Mo Li stood there for a mont, still trying to process what he was looking at, his brows slowly knitting together as confusion crept across his face like fog rolling in over a river.
"A eunuch, and Ming soldiers?" he muttered under his breath, genuinely baffled. "Where did these strange people even co from?"
Ji nghan, who had stepped into the real world far earlier than Mo Li ever bothered to, cast a quick glance at the formation ahead before lowering his voice, his tone carrying that quiet certainty that only ca from dealing with too many complicated humans.
"In Chengdu, anyone who can casually command eunuchs and troops like this only points to one person," he said, pausing just enough for the weight of the answer to settle. "The Shu Prince, Zhu Zhishu."
Mo Li blinked, and then the realization hit him a second later.
"Oh… a prince?"
Ji nghan gave a small nod, the corner of his mouth twitching as if amused by the gap between academic brilliance and real world awareness.
"You didn't do your howork before coming here, did you?" he said lightly. "The court enfeoffed Zhu Zhishu here in Chengdu, and he's the single most powerful man in this region. His assets stretch across most of the Chengdu Plain, and the richest land in Sichuan is practically all under his control."
Mo Li scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed, as if soone had just pointed out that he had spent years mastering equations but sohow forgot how society actually worked.
"My howork went into electric fans and flying balloons," he admitted. "I'm not exactly as well rounded as you, Senior Ji."
Ji nghan laughed softly, though there was a trace of sothing genuine beneath it.
"I almost wish I could be like you instead."
The two of them squeezed their way to the front, pushing past workers who instinctively made room once they realized the people in charge had arrived.
Ji nghan didn't hesitate, stepping forward with a relaxed confidence that felt almost out of place in front of ard soldiers, yet sohow made the soldiers themselves hesitate.
He smiled politely at the eunuch and gave a small nod.
"I'm the person in charge here, Ji nghan," he said. "May I ask for your na, sir, and where you serve?"
The eunuch lifted his chin slightly, his expression carrying that familiar mix of arrogance and thinly veiled impatience.
"This humble one is surnad Xia," he replied with a nasal tone. "You may call Eunuch Xia. I serve as an external steward of the Shu Prince's residence."
"Eunuch Xia," Ji nghan repeated, his smile widening just enough to signal courtesy without surrender. "An honor."
He gestured lightly toward the factory behind him, the half-built structures still echoing with the faint mory of hamring and machinery.
"I wonder what offense our factory has committed to warrant such a visit, especially one that brings along the Shu Prince's guard. This land wasn't taken from the Prince's estate. It was wasteland, personally approved for our use by Governor Wang Weizhang."
Eunuch Xia rolled his eyes so dramatically it almost felt like a performance.
"Wang Weizhang?" he scoffed. "What kind of nobody is that? Don't bring up his na in front of ."
He waved his hand dismissively, as if swatting away an annoying insect.
"This land happens to be right next to our Prince's sumr retreat. His Highness has been staying there these past few days, trying to enjoy himself, and all he hears from your side is constant clanging and banging. Tell , how is he supposed to relax like that?"
His tone sharpened as he pointed toward the factory.
"Shut it down. Imdiately."
Mo Li froze for a mont, his mind short circuiting in the face of what sounded like a perfectly reasonable complaint, at least on the surface.
"Ah…?" he said, already half ready to apologize like a well aning student who had accidentally disturbed a classroom.
Ji nghan, however, did not look convinced.
He turned his head slightly and glanced toward the distance, where the faint outline of the Shu Prince's sumr villa could be seen hugging the edge of the mountains, so far away that it looked like part of the horizon itself.
There was an old saying about mountains that looked close but could run a horse to death before you reached them, and right now that saying felt particularly relevant.
At that distance, even firing a cannon might not carry sound all the way over.
And yet, hamring noise from a construction site was sohow causing headaches?
Ji nghan let out a short laugh, reached out, and casually pulled Mo Li a step behind him.
"The Prince has remarkable hearing," he said, his tone shifting just enough to carry a hint of mockery. "Perhaps he's the reincarnation of so legendary long ear spirit. At this distance, I could fire artillery all day and he might not hear a thing, so how exactly are we disturbing him?"
Eunuch Xia smirked, clearly enjoying himself.
"You said it yourself," he replied. "His Highness simply has excellent hearing. The sound of you breaking stones is enough to give him headaches, so stop the factory."
