

Moreover, there were many secrets surrounding the chained person.

By noon, the tiger woke up again and was presented with another leg of wild boar.

It happily consumed its meal, not doing anything else, not even roaring, and just ate in the cage.

Occasionally, it would glance at the chained person as if observing him.

The chained person still had his chains on; he had grown accustomed to being bound.

He enjoyed the sweet potato porridge, which everyone else found tasteless.

So much so that when Dr. Li asked him to take his medicine, he complied willingly.

Of course, after taking his medicine, Dr. Li would give him a piece of candy, which made the chained person look at Dr. Li with a dependent gaze, like a child relying on his father.

“General… General…” Outside, Kun Shi was out of breath.

Kun Shi could have sent the guards to call Qin Fang, but he wanted to see the temple on Shoushan for himself.

Fortunately, having come from the military camp, he had not lacked training since becoming Qin Fang’s private guard over the past two years; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to climb such a high mountain. “General, Madam sent me to find you…” Kun Shi recounted the situation.

Qin Fang was somewhat surprised.

His wife needed him at this time, and even without being told, he understood it must be something important.

So he said, “Old Yang, if there’s any news about the temple or the mine, come find me at any time. I’ll head back home first.”

Captain Yang replied, “Yes, General.”

An hour later, Qin Fang returned to the General’s residence.

Fortunately, going downhill was quicker than climbing up; although steep, it was not a problem for him.

Yang Haiyan was waiting for him in the courtyard.

To pass the time, she had been making undergarments.

However, with Kun Shi’s back-and-forth, it had been about two hours, which meant it was time for dinner.

As soon as Qin Fang entered the courtyard, he asked, “Yanyan, what’s the matter that made Kun Shi hurry to find me?”

Yang Haiyan set down what she was working on and took Qin Fang’s hand, leading him. “Come with me,” she said, pulling him into the house with a mysterious air.

Seeing her enigmatic demeanor, Qin Fang was quite curious, but his anticipation faded when she brought him into the room filled with sulfur and saltpeter. “Yanyan, what did you bring me here for?”

Yang Haiyan pointed to a basin. “Look.”

Although it had been over two hours, if the freezing process was slow, then the ice would take even longer to melt.

Qin Fang hadn’t paid much attention to what Yang Haiyan had said; he only saw the basin and the ice inside it.

He was confused. “What’s wrong with this basin? How could there be ice so early? What do you plan to use it for?”

Yang Haiyan didn’t think Qin Fang was acting strangely; after all, who would guess that saltpeter could make ice?

So she patiently explained, “The ice wasn’t bought; I’m not using it for anything else. I put saltpeter in the basin this morning, and by noon, it froze. Husband, don’t you understand? If there’s enough saltpeter in water, it can freeze after half a day.”

Qin Fang filtered Yang Haiyan’s words through his mind, then suddenly widened his eyes in realization. “You mean… saltpeter can create ice when it meets water?”

If that were the case, wouldn’t ice, which was too expensive for the poor to buy, become cheap?

It had to be said that Qin Fang’s thoughts were different from others.

Some people, upon learning that saltpeter could make ice, would probably think about making money first.

But Qin Fang, upon discovering this, first thought about the common people.

Just as when he found out about sulfur and saltpeter, he first thought about using big firecrackers to deal with the enemy, not about enriching himself.

He had a sense of responsibility for the citizens of the country, and this responsibility was enough for him to give up his personal interests.

Yang Haiyan also looked at him, observing the shock and joy reflected in his eyes, yet devoid of greed.

Such a man is truly likable.

He was not a foolish person; he certainly understood how great the benefits brought by this matter could be.

If Qin Fang were foolish, he wouldn’t have neglected to mention the spoils from the bandit extermination in the letter to Du Ke, thereby obscuring the military salary.

If Qin Fang were foolish, he wouldn’t have sought out Du Ke to find a backing for himself.

Thus, he was intelligent, knowing how to pursue his own interests.

Yet, at the same time, while pursuing his interests, he also sought to do so fairly and would not harm others’ benefits.

