Chapter Sixty-Four: The Capital Begins to Stir

Lin Miaomiao placed the man before Liu Qiang, then turned to him and said, “I’ve already reported this to the authorities, Boss Liu. Perhaps you should consider how you’ll explain yourself to the officials when they arrive.”

Liu Qiang broke out in a cold sweat at her words, his gaze fixed on her as he stammered, “Miss Lin, it was just my ignorant servant’s doing. There’s really no need for you to take this matter to heart.”

With downcast eyes, Lin Miaomiao replied, “We all compete fairly—if you want to open a factory, then open one. When you copied my designs, I said nothing.”

“You must realize, if I were the type to hold grudges or repay every slight, you’d have no chance of continuing your business here in Da’an Port.”

Her words were mild yet unwavering, and Liu Qiang’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

Lin Miaomiao continued, “The only reason I haven’t made trouble for you is because harmony breeds wealth. But now that you’ve resorted to sabotage, I find myself less inclined to let it go.”

Just as she finished speaking, the officials arrived. Liu Qiang fixed her with a venomous glare, just as Li Yanhe rode up on horseback.

At the sight of Li Yanhe, Liu Qiang suddenly felt a surge of fear. Years spent on the road had given Liu Qiang an eye for people, and he could tell at a glance that Li Yanhe was no ordinary man.

Lin Miaomiao stood behind Li Yanhe, who reached out a large hand to gently stroke her head. Lin Miaomiao smiled up at him, saying, “I’m fine. Don’t worry. I was just startled, that’s all.”

Li Yanhe glanced coldly at the man on the ground, who had been bitten and was barely clinging to life, and ordered Jiang Luohan, “Aren’t you a physician? What are you waiting for? Go tend to him.”

Jiang Luohan, though he longed to refuse, could only step forward and check the man’s pulse under the weight of Li Yanhe’s icy gaze.

Lin Miaomiao stood by in silence. After some time, Liu Qiang was taken away by the officials, and Lin Miaomiao let out a heavy sigh.

Liu Qiang was flogged and then released, while the steward who had been bitten by the dog—without the benefit of rabies vaccines in this era—ultimately died.

Upon hearing of the steward’s death, Lin Miaomiao was overcome with gloom. She spent the following days at home, cooking, reading, and practicing her calligraphy, but her spirits remained low.

Li Yanhe, noticing her mood, stopped going to the barracks for a few days and instead took Lin Miaomiao on excursions around the towns of Da’an Port.

Gazing out over endless green fields, Lin Miaomiao felt it was a pity and said to Li Yanhe, “Why not raise some cattle or sheep—or other livestock—this season?”

She continued, “This place is so poor. If we raised livestock here and transported them to the capital, there would be a steady supply of meat.”

Looking at the barren land, she went on, “Once there’s commercial exchange, grain will come in. When the people have income, it won’t be difficult for them to buy food.”

Li Yanhe nodded thoughtfully, his gaze fixed on the empty plain as he mulled over her words.

On their way back, Lin Miaomiao suddenly recalled a poem: “The sky is vast, the wilds boundless, and as the wind blows the grass low, one catches sight of cattle and sheep.”

With these lines lingering in her mind, she subconsciously murmured them aloud. Li Yanhe, amused, said, “If you were a man, you’d surely become a renowned poet one day.”

Lin Miaomiao shook her head, doubting her own abilities.

She rode beside Li Yanhe, humming a cheerful tune. Hearing her sing, Li Yanhe couldn’t help but feel his mood lift as well.

Under their stewardship, Da’an Port began to prosper; the people there found new means of livelihood. The villagers near the border no longer suffered the bullying of the nomads.

A smile played at the corner of Li Yanhe’s lips. Perhaps, he thought, it was fortune itself that had brought Lin Miaomiao into his life. When they returned to their courtyard, they saw a carriage parked outside.

Inside, Li Zheng was ordering Cui Liu about like a lord, and Lin Miaomiao raised her brows at him. “When did you get here?” she asked.

Li Zheng frowned and replied, “I arrived recently. The situation in the capital is a mess—I had to escape for a bit of peace.”

Lin Miaomiao’s brows knitted in concern. “Is it really that bad?”

