The Door to the Imperial Treasury
Yeomga Manor was in a festive mood as it welcomed Ouyang Qiangang back from the Imperial Palace after a month's absence.
"Young Master!"
The sight of Sangguan Wan'er rushing toward the gate laid bare just how much she had worried about him. Her usual composure and elegance were nowhere to be found; clutching the hem of her skirt as she ran, she had tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
"Lady Sangguan, I have returned."
Warmth tinged Ouyang Qiangang's voice as well.
Sangguan Wan'er met his words with a bright smile.
"I'm so glad you've come back safely. All I heard were rumors about you, and I couldn't see you even once... I've been worried sick."
Yeom Pung approached with a hearty laugh of his own.
"Young Master, do you know how worried this old man has been? I had no idea what was happening inside the palace, and I went looking for you time and again, but they wouldn't allow me so much as a glimpse of you..."
Receiving their warm welcome, Ouyang Qiangang felt a corner of his chest grow warm. Amid the tense days in the palace, this was the very warmth he had longed for.
"I apologize for causing you both such worry. But I do bring good news."
At his words, Sangguan Wan'er's eyes sparkled.
"Could it be... the salt license?"
"That's right. The imperial approval has finally come through."
"Is it true?!"
"Yes. His Majesty told me himself, so the permit should be issued within the day."
"Ah... it's all thanks to you, Young Master."
Clasping her hands together, Sangguan Wan'er spoke, overcome with joy. It was the moment her dream—the salt enterprise—was finally becoming reality.
Yeom Pung too clenched his fist, unable to contain his excitement.
"So the Manor Lord's wish comes true at last."
Sangguan Wan'er turned to Ouyang Qiangang with a radiant smile.
"I have news of my own to share, Young Master."
Pride rang in her voice as she continued.
"We haven't exactly been resting while you were at the palace. The oil-paper panels with their engraving complete have already been transported to the Shandong coast, and the local laborers are building the production facilities as we speak."
Ouyang Qiangang's eyes widened.
"You've already come that far?"
"Yes. Everything is proceeding smoothly, just as you planned. In three days, we should be able to begin full-scale salt production."
He could hardly conceal his astonishment.
"My lady, this is truly remarkable. All of this, while I was away..."
"Not alone, Young Master. Uncle Yeom Pung helped a great deal, and above all, it was only possible because you had prepared everything in advance."
Yeom Pung added, his face full of pride.
"The Manor Lord worked day and night, I tell you. She swore she'd have everything in perfect order by the time you returned."
"Still—production in three days... I never dreamed it would move this quickly."
Admiration was plain in Ouyang Qiangang's voice. While he had been buried in the tangled affairs of the palace, Sangguan Wan'er had been turning their dream into reality.
"Your abilities truly astound me, my lady. To manage everything this flawlessly without me."
Sangguan Wan'er shook her head.
"We haven't even begun yet. The real trials start now."
They moved to the main hall. After taking a sip of tea, Ouyang Qiangang asked with a curious look.
"My lady, how do things stand in the political and merchant circles of the Imperial Capital? A great deal must have changed while I was away. Inside the palace, such news was oddly hard to come by."
Sangguan Wan'er nodded.
"Yes, there have been great changes. Gold Mountain Tower, which had cast its lot with the Second Prince, has severed ties with him completely. They seem to have suspended all political activity to focus on commerce alone. After all, no one wishes to be caught in a sudden squall."
"A wise judgment."
"But the problem is Gold Pagoda Mountain Manor."
Her expression darkened.
"You know how they regard us, don't you? Because you are so dear to His Majesty, they cannot interfere openly, but they keep a wary eye on our every move."
Yeom Pung added in a worried voice.
"Those Gold Pagoda scoundrels will not sit still, I say. Even now they must be cooking up something."
Ouyang Qiangang nodded.
"They won't stay silent forever. Knowing their nature, they're most likely to strike at the coastal production facilities or the people transporting the goods."
Sangguan Wan'er took up the thread.
"I thought the same, so I've been preparing countermeasures. To start, I mean to recruit warriors on a large scale, but..."
"Might I recommend those warriors?"
At his sudden offer, her eyes went wide.
"You would recommend them yourself, Young Master?"
"I would. We can source them from the Du Clan Manor in Poyang."
She tilted her head.
"The Du Clan Manor... what manner of place is that?"
Ouyang Qiangang lowered his voice.
"A vassal family of the Ouyang Clan. They have served our house for generations. Their ties grew distant after the Great Orthodox-Demonic War, but they have recently returned to the main family's fold."
"Ah, then..."
"Yes, they can be trusted. And before I came to Huangdu, I entrusted them with a special mission."
Yeom Pung asked, curiosity written across his face.
"A special mission? What sort of task?"
A smile curved Ouyang Qiangang's lips.
"Raising warriors quietly, out of Gold Pagoda's sight."
Sangguan Wan'er's eyes grew wide.
"Then... you have been preparing this for a long time?"
"I had the basic plan from the moment the Ouyang Clan first proposed the salt enterprise to you. Anyone could see that once we entered the salt business successfully, Gold Pagoda Mountain Manor would move to check us in earnest. I thought we might need them when that day came."