Yang Haiyan smiled: “Yes, saltpeter can make ice. Husband, in summer, if we use saltpeter to make ice to sell, we could probably make a lot of money.”

She said this to gauge Qin Fang’s thoughts; naturally, she wouldn’t actually do that.

Using saltpeter to make ice was enough for their own use; selling it wasn’t necessary.

Qin Fang fell silent for a moment after hearing this.

He suddenly reached out and patted Yang Haiyan’s head: “Yanyan, the matter of making ice with saltpeter must be reported to the court.”

Yang Haiyan looked at him, not in a hurry to ask.

Qin Fang smiled: “Yanyan is a smart girl. Some things we can pursue for our own benefit, but some benefits cannot be pursued against the court.

If a saltpeter mine is discovered in Beast Mountain, the court will immediately send people over.

We can ask the court for a few baskets of saltpeter; that’s the court’s bottom line.

However, if we take the court’s saltpeter to make ice and sell it, it’s like profiting from the court’s resources. Although it isn’t illegal, if the court finds out, it won’t be a good thing.

Instead of this, it’s better to inform the court about making ice with saltpeter. This way, the court might even reward us with something.

If we earn money secretly from the court, we would be anxious about it, but money awarded by the court, we can use it with a clear conscience. Don’t you think so?”

Qin Fang’s bottom line was not about being greedy but about being open and upright.

He would use knockout drops against bandits and tigers, but during a battle between two armies, he couldn’t use knockout drops against his enemies—that would be despicable.

Yang Haiyan looked at Qin Fang with sparkling eyes: “Husband, you’re right. I’ll listen to you.”

Hearing her agreement and seeing the brightness in her star-like eyes made Qin Fang happy.

Some things are exhausting to insist on alone without someone who shares the same mindset.

However, having someone in your life with the same ideals would be his lifelong blessing.

Two days later, in the capital.

Tao Shan came to the capital for the second time.

Compared to the caution and confusion of his first visit, he appeared much more seasoned this time.

Although still careful, he went straight to the residence of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War upon arriving.

The guards at the Du residence were still the same group as in March.

Despite having only met Tao Shan twice (once entering and once exiting), they remembered him when he mentioned his identity.

One of the guards said, “So it’s you, Brother Tao. Please wait a moment while we report to our superiors.”

Tao Shan cupped his hands: “I understand. Thank you, Brother.”

After the guard went inside for a while, the steward quickly came out.

Normally, someone of Tao Shan’s status wouldn’t require a personal reception from the steward, but after hearing the Vice Minister praise General Qin endlessly upon returning from Huanshui County, the steward realized that Tao Shan was a trusted aide of General Qin, so he came out personally to greet him.

The steward said, “Brother Tao, I didn’t expect our fates to be so intertwined; it’s only been a little over two months, and we’re meeting again so soon.”

Tao Shan replied immediately, “It’s a blessing for me to see you so soon, Steward Du. I have important matters from the general that I need to discuss with him.”

The steward noted the urgency and said, “Rest assured, Brother Tao; I’ll send someone to fetch him right away.”

If it weren’t for something important, General Qin wouldn’t have sent his trusted aide.

At the Ministry of War

“Achoo…” Du Ke sneezed.

“Are you feeling unwell, sir? The weather has been unpredictable lately. You’ve been busy with official duties; please take care of your health,” one of his subordinates flattered while pouring Du Ke a cup of hot tea.

Du Ke remarked, “It’s quite strange; I’ve been feeling well lately, and I just had my pulse checked the day before yesterday.” However, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

At that moment, someone outside reported, “Sir, a guard from your residence has arrived, saying he has important matters to discuss with you.”

Du Ke thought for a moment; this sounded oddly familiar. “Let him in.”

“Yes.”

The guard soon entered: “I pay my respects, sir.”

The guard didn’t immediately speak about the matter but glanced at the subordinate who had just flattered Du Ke.

The subordinate quickly said, “Sir, I just remembered I have something urgent to attend to. I’ll take my leave now.”