Chapter 350

When the Emperor in the palace heard the news, all those who had participated in the rebellion were beheaded, along with their immediate families. As for their more distant clansmen, in an era of underdeveloped communication, wiping out an entire clan would still take some time. The Emperor looked at his personal attendant. "You are saying the common people helped capture everyone who tried to storm the execution grounds? Not a single one escaped?" It was no wonder the Emperor was astonished; such an event had never occurred in any dynasty.

The attendant hurriedly responded, vividly recounting the news sent into the palace by the imperial guards as if he had been right there at the scene. After finishing his account, the attendant did not forget to flatter the Emperor, uttering remarks about how the Emperor was the true Son of Heaven protected by the heavens above, though not a single word hit the mark of true intelligence.

The Emperor listened with a smiling expression. Once the attendant finished, he ordered someone to drag him away, administer twenty heavy cane strokes, and throw him out of the palace. Although the Emperor enjoyed flattery, he was well aware that talk of the true Son of Heaven was only ever peddled by those insecure about holding onto their realm. With the love of the common people and heavy military might in his hands, why should he worry about an unstable throne? As for the civil officials, the world was vast with countless people; if these were gone, he could simply seek out new ones.

The Fourth Prince and Lord Wang felt a degree of regret that things had not proceeded according to plan. With such an incident having occurred, the mastermind would likely crawl back into the shadows, making it somewhat difficult to hunt them down again. Yet, having once harbored treasonous intentions, they would never truly be content and were bound to rise again. One had to remain vigilant so as not to let the adversary exploit any loopholes—not only to build up their forces again, but also with the constant possibility of a successful palace coup.

After the common people helped capture the villains, they were immensely excited. Not a single person felt any sympathy for these criminals being publicly executed on the spot. Regardless of how tough their facades were, the concealed daggers found hidden at their waists served as undeniable evidence. Even after the criminals were restrained, the barrage of rotting vegetable leaves and stinking eggs from the townspeople never ceased. As they threw these items, they hurled abuses, utterly detesting those who dared to rebel. Having finally tasted a good life, they were a thousand times unwilling to change their emperor and even less willing to let anyone ruin their prosperous days.

Not everyone was caught, and a few managed to slip through the net. Yet compared to those who were captured, the ones who had escaped this calamity still considered themselves quite fortunate. These individuals did not dare to flee immediately; instead, they joined the common people in shouting curses, scrounged up vegetable leaves from somewhere, and threw them right along with the rest. Only when they watched their companions being executed on the spot and saw their primary targets beheaded did they slowly disperse with the crowd, acting just like ordinary citizens. These people were clever enough to save their lives for the time being. As for whether they could keep their lives once they left, that remained a question mark.

Even having survived an apocalyptic world where human life was worth less than food, Wang Xiujin still could not adapt to rivers of blood, public executions, and decapitations. He suffered from nightmares for several consecutive days, and his overall mental state deteriorated significantly. This caused great anxiety throughout the entire Li household. Somehow, the news reached the Wang family, and as it was inconvenient for Madame Wang to visit in person, she summoned her son back home to check on him. No matter how much she questioned him, he could not articulate what was wrong, so she eventually had a physician prescribe some calming medicine for Wang Xiujin.

After drinking the concoction for several consecutive days without any effect, Madame Wang hit upon an idea. Hadn't her son mentioned previously that he wanted to adopt another child? Why not finalize the matter quickly, treating it as a way to bring good fortune and dispel the bad luck hovering over her son. Given the character of her son and Li Linshan, they certainly wouldn't treat a child poorly. Madame Wang could not manage this affair alone, so she sent the estate steward to make several trips to the General's Estate to communicate with the current master of the household... Manager Mi. If Manager Mi were not a man, the two of them could have put their heads together and discussed the matter thoroughly, but given their differing genders, it was best to observe the proprieties of segregation.

Wang Xiujin knew nothing of the schemes hatched by his mother and his little father-in-law. Although his spirits were sapped daily by nightmares, the work that needed to be done could not be set aside. Especially with the year coming to an end, there had been both gains and losses. The greatest loss was the shipyard; although compensation from the royal family was still pending, the personal funds he had poured into it were substantial. Holiday bonuses still had to be distributed, yet the material goods given out were much less than in previous years. It wasn't that Wang Xiujin lacked the money or begrudged the amount; rather, he believed there should be limits. He did not want the laborers to develop the mindset that they would receive monthly wages and gifts even if they did nothing, which might tempt them to hope the shipyard took as long as possible to rebuild.

Aside from the shipyard, the profits from all the other shops and workshops had increased by at least double compared to last year, making it a rather decent twelve months. Yet every time he thought of the shipyard, an involuntary pang of heartache seized Wang Xiujin—such a massive shipyard! "Have all the vagrants been caught?" Wang Xiujin rubbed his temples, questioning Li Linshan, who had just returned. If not all the vagrants had been apprehended, he would genuinely worry whether other workshops and shops might be vulnerable to damage.

"The matter is still under investigation. Recently, there have been no reports of attacked villages; even news of bandits and outlaws has been completely absent. Either they were all captured, or they have gone deep into hiding." Li Linshan paused in his footsteps. Seeing the dark circles under Wang Xiujin's eyes, he felt a twinge of self-reproach—why hadn't he simply covered Wang Xiujin's eyes in time that day?

Wang Xiujin nodded. It seemed he would have to live through a period of constant vigilance against thieves.

