Three years later,

    the progress of digging canals and adjusting river channels had advanced significantly, estimated to be completed within five years. This would aid in irrigating dry areas and simultaneously solve flooding issues. Zhao Yongkang, who designed and supervised the system, was greatly honored for his achievements; the Emperor awarded him the Liuyuan Palace, located east of the capital, as a reward.

    Originally built as a resting place for the Empress Dowager during her pilgrimages outside the palace, Liuyuan Palace was renowned for its magnificent four-story hexagonal tower, the grandest of its time. However, Zhao Yongkang often thought of the true originator of the ideas. He discreetly ordered a search for the Lady of the Qin family, named Meilan.

    "There is no such person."

    "What do you mean there is no such person?" the tall figure asked, looking up from his work.

    "The Qin family says they don’t have the Lady named Meilan."

    "Did you go to the wrong place?"

    "Definitely not. The Qin family branches out into many lines, true, but I found that it was only the main household where the young ladies of the appropriate age reside. There’s only the eldest, Qin Yaoji, and the second, Qin Yaoying. No Meilan."

    Zhao Yongkang frowned. He was sure his memory did not fail him. Finding a woman by her family name in the capital shouldn't be this difficult. Had she given him a false name? "Do the eldest and the second lady have a small mole above the corner of their lips?"

    "No, they do not."

    "Perhaps she has married already?" His tone unintentionally revealed his disappointment.

    "In the past three years, the Qin family has not held any wedding ceremonies. Perhaps she was sent somewhere else."

    "Continue the search. Report directly to me with any news."

    "Yes, my master."

    The Qin family's residence was not at all difficult to find, surrounded by high walls in the heart of the commercial district. The compound was vast, intentionally designed to mirror the imperial palace, with buildings arranged according to Feng Shui principles and numerous smaller houses. The manor itself covered a quarter of the area with mountains, rivers, lush trees, a pavilion on the water, and curved stone bridges over large ponds. Just passing through its moon gate felt like entering another dimension filled with poetic landscapes and paintings. The eldest and second ladies each had sixty personal maids, not including the hundreds of other servants and workers. Villagers even hoped to sell their daughters into service at this beautiful place, reinforcing the Qin family’s renowned wealth.

    "My master... it is time. The sedan is ready to depart."

    "Mmm."

    Qin Hansi, the head of the Qin family, extinguished his tobacco pipe with dignity. As he stood, maids swiftly and skillfully adjusted his attire, bowing respectfully to send their master off safely. Leaving the manor required traveling by sedan through two strictly regulated gates, each archway intricately carved with symbols of the family's grandeur unmatched by any other. The two gates had open and close timetable and strict identification protocol.

    The Qin family manor, a residence of nobles for many generations, is situated at a junction just north of the capital’s gate, separated only by a road from the Office of the Inspectorate. The entrance to the office is lined with the sedans of nobles from outside the capital, all attending to official duties.

    Qin Hansi also needed to report and deliver documents, but with the arrogance typical of an imperial advisor, he commanded that his official green sedan be followed by four smaller ones, preceded and followed by nearly thirty attendants with 'Silence' and 'Make Way' signs, fully displaying the grandeur of a country noble.

    "Greetings, master Qin,"

    As the corpulent Qin Hansi stepped down from his sedan, other nobles would come forward to pay their respects. Qin Hansi raised his hand in acknowledgment, clasped his arms at his waist, and proceeded inside without uttering a word. Some were displeased but could say little, as the Qin family was known to be powerful and influential at this time. Lower-ranking nobles gathered to talk among themselves.

    "You know nothing. Right now, the Qin family is alone at the top."

    "Where did you hear that? master Qin is the Head of the Royal Secretariat, overseeing six departments, a central figure in the royal court. His grandfather was the Chief of the Imperial Guard, and his father was an Imperial Son-in-law. In these three generations, Qin Hasi is the most capable. Anyone wishing for a government position just needs his recommendation. Even the highest position like a grand minister is obtainable. Just look at the walls of the Qin manor, they occupy half of the northern district."

