The morning fog lingered, and the waters of the Qinhuai River flowed ethereally.

The Jinling Captain's Office and garrison was located southeast of the city at Dayanggou, bordered by the Imperial Forbidden Garden to the west, and connected to the Ministry of Revenue's Cao Yun Bureau and the Ministry of Industry's Military Equipment Bureau to the east. It was originally the station of the "Dragon Soaring Guard" of the former dynasty.

Speaking of which, Jinling was quite different from other places.

During the Great Xing Period of the previous dynasty, this was the capital, where rare treasures of the world gathered, relying on the Jiangnan water network to control various regions and confronting the Golden Tent Wolf Country from north to south.

When Great Xing fell, the Imperial Family set the Imperial Palace ablaze, although a Prince Mansion was later built on its foundation, being a Vassal King here wasn't easy.

Due to its special geography, it was naturally suspected by the Capital, so generations of King Jinling lived cautiously, never interfering in local affairs even when reprimanded.

Therefore, the position of aristocratic families and officials in Jinling was higher.

As Li Yan and his group stepped on the wet stone steps, onto the flagstones in front of the Jinling Captain's Office, they ran into Households Commander Zhou of the Yangzhou Captaincy, who was exiting with a knife at his side, along with Personal Soldiers behind him, their boots stained with mud.

His eyes were bloodshot, clearly from a sleepless night.

"Young Hero Li!"

Seeing Li Yan, his eyes lit up with surprise, and he forced himself to perk up and clasped his fists, saying, "I have just submitted the dossier on the Yangzhou Wokou Chaos to the Jinling Guard Office. Do you have business here?"

Because of the Yangzhou affair, he treated Li Yan with great respect.

Li Yan was worried about not having someone to introduce him, so he recounted his business.

"No problem."

Without another word, Households Commander Zhou turned around and led Li Yan into the Captain's Office, while the others waited outside to provide backup.

The Jinling Captain's Office was considered one of the headquarters in Jiangnan, of considerable size, and built magnificently, with a "Xiezhi Exorcism Stele" standing at the door to ward off evil spirits, and all the rooftops were adorned with special "black scale tiles."

This government office covered a considerable area, and after inspecting the waist tag, Households Commander Zhou led Li Yan through, introducing quietly, "The Captaincy here in Jinling, besides monitoring the Pai Sect, salt smugglers, and those in the pugilistic world, the most important task is to protect the 'Yellow Register Library'..."

"After opening the sea, coastal pirates run rampant, and many red-haired pirates have come ashore, so most of the elites were dispatched to assist, hence no defense was prepared for this demon invasion. Luckily, Young Hero slayed the bandits, or we'd all be in trouble..."

As they spoke, they arrived at a side wing in the backyard.

Not long after notifying, a tall and skinny Thousand Households with a sharp face hurried in.

"Young Hero Li, this is Households Commander Zheng of Jinling."

"Lord Zheng, this is Young Hero Li Yan."

"I've long admired your fame..."

This duty-bound Households Commander Zheng was very welcoming, smiling and clasping his fists, saying, "Young Hero Li's fame shakes the north and south, your presence here brings great honor..."

But once Li Yan explained his purpose, he stroked his beard hesitantly, "Well... This matter is not suitable for me to handle. Brother Zhou here is familiar with Jiangnan military affairs and might be more adept, so I won't overstep my boundaries."

After speaking, he rose, excusing himself, and abruptly left.

Li Yan frowned, his expression immediately turning sullen.

Households Commander Zhou looked embarrassed, whispering, "The Jinling Captaincy and those two factions have good relations, likely unwilling to cause trouble, but rest assured, Young Hero, this Zheng isn't foolish. He's also wary of offending the Capital."

Indeed, shortly after, a small officer in black quietly approached and handed over a copied military log with reverence to Households Commander Zhou.

Li Yan took a look and saw the yellowed pages, at the end of the dossier on Households Commander Tian's violent death case, which was similar to what Fatty Lin had said, with a vermillion annotation at the end:

"Personal soldier Zhou Dayong (Colonel), failed to provide protection, punished with 20 rattan strikes and demoted to Centurion. Mourning leave to ancestral home, Fifty miles east of Jinling City, Zhou Family's Village."

"Failed to provide protection?"

Li Yan sneered, "Passing the buck rather quickly."

"Where is this Locust Tree Village located?"

"Not far, just in the mountains outside Jinling City..."

......

Swoosh swoosh~

Before noon, the gloomy sky began to rain lightly.

Two black canopy boats navigated through rain and mist, the shores lush with vegetation, half-yellowing leaves, overlapping peaks, a visual feast.

"What a place..."

Sha Lifei couldn't help but exclaim, "This place is truly suited for seclusion."

Wang Daoxuan nodded and stroked his beard, saying, "Of course, this is Zhong Mountain, near Xuanwu Lake, one of Jiangnan's three famous lakes, always a place of good fortune, during the Six Dynasties, it was a Royal Garden lake..."

"You are exaggerating, sirs."

Before he finished, the boatman dressed in a raincoat and bamboo hat turned and said, "Splendid scenery might delight the noble, but common folks aren't so content."

"Oh?"

Wang Daoxuan showed interest at these words, "I heard this place is prosperous, growing rice and raising silkworms, with people living in abundance."

The elder sighed, "That was in the past."

"Since the court opened the seas, silk is in short supply, and the Textile and Dyeing Bureau issued notices demanding three silver coins per loom and five silver cents per piece of silk. What was already a meager livelihood has now become a death warrant."

"Countless people toil day and night, neglecting their fields, just to pay taxes. Many even face bankruptcy, losing their homes..."

"And these are ordinary weavers; those of artisan registries fare worse, their descendants bound for generations, unable to leave the workshop, working from early morning till late night, earning only three bushels of rice per month. Countless have died from exhaustion."

"This..."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

Originally thinking opening the seas would bring wealth to the country and prosperity to the people, it turns out the common folk suffer even more.