Ji nghan let out another soft chuckle, and then, without warning, changed his tone entirely.
"If we wanted the Prince to not hear anything," he asked casually, "how much silver would that take?"
Eunuch Xia's face imdiately shifted into a look of satisfaction, the kind of expression that appeared when soone finally stopped pretending and got to the point.
"Now you're talking," he said with a grin. "Five hundred taels."
Ji nghan nodded slowly, as if everything had suddenly fallen into place.
"I see."
Only then did Mo Li finally catch up, the realization hitting him like a delayed explosion.
So this wasn't about noise at all.
This was extortion.
He felt his face heat up, embarrassnt and anger mixing together in an awkward ss.
He had almost apologized.
He had almost believed it.
He clenched his fists.
Eunuch Xia, clearly not done, continued as if reading from a shopping list.
"And that electric motor factory over there is also too noisy, so that's another five hundred," he said. "And that one over there, I don't even know what it does, but it's noisy too. Honestly, everything around Chengdu is noisy these days."
He spread his hands with exaggerated generosity.
"Our Prince is rciful, so he won't overcharge you. Just five thousand taels in total, and you can keep building all your factories."
Mo Li almost exploded on the spot.
Ji nghan, however, simply reached out and lightly grabbed his arm, the gesture subtle but firm, anchoring him in place before he could do sothing stupid.
"Eunuch Xia," Ji nghan said with a calm smile, "these factories are being built under the direction of Governor Wang Weizhang."
"You're bringing him up again?" Xia sneered. "I already told you, he's nothing. In front of our Prince, he doesn't even count as air. Don't think his na carries any weight here."
Ji nghan nodded, as if conceding the point without actually conceding anything.
"Very well, then let's not ntion him," he said. "These factories are being built under the guidance of Dao Xuan Tianzun."
Eunuch Xia let out a sharp laugh, the kind that carried both contempt and amusent.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" he said. "So so called Tianzun, building a giant statue on a mountain and pretending to be divine? You might fool commoners, but you won't fool our Prince."
His expression turned cold.
"You're nothing more than a cult, just like the White Lotus, stirring trouble and deceiving the masses. Pay the five thousand taels, and our Prince might overlook your little tricks. Refuse, and he'll send a morial to the court. When the imperial army marches into Sichuan, your entire group will be wiped out."
Mo Li's patience finally snapped.
He raised his fist, ready to swing, though the motion lacked any real threat, more academic frustration than actual violence.
Ji nghan imdiately grabbed his arm and forced it down, his voice dropping to a low whisper.
"A smart man doesn't take a loss right in front of him," he murmured. "Dao Xuan Tianzun is dealing with Liaodong right now, and Sichuan isn't under direct watch. We have workers here, not soldiers. If we clash with the Prince's guard, we lose, and people die for nothing."
Mo Li froze, the logic cutting through his anger like cold water.
Ji nghan straightened, his smile returning as if nothing had happened.
"Five thousand taels, right?" he said cheerfully. "Give a few days to prepare. I can't produce that much cash on the spot."
Eunuch Xia looked satisfied, nodding as though granting a generous favor.
"Three days," he said. "You have three days."
With that, he turned and left, humming to himself as he led the Shu Prince's guards away, clearly pleased with how things had gone.
Ji nghan watched him go, the smile slowly fading from his face until only a cold, calculated expression remained.
"Notify all factories," he said quietly. "We're holding a workers' assembly."
That night, on the outskirts of Chengdu, the half completed generator factory stood under dim light, its construction temporarily halted, its wide training ground now filled with rows of seated worker representatives.
Ji nghan stood at the front, Mo Li beside him, along with several blue hat graduate students, Governor Wang Weizhang, and a chieftain from the nearest Jiarong Tibetan tribe, the only one close enough to make the trip within a day.
He looked out over the crowd, letting the silence settle before speaking.
"Everyone," he began, his voice steady, "we're here today to discuss one man."
He paused, just long enough for anticipation to tighten across the field.
"The Shu Prince."
Before he could continue, a local worker from Sichuan suddenly shouted from the crowd, his voice loud and unrestrained.
"That bastard prince is nothing but trash!"
The words echoed across the field, and for a brief mont, the entire gathering felt like a pot just beginning to boil.
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