Yeom Pung nodded in admiration.
"The Young Master's thinking runs deeper than this old Yeom can follow."
Ouyang Qiangang smiled faintly.
"I wouldn't call it perfect preparation, but at the very least we will have the strength to defend the salt business."
Sangguan Wan'er nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"If you recommend them, Young Master, no vetting is needed. If anything, I should be the one begging the favor. To have such dependable reinforcements... I couldn't be more relieved."
He smiled with satisfaction.
"If they escort the production facilities and the transport crews, they can hone their martial arts and gain real combat experience at the same time. It will benefit both sides."
Sangguan Wan'er added with a bright expression.
"Then how about we fund the cost of training their warriors? As the ones receiving their protection, it's only right."
Ouyang Qiangang's eyes gleamed.
"If you do, it will be a great boon to the Du Clan's household as well. Training warriors is no small expense, truth be told—weapons to begin with, then training facilities, and the warriors' upkeep besides..."
"We will bear all of those costs ourselves," she said firmly. "Once the salt business succeeds, the returns will be more than enough to cover it. What better investment could there be than raising the very people who will protect us?"
Yeom Pung exclaimed in admiration.
"The Young Master's mind is truly exceptional. Three birds with one stone! You gain protection, the warriors are raised, and the Du Clan's household prospers besides!"
Ouyang Qiangang nodded.
"I am in awe of your insight, Lady Sangguan. This forges a perfect partnership—one that benefits everyone."
She beamed.
"Just hearing it makes me feel ten times safer."
Then his expression turned grave once more.
"But we must not let our guard down. Gold Pagoda Mountain Manor is far more cunning and dangerous than we imagine. We cannot know when or how they will move, so our vigilance must never slacken."
The three of them exchanged looks and nodded. A dangerous enemy still had them in its sights. The war was not yet over.
Another half month passed, and the wind of blood kept blowing through the palace.
The Minister of War and the Left and Right Commanders who had backed the Second Prince, along with dozens of other powerful figures, were put to death, and their entire clans sentenced to exile. Before the Emperor's frost-edged purge, no one dared so much as raise their head.
All the while, Ouyang Qiangang devoted himself to the engraving work at the warehouse day after day. As the imperial bloodbath subsided and the empire regained its footing, he quietly poured himself into his own task.
On the fifteenth day, every last engraving was complete, and the salt production goods stacked in the warehouse were all shipped to the worksite on the Shandong coast. Salt was already being produced in the greenhouses erected along the shore. The salt farm enterprise had entered full operation.
It was then that the Emperor summoned Ouyang Qiangang.
As he made his way to the Emperor's residence, he looked back over the past month.
So much blood has spilled on my account alone.
He felt the bitterness of it, but he had no regrets.
The Emperor sat with a table of tea and refreshments before him—not upon the throne, but at eye level with Ouyang Qiangang. In place of a monarch's majesty, his face bore the deep weariness of a man who had weathered every storm.
"Your merit is so great that I intend to reward you."
Sincerity filled the Emperor's voice. Indeed, saving the lives of Princess Myeonghwa and the Crown Prince, and tearing out by the root the vast conspiracy that had gnawed at the imperial house for decades—no reward could easily repay such deeds.
Ouyang Qiangang bowed with respect.
"I only did what duty demanded of a subject. And you have already granted the salt license. I consider that reward more than generous."
"That was a business permit for Myriad Gold Mountain Manor, not a reward for you personally."
The Emperor spoke firmly. Deep trust shone in his eyes as he regarded Ouyang Qiangang.
"Without you, Myeonghwa would still lie in her sickbed, and the Crown Prince would not have lived to see the year's end. And that is not all. I would have gone on knowing nothing of the dark current flowing beneath my own feet."
It was a moment that laid bare the heart of a father who had nearly lost his son and daughter. As though he had long since made up his mind, the Emperor continued.
"Enter the Imperial Treasury. As you well know, even the emperors before me permitted only a single visit there—and only to the minister of the greatest merit. I have made arrangements so that you may carry out one thing of your choosing."
Ouyang Qiangang's eyes flew wide.
The Imperial Treasury was the empire's supreme storehouse, where the rarest treasures under heaven, gathered by successive emperors over hundreds of years, lay preserved. To open its doors was the highest honor the Emperor could bestow—a testament to just how much he valued this man.
"Your Majesty... could I truly dare set foot in so precious a place?"
"Think on what you have done for the imperial house."
The Emperor's voice was gentle yet unyielding.
"For the man who safeguarded the royal family's very survival, is opening the door of the Imperial Treasury a single time truly excessive? I think not."
For a moment, Ouyang Qiangang found himself at a loss for words. To refuse further might be to slight the Emperor's heartfelt gratitude and trust. There was, after all, a saying that excessive courtesy is itself a breach of propriety.
"...Thank you, Your Majesty."
He answered with a deep bow.
A satisfied smile spread across the Emperor's face.
"Tomorrow at midday, go to the Imperial Treasury."