    "The Qin family has been renowned and honorable for generations, truly wealthy. But in truth, much of their boasted wealth comes from under-the-table money. Recently, Song Tianyi has been intensively investigating corruption, and the income of master Qin has dwindled. Now they’re in debt everywhere yet still flaunt their wealth, spending money like pouring water. It won’t be long before the Qin family falls."

    Whether this statement was true or not, only Qin Hansi could answer, but at this moment, he remained proud in his wealth and honors, seeing no one as his equal.

    "I have come to meet Secretary Song. Hurry and tell him to come to me," Qin Hansi commanded irritably, waiting for the other party. However, an official from the Inspectorate straightforwardly informed him that Song Tianyi was currently occupied with guests.

    "Who else could be more important than me?"

    "Uh, right now, r Secretary Sung is meeting with the Third Prince."

    "The Third Prince?"

    Qin Han Xiu immediately stopped his complaints. Zhao Yongkang, the Third Prince, was still young, with a face marked by a sharp brow and a firm jaw, his posture brave and full of masculine charms. At thirty-three, he remained uninterested in marriage, despite the Empress’efforts to arrange a match or even her request to the Emperor to bestow him a royal wedding to compel him. But Zhao Yongkang always excused himself, citing the unfinished river embankment project to evade every time.

    As Qin Hansi looked towards Song Tianyi’s office, he saw a tall figure in a noble's robe adorned with a dragon pattern, a hat decorated with a four-clawed dragon, eight pearls, and sparkling rubies, clearly recognizing him as Zhao Yongkang. Song Tianyi himself was also a striking figure, and both were known for guarding their bachelor status, too busy with their overwhelming duties to consider personal matters.

    Zhao Yongkang had come to discuss some important matter with Song Tianyi, but the conversation, inevitably veered back to personal matters.

    "Your Highness has been diligently handling the flood issues for nearly a decade, now a Minister of the Interior, yet you still want to transfer back to a lesser noble position of Taishiling, Prince Third? The stipend might not suffice to maintain Liuyuan Palace."

    "Everyone has their own ideals. I've dedicated myself fully to the sciences as I wish. What's wrong with that? The river embankment project is nearly complete. I'll devote my time to developing astronomical measurement instruments next."

    "How boring. Whoever ends up as your royal consort will probably be crushed to death by your books."

     Zhao Yongkang laughed, "You have no right to criticize me."

    The Inspectorate Office, overseen by Song Tianyi, was responsible for monitoring the work and enforcing the laws of the bureaucracy, with the authority to direct petition to the Emperor. Meanwhile, Zhao Yongkang was in charge of the Qintianjian, handling astronomy, calculating festival dates, setting the calendar, recording historical events, daily royal duties, interpreting ancient texts, and drafting ceremonial documents. To others, this Third Prince might seem to have no significant role in the royal court, but in reality, the schedules he drafted were critically important, affecting everyone from the Emperor to the common market vendors in border towns. The presence of both men in the same place could stir suspicion amongst the treacherous officials, but Qin Hansi saw it differently.

    "Greetings to the Third Prince, greetings to r Secretary Song," Qin Hansi loudly greeted as he approached the office, drawing attention. Zhao Yongkang and Song Tianyi stopped their conversation and began to put away some documents before Son Tianyi came forward to greet him.

    "Greetings, master Qin, I apologize for not receiving you sooner. Please accept my greetings," Song Tianyi said.

    "Think nothing of it," Qin Hansi laughed heartily, turning to flatter the high-ranking royal. "It's been a while since I've not seen the Third Prince, but I often think of your impressive work on the dam project. His majesty praises it endlessly. I'm fortunate to meet you today and must pay my respects."

    "You flatter me too much," Zhao Yongkang replied politely, letting Qin Hansi ramble on about nothing substantial until finally cutting him off, "If master Qin has any matter to discuss, please speak now. I still have many urgent tasks to attend to."

    "In that case, I'll get straight to the point. I wonder if the Third Prince might honor us with a visit for tea at the Qin family manor. My eldest daughter has an interest in astronomy but struggles with some concepts and would benefit greatly from your guidance. She would be thrilled if you could find the time to join us for a discussion."

