Chapter 646: Prelude

If the previous Jingxi Action unearthed the pests within the Ministry of War and indirectly opened the curtain for the Jingjiu Dynasty’s first war with the Barbarian Race in forty years, then the power granted to Prince Ling, Yang Shu, by the Emperor to implement the “National Finance and Grain Tightening Strategy” signaled the official commencement of the Royal Family’s “Major Examination”.

Both major dramas unfolding together—this was a first in the history of the Jingjiu Dynasty.

The first to sense the shift in atmosphere and direction were the Third-Grade Officials in the Imperial City, then came the central departments of the city, and next, the related local institutions below.

Everyone has to eat and spend money, right? Whether high and mighty or wandering in the streets, money and grain are unavoidable. Even those Sects who claim to be Chuchen are no exception.

Yang Shu moved swiftly. Within two days, with the cooperation of Minister of Revenue Bai Changqing, he refined the tightening strategy for finance and grain. He meticulously divided Bai Changqing’s previously proposed tightening plan into three phases. Each phase corresponds to one of three war situations on the southern front: favorable, stalemated, or deteriorating.

Yang Shu even boldly went straight to the Ministry of War, seeking out Vice Minister Wen Mingju and several veteran Generals holding idle positions there, to discuss the newly refined strategy together with Bai Changqing.

This move stunned quite a few people. How many years had the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue been at odds, nearly on opposing sides? And now they could discuss matters across departments like this?

Surprise aside, even if the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of War could barely tolerate each other, with Yang Shu as mediator, and with the refinement of the finance and grain strategy truly needing the input of those familiar with military strategy, things—despite making many outsiders incredulous and exclaiming that the ministries had not come to blows—actually proceeded quite smoothly.

Whether Vice Minister Wen Mingju now leading the Ministry of War, or Minister of Revenue Bai Changqing, at least for Yang Shu’s sake, neither would cause any behind-the-scenes trouble.

After careful assessment, the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of War submitted their opinions, and Yang Shu made the final call: defining the current state of the Jingjiu Dynasty as “favorable leaning towards stalemated”—not quite favorable, but not truly stalemated either, settling for a middle ground.

In fact, the Ministry of War’s conclusion was “favorable situation,” while the Ministry of Revenue lowered it a half grade to allow for contingency against possible emergencies.

Following this progression, Yang Shu began inspecting various regions and first publicized the detailed arrangement for the tightening strategy nationwide. All related government offices, state-run shops, and warehouses were strictly forbidden from delaying; effective immediately, implementation was required. Yang Shu would personally inspect each key city as Inspector. If anyone acted superficially or defied orders, Yang Shu was ready to set a clear example for others.

Yang Shu left the Imperial City on the twenty-first day of the eleventh month. And from that very day, unrest in the Imperial City only intensified.

First, on the night of the twenty-first, a major fire broke out in the Song Mansion’s southern villa. The government office’s Water Beast Team arrived with five large water carts, and nearly a hundred people chipped in over the course of an hour to finally extinguish the flames. Luckily, the Water Beast Team happened to have a Cultivator as captain, skilled in Five Elements Water Technique, who enhanced the power of the water carts—otherwise, the Song Family’s grand villa would have burned to the ground.

The Water Beast Team was tasked with investigating the cause of the fire, while the Song Family arranged for their own men to clean up the ruined outbuildings.

The incident itself was unremarkable, but the oddity lay in the fact that even the Song Family wasn’t too concerned, thinking it was merely an accident. Yet while investigating the fire’s cause, members of the Water Beast Team discovered a secret chamber beneath the collapsed woodshed foundation in the Song Villa, inside which sat over a dozen enormous chests, each half as tall as a person. Many of the chests were damaged by the fire, spilling their contents and leaving the Water Beast Team utterly dumbfounded.

They were all General Spirit Stones!

With so many people present—local government officials, members of the Water Beast Team, Song Family servants, even some nearby residents who aided in firefighting—plus the sudden occurrence and the absence of any major Song Family figure on site, the response was sluggish; nobody stopped outsiders from talking. In an instant, someone spread word: “So many General Spirit Stones!”

What are General Spirit Stones? Ordinary folks sometimes come across them—in some workshops or on city wall labor duty, you’d see them—knowing they’re used to replace True Qi in powering Arrays, high-end stuff, expensive as hell. No wonder the Song Family is so rich; with this many General Spirit Stones, there must be several thousands, maybe tens of thousands, right?

The honest simply watched the spectacle, but among those hundred-plus present, there were also plenty with sharp minds.

So in less than the time it takes for a meal, the local government office and Xuanqing Guard received word: the Song Family villa was hiding large quantities of forbidden goods of unclear intent.

If this had happened a year ago, storing General Spirit Stones at home, though not strictly legal, wouldn’t have attracted much attention, especially for a powerful clan like the Song Family whose connections made it tricky for others to mess with them. But now…

Only then did the Song Family realize what was happening. Rushing over from the main house, they found the villa sealed off. The government officials sealing the site were from the Imperial City Government Office, and while the Xuanqing Guard also came by, they simply remarked they wouldn’t intervene in local matters and left.

“Sorry, Second Master Song, this is now the scene of a case. You can’t enter at the moment.”

“A case? What case?”

The person rushing over was Second Master Song, Song Zhisong. Wearing a stern face, he was already sensing serious trouble.

The government official, rather than bowing and scraping as before to this prominent Song Family figure, stood firm and with a half-smile retorted, “Naturally, it’s a case of illegally hiding forbidden materials. And from the looks of it, the quantity is considerable.”

Before Song Zhisong could say more, the official turned and left, instructing subordinates to keep the villa secured and prohibit idle outsiders from entering.

Big trouble. Song Zhisong didn’t linger, instead hurried back to report, but upon reaching the main house gates, the sight before him made his heart jump: A large team of officials in Ministry of Justice Major Case Department uniforms guarded the entrance. They didn’t question him, just assigned men to follow him.

That night, Song Family Patriarch Song Wenqiao and several key direct family members were all taken away by the Ministry of Justice Major Case Department.

This sort of news was no ordinary matter and instantly spread throughout the entire Imperial City.

General Spirit Stones were already strictly controlled items, and during wartime, they were listed as forbidden goods: private individuals may not possess, sell, or transfer large quantities. Violators would be punished by the local government office. But merely possessing large amounts wasn’t a top-level crime.

However, only two days prior, with the promulgation and nationwide announcement of the first detailed step of the national finance and grain tightening strategy, it was specified that items like General Spirit Stones would also fall under the “tightening strategy” scope; any violation during this special period would carry extra penalty.

So, the Song Family seemed truly out of luck.