Li Zheng sighed deeply. “Now, the third brother has returned to take a post at the Ministry of War. The fifth is at the Ministry of Revenue. The seventh and ninth brothers were eyeing those positions, but lost out because of the crown prince. Now they’re at the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Works, and naturally, they’re not pleased. So, they’ve joined forces with the third brother against the crown prince.”

“With the capital in turmoil, no one knows who’ll come out on top. Even those who don’t want to take sides are being forced to choose. So I, being a man of leisure, decided to steal away for a bit of peace.”

Lin Miaomiao shook her head at his teasing, while Li Yanhe’s expression remained as cold and impassive as ever.

Li Zheng’s words seemed not to concern him. Sensing Lin Miaomiao’s gaze, Li Yanhe haughtily declared, “Don’t worry—we won’t get involved in the capital’s affairs. If I earn a few more military merits, Father will probably grant me my own fief.”

At his words, Lin Miaomiao felt a sense of relief. After all, with her wit, she doubted she’d last long if caught in the capital’s intrigues.

Disliking trouble as she did, she had no desire to be embroiled in palace politics, let alone the fierce struggle for succession.

Such convoluted and taxing affairs were ill-suited to Lin Miaomiao; she much preferred making and counting money.

Every year, she sent two sets of clothes to each soldier stationed at Da’an Port: padded jackets in winter, light robes in summer.

Since she ran a clothing business, she had plenty of fabric and dyes—it was merely a matter of labor.

Li Zheng settled comfortably into Lin Miaomiao’s courtyard, and before anyone knew it, winter was nearly upon them.

Watching the autumn leaves drift down, Lin Miaomiao couldn’t help but sigh at how quickly the year had passed—one year after another.

That winter solstice, Lin Miaomiao celebrated her ninth birthday and suddenly remembered that her old screen name had once been “Lin Three-Years-Old.”

Whenever anyone asked her age, she would answer without hesitation that she was only three; even when gaming, she liked to claim she was younger, letting herself remain forever a child.

Li Zheng watched her eat cream cake—he too loved the cakes she made, but since she no longer lived in the capital, mass production was impossible.

Seeing cream smeared on her face, he said, “You’ve got something there.”

Lin Miaomiao rolled her eyes at him and retorted, “Mind your own business.”

Li Zheng only chuckled, and Li Yanhe reached out to wipe the cream from the corner of Lin Miaomiao’s mouth. She went right back to her cake.

The year was drawing quickly to a close. That winter was especially cold, and Lin Miaomiao felt the chill early on, while Li Yanhe was especially busy.

Lin Miaomiao began organizing the soldiers’ wives to prepare padded coats for the border troops. Through their own hard work, these women had built homes for themselves.

The two three-story buildings Lin Miaomiao had constructed were gradually vacated as families moved into their own houses. She found satisfaction in the thought that building a home with one’s own hands was happiness indeed.

The soldiers’ wives continued to work at her factory, which grew more successful each year. During holidays, Lin Miaomiao would share meat with them.

Her factory now produced not only clothing, but also children’s toys—stuffed dolls inspired by modern designs, filled with carefully prepared cotton.

She specialized in making dolls that could be taken apart and washed, which quickly won the hearts of many children and young girls.

The dolls could be dressed and styled to individual taste, giving the noble girls of the capital a new pastime.

Meanwhile, the crossbow designs Lin Miaomiao had drawn for Li Yanhe were finally brought to fruition. Li Yanhe submitted both the blueprints and his memorial to Emperor Yongchang.

Delighted by the innovative weapon, the emperor ordered them to be secretly manufactured and distributed to the border troops.

Lin Miaomiao knew nothing of this, devoting her energies to her business while Li Zheng passed his days eating and drinking at her home.

Before the worst of the cold set in, Lin Miaomiao produced down jackets for the border soldiers, two for each man as in previous years.

Li Yanhe oversaw the distribution of the coats, and the soldiers knew Lin Miaomiao made them for free.

One day, when Lin Miaomiao went to see Li Yanhe, she found two mischievous boys studying together, and she stood quietly by to watch.

She did not disturb them, and the nearby soldiers greeted her with warm smiles.

Lin Miaomiao knew that the border troops were sincerely grateful to her.