"Would you like to go out for a stroll? I hear quite a few new storytellers have arrived in the capital recently. Care to go listen? The tales are fresh and have attracted quite a crowd." Seeing that Wang Xiujin's complexion was not looking well, Li Linshan wanted to take him out for a change of scenery. Wang Xiujin shook his head repeatedly. A light snow had fallen yesterday, and today's wind was bone-chillingly fierce; he had no desire to go out and suffer. If he didn't have to visit the shops, he wouldn't even want to step out of his doorway.

"Elder Brother-in-law sent me a reply. He will still be able to return home to celebrate the New Year this winter and wants to discuss marine aquaculture with me." Wang Xiujin deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere. Thinking of the letter from his elder brother-in-law, the corners of Wang Xiujin's mouth curved upward slightly. It seemed his elder brother had not chosen poorly this time around. Recalling the previous one, Wang Xiujin remembered that had been a match arranged by the Emperor himself, so he quickly suppressed any desire to critique his former brother-in-law. Besides, the dead were to be respected; no matter how monumental the mistakes they had made, once a person was gone, there was no need to bring it up again.

"I've been thinking that simply transporting preserved seafood to various regions is a bit too monotonous. We can process it further. I outlined a few ideas in my letter, and when Elder Brother-in-law arrives, we can discuss them thoroughly. If it works, it is absolute a lucrative method. We can then promote it in the villages and towns along the coast—let everyone share in the wealth so that others won't grow green-eyed with envy." Wang Xiujin held a cup of water; haunted by his continuous nightmares, he no longer dared to drink tea and restricted himself to plain boiled water every day.

Li Linshan knew nothing of the ways of commerce and could not judge whether Wang Xiujin's proposed method would turn a profit, but regarding the idea of sharing the method with more people to enrich everyone together, he asked, "Will your elder brother agree?" If it were solely Wang Xiujin's own enterprise, he could dispose of it as he pleased, but since the business had already been gifted away, wouldn't making decisions on behalf of the recipient be overstepping a bit?

"Why wouldn't he agree?" Wang Xiujin arched an eyebrow, instantly grasping Li Linshan's concern, and chuckled. "Regardless of whether my elder brother's family returns to the capital soon, methods of aquaculture and wealth-generation are never secrets that can be locked away forever. Rather than struggling to protect something we cannot guard, it is far better to generously make it public—let the common people remember my elder brother's benevolence and cut off the greedy thoughts of anyone plotting malicious schemes."

Li Linshan nodded. "Just do as you see fit."

The two conversed a while longer before the topic shifted to the rebellion. Wang Xiujin marveled aloud at what on earth could be occupying the minds of those who chose to rebel, and then asked, "Has the mastermind been discovered?"

"No leads. All the clues have hit a dead end." Li Linshan shook his head.

Wang Xiujin looked out the window. "Sometimes I feel my father is a particularly rigid person. Thinking of how he used to act—clearly a man, yet unable to hold up his end of things. But after experiencing so much, I realize I was wrong. Everyone has things they excel at and things they don't. What Father excels at is probably serving as an official." He spoke with absolute earnestness, truly believing it in his heart.

Li Linshan recalled how his father-in-law had uncovered the terrifying conspiracy behind the scenes merely by following the faint clues left by the protocol officials, and he felt a deep admiration for the older man. Perhaps, just as Wang Xiujin had said, his father-in-law was genuinely suited for officialdom; if it had been left to him, he might not have thought of so much—which was why he was a military general, not a statesman meant to govern a country.

After dinner that evening, the two of them were asked to stay behind by the Elder Master and the Elder Master's spouse. Wang Xiujin and Li Linshan felt somewhat perplexed. Once everyone else had departed, Manager Mi slowly began to speak. "A few days ago, your in-laws heard that your health was not quite right and were very worried. During a casual chat, they brought up that you wished to adopt another child, and moreover, that you wanted to look for one on the Li family's side?"

Hearing this brought up, Wang Xiujin finally remembered that because of the rebellion, this matter had been temporarily put aside and he hadn't yet discussed it with the Li family. However, forgetting about it for a time didn't mean he had abandoned the idea of adoption. "Such a matter does exist. Recently, my eldest sister has given birth to another son, and both Linshan and I feel that Yachang might be a bit lonely on his own."

"That was our thought as well. You've been plagued by nightmares lately—could it be because a wish you made remains unfulfilled? Our consensus with your in-laws is that the adoption matter should be settled sooner rather than later."

Wang Xiujin immediately understood what they meant. Ancient people frequently spoke of "dispelling bad luck with a joyous event." For instance, an ailing unmarried young man might take in a partner whose birth characters matched harmoniously, or families might arrange engagements and marriages for ailing elders or juniors, or even hasten the birth of a child—all of these were acts performed to drive away misfortune. Had this happened before the apocalypse, Wang Xiujin would have considered such behavior entirely superstitious and ignorant. Yet after experiencing so much, he harbored at least a tiny shred of belief.

Since the practice of dispelling bad luck through joyous events had emerged and endured for so long, it meant someone must have succeeded at it; otherwise, had it failed every single time, how could people continue to believe in it? The explanation Wang Xiujin attributed to this phenomenon was the alignment of vital energies and fortunes. Of course, he was no profound sage and could not perceive anything as esoteric as "energy," but that was simply how he understood it.

Wang Xiujin did not reject the idea of adoption, but he made it clear that he would not make a hasty decision. They needed to feel a natural affinity with the child; no matter how well their birth charts matched, if the child failed to catch their eye, they would not take them in.

Hearing Wang Xiujin's agreement, the elders of the Li family heaved a sigh of relief and finalized the matter, deciding to make a trip to Li Village at the end of the month.