    "I'm afraid I'm not available these days."

    Zhao Yongkang maintained his polite manner, his sharp black eyes glancing at the corpulent noble without revealing any emotion. Suddenly, Qin Hansi mentioned his daughter, and Zhao Yongkang understood the other's intentions, though he was uninterested. "Next month, the royal family will host a peony viewing party. My mother plans to invite young ladies to participate; any single woman over fifteen is eligible to attend. If I encounter your daughter there, I'd be happy to offer her some advice."

    Qin Hansi, thrilled by this possibility, quickly excused himself to return to the manor with the good news, no longer caring about meeting Song Tianyi. Song Tianyi, meanwhile, smiled slightly, amused by his distinguished friend’s situation; even a casual work meeting couldn’t escape the matchmaking that pervaded their society.

    "True, Qin Hansi may be plump, but I've heard his daughter is famously beautiful. I'd wager you've caught the attention of one of them," Song Tianyi speculated.

    "I'm not interested. That person only wants to use my status as a shield," Zhao Yongkang dismissed.

    "Then look at this," Song Tianyi said as he pulled out a book from a nearby drawer.

    "What is it?"

    "Just read it first," urged Song Tianyi.

    "Love Tales of the Young Butterfly, written by the Joyful Young Man," Zhao Yongkang read the title, his sharp brows knitting together before he flipped through the pages, his handsome face turning red.

    "This is... a worldly novel. No, actually... this is an erotic manual disguised as fiction."

    "The third lady, Qin Meilan wrote," Song Tianyi revealed another secret, causing the normally composed noble man to widen his eyes in shock and choke on his tea.

    "I had people look for her, but they told me there was no such third lady."

    "They don't want to talk about it. Some family conflicts are kept private. The eldest and the second daughters are no different from other young ladies of their status—petty, jealous, and focused only on beauty. But this third one is quite weird. Young but always lamenting that ‘the sky is above and the earth below.’ It seems like she could be a woman obsessed with scholarly pursuits, acting like an old boring woman in her study."

    Zhao Yongkang listened and disagreed with the view.

    "'The sky is above, and the earth is below' is a phrase from the Heavenly Encirclement scripture, describing the universe. The sky above like a dome cover, and the earth below like a chessboard. Do not underestimate her. If she were not well-educated, she would not grasp the depth of such concepts."

    "Oh, I see,"

    Song Tianyi smiled slyly, pleased to have piqued Zhao Yongkang's interest. The bookish prince began to fidget unusually, his eyes sparkling amusingly.

    "How do you know it was her?"

    "Don't underestimate my information network. The Qin manor is right across from the Inspectorate Office. If I didn't know what was happening inside, I couldn't still call myself Song Tianyi," Song Tianyi said with a meaningful smile. "She secretly authored a dozen novels, illustrating each herself. People scramble to collect her works. As a golden-handed writer, she earns thousands of taels a month. Furthermore..."

    Song Tianyi lowered his voice.

    "She's a mastermind in the illicit salt trade, in collaboration with a major merchant named Rong Qi and the Yangdalong Protection Agency."

    "What?!"

    "It's your fault. She studied your geology books thoroughly, adept enough to pinpoint salt wells, from salt in rock layers penetrated by groundwater to surface encrustations. Truly, she is a foremost student of yours."

    No wonder… she traveled alone; she was actually looking for salt wells.

    "Why didn't you stop her?"

    "This requires a complex strategy. We'll wait for her to fully develop the salt wells, then seize them. The profit from one batch of salt exceeds the annual salary you receive from the royal office."

    The fact that Lady Qin not only wrote sensational novels but was also a leader in the illicit salt trade was astonishing enough. Song Tianyi emphasized this along with the emperor's order to cut the prince's annual stipend to force him into marriage, knowing well his friend's dilemma, thus offering a potential solution.

    "Her public persona is that of a bookworm, interested only in books and writing all day. I think she's just right to assist you."

    "And where is she now?"

    "She's hiding right in the Qin family manor."