Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Coming to my senses, I realized it was already getting dark outside. I quickly put the letter back in the box and placed it back on the shelf before responding to the person who had come in.

“Madam, I am here. It’s dark in the room. Please come in after I light the lamp.”

The woman outside, who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, blushed involuntarily upon hearing Shen Jingheng's words. She only gave a soft "Mmm."

Soon, the room lit up, and then Shen Jingheng, dressed in a sky-blue brocade robe, opened the door to the study.

"Madam, what brings you here at this hour?"

"I heard from the servants that my husband has been in his study all afternoon and hasn't come out. So I thought I'd come and see if he's having any troubles?" The woman was beautiful, her voice was soft and gentle, and her beautiful eyes looked at the man in front of her with a charming smile.

"It's nothing important. I was just lost in thought and didn't notice the time. Has Madam had dinner yet?"

"No, my husband, would you like to have a meal with me?"

"That's natural, it should be so." Shen Jingheng looked at the woman before him with tender eyes, a barely perceptible sigh escaping his lips.

This is Jiang Xue, the younger sister of the Imperial Concubine. That year, the Imperial Concubine wanted to marry her half-sister to herself, but the Emperor stopped her.

In recent years, the Emperor had repeatedly tried to arrange a marriage for him, but the Imperial Concubine had always stopped him. He knew that the Imperial Concubine wanted to marry her own family members to him, so that the relationship between the two sides could be more secure through marriage.

And that's why, before the new year, the girl, who had just turned sixteen, married her husband, who was ten years older than her. At first, he felt tenderness towards his wife, who was ten years younger than him, but she seemed to be quite different from what he had imagined.

The two sat facing each other at the table. Several exquisitely presented dishes were laid out on the table: braised duck breast, cashew venison, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, pickled chili peppers, sweet rice soup with fermented rice wine, green bean rolls, and jam-filled hawthorn cake. There were two main dishes, one sweet soup, and four side dishes.

"Husband, try this venison. My second brother hunted this venison himself. Knowing you love venison, he specially had it delivered." Jiang Xue gently placed the dish on Shen Jingheng's plate, then looked at him with bright eyes, like a child expecting praise.

Shen Jingheng picked up a piece of food from the plate, took a bite, and nodded approvingly.

"Thank you for your hard work, Second Brother. It's really new, and I like it very much." After hearing his words, Jiang Xue was as excited as a child.

"Husband, next month is my sister's birthday. What gift do you think we should give her?" The sister Jiang Xue was referring to was Consort Jiang in the palace.

"What are your thoughts, Madam?" Shen Jingheng put down his chopsticks and looked at Jiang Xue seriously.

“Husband, I’m thinking that my sister is favored by the emperor in the palace and has everything she needs. How about we give her a special gift?” Jiang Xue thought for a while before speaking.

"Oh, tell me about it!"

"Husband, if the Emperor could take this opportunity to make the eldest prince the crown prince, wouldn't that be the best gift for my sister?" Jiang Xue looked at Shen Jingheng with a seemingly innocent expression and offered her thoughts.

Shen Jingheng looked up at the maids serving in the room, waved his hand, and dismissed them. Only after they had all left did he speak.

"This idea is indeed good, but many people have already advised the Emperor to make the eldest prince the crown prince, and the Emperor has not yet expressed his opinion on this matter."

"Husband, that's other people's advice. You haven't offered yours yet, have you? Why don't you give it a try?" Jiang Xue said coquettishly, pulling his hand across the table and shaking it as he listened to his lack of objection.

“Madam, there is only one prince under Her Majesty’s care in the palace right now, so she has nothing to worry about. I need to think this over carefully.” In the end, Shen Jingheng gave an ambiguous answer.

Just as Jiang Xue was about to say something more, she suddenly heard the voice of the maid outside.

"My lord, Aoki says he has something to report to you."

"Tell him to wait for me in the study. I'll be there shortly."

"Yes."

"Madam, please have some more. I'll go to the study to see if Qingmu has anything to do." After saying that, she squeezed the soft hand that was still holding his hand. Then she got up and left.

But after Shen Jingheng left, Jiang Xue, who had been all smiles just moments before, slowly lost her composure and her smile turned cold. Her only purpose in marrying Shen Jingheng was to firmly link him and the Shen family behind him with the Jiang family.

At first, she thought it was a simple matter. No matter how outstanding Shen Jingheng's appearance was, how talented he was, or how high his official rank was, he was still just a member of a collateral branch of the Shen family, and his parents were merely merchants.

She thought that since she married him because of her family background and looks, he should be obedient to her and treat her like a precious jewel. However, almost a year after they got married, she still couldn't figure out his thoughts.

In the study, Zhou Wenqing, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, sat nervously in Shen Jingheng's study. When Qingmu found him, he was drinking and chatting with a friend at a tavern. Hearing that Lord Shen wanted him there, his somewhat confused mind instantly cleared up.

"Lord Zhou, inviting you here at this hour has delayed your meal," Shen Jingheng said with a smile as he entered and saw Zhou Wenqing, who was fidgeting.

"This humble official greets Your Excellency." Upon seeing Shen Jingheng enter, Zhou Wenqing, who was in his forties, hurriedly rose and knelt down to pay his respects.

"Oh, Lord Zhou, please rise. I have delayed you. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. I hope you will not take offense."

Hearing his words, Zhou Wenqing sweated even more, wondering how he could help Shen Jingheng. Just then, he saw Shen Jingheng take a letter from the shelf and place it in front of him.

"My lord, what is this?" Zhou Wenqing looked up at Shen Jingheng and asked.

"open to take a look."

"Yes," Zhou Wenqing replied, his hands trembling even more violently as he picked up the blood-stained letter. He was merely a minor official, a kind-hearted man who had never offended anyone. What did the master mean by this blood-stained letter?

With a nervous heart and trembling hands, I finally managed to pull out the letter from inside after a long while. I only glanced at it before I couldn't help but exclaim "Eh!"

He took two steps forward, holding the letter, and approached the lamp on the table, examining it closely. After a while, he looked up at Shen Jingheng and said...

"Sir, this is Russian writing!" The tone was certain.

"Can you understand what this letter means?" Shen Jingheng didn't show any unusual expression, but continued to ask in a deep voice.

"Let me take another look."

Zhou Wenqing moved closer to the lamp and read the letter again from top to bottom. After a while, he wiped the sweat from his brow and said with some shame,

"Sir, I only recognize a few words on this letter and cannot understand its meaning!" Hearing this reply, Shen Jingheng felt a little disappointed.

"Does anyone in your Court of State Ceremonial know Russian?"

Zhou Wenqing frowned and thought for a while before saying, "No."

"My lord, foreign delegations always bring interpreters when they visit, so we don't have any such talent in our court."

Shen Jingheng knew what he was talking about, but he had never paid it any mind before. But hearing these words from another person in this situation felt like a heavy blow to Shen Jingheng's heart, causing him immense pain.

Others understand their language, script, and culture, while their own people don't. As Sun Tzu said in *The Art of War*, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." Thinking of this, Shen Jingheng, usually calm and collected, suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, instantly soaking his clothes.

He's been focusing on the wrong thing all along; not just him, everyone's been wrong. The danger might not be internal, but rather coming from outside.

Seeing his face turn pale instantly, Zhou Wenqing was also startled. When had anyone ever seen Lord Shen show such emotion? Everyone said that Lord Shen was incredibly wise, almost supernatural, and that his plans were flawless. But why was he showing such an expression now?