Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

"Sir, how are you? Are you alright?" Zhou Wenqing was so frightened that he quickly reached out to support Shen Jingheng.

After a while, Shen Jingheng straightened up, wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and thanked Zhou Wenqing.

"I'm fine. I just felt a little dizzy after getting up so suddenly. I guess it's because I haven't rested well these past two days. Thank you, Lord Zhou." Shen Jingheng made up an excuse to get rid of the problem.

"Sir, you work so hard on official duties, you must take care of your health," Zhou Wenqing said dryly, offering a few words of concern because he hadn't rested well.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Zhou. However, I am not feeling well, so I will not keep you any longer. I will invite you to dinner another day."

"You're too kind, sir. Since you have nothing else to do, I'll take my leave. I hope you take care of yourself." Hearing Shen Jingheng's words, Zhou Wenqing knew he could leave. But just before leaving, Zhou Wenqing suddenly remembered something.

"My lord, the previous Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Hu Jiye, was fluent in the Russian language, but he retired to his hometown at the end of last year."

"Very well, I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Lord Zhou. Aoki, escort Lord Zhou back safely."

"Yes, sir," Aoki replied from outside the door.

Zhou Wenqing dared not look up at the powerful minister sitting above him, who was not old but held a high position. He bowed his head and respectfully left the study.

After leaving the study, Zhou Wenqing wiped the sweat from his brow, suppressed his doubts, and followed Aoki out of the scholar's residence.

Shen Jingheng is currently the Crown Prince's tutor, Minister of Rites, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, serving as the Emperor's advisor and chief strategist. Before the memorials submitted by officials are presented to the Emperor, they must be reviewed and advised by Shen Jingheng's cabinet for the Emperor's reference in making a decision.

Shen Jingheng is now truly second only to the emperor, holding the power of a prime minister despite lacking the title.

After Zhou Wenqing left, Shen Jingheng didn't immediately return to the backyard. Instead, he thought about everything he might have overlooked and began to reconsider.

As night deepened, the lights in the scholar's study remained on all night.

The next morning, after the court session, Shen Jingheng took the letter to the office of the Court of State Ceremonial. His sudden arrival startled the dozen or so officials who were working at the Court of State Ceremonial, who hurriedly rose and knelt to greet him. They were baffled as to what had brought him there.

"Do any of you understand Russian?" Shen Jingheng asked, looking at the officials standing in two rows in front of him.

However, as time passed, none of the dozen or so people spoke.

"Don't you recognize any of them? Knowing a few words is fine too." Shen Jingheng wasn't annoyed at all and patiently asked again.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the former Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Lord Hu, was fluent in Russian. Under his tutelage, we officials have only learned a few characters," Zhou Wenqing said, forcing a response as the atmosphere grew awkward. He didn't understand why Shen Jingheng had specifically come to ask about it; hadn't they already discussed this matter yesterday?

"Do you all know the same characters? Write down the Russian characters and their translations that you recognize." After saying that, he took out the rubbing of the letter and placed it on the table.

Upon hearing his words, more than a dozen people instantly surrounded him. Only one person remained standing motionless in the corner.

"What's your name? Why don't you go and see?" His figure was so conspicuous that Shen Jingheng noticed him at a glance.

"Your Excellency, my knowledge of Russian literature is not proficient, and the letters I translated previously differed from Lord Hu's translation on several occasions. I was worried about delaying your work, so..."

Hearing his conversation with Shen Jingheng, Zhou Wenqing quickly stepped forward to explain.

"My lord, this is Zhang Shucheng, the Assistant Director of the Court of State Ceremonial. He once lived in Huining Prefecture and knows some of the Russian language. However, his translation of the letters from Russia a few years ago completely contradicted Lord Hu's translation. So..."

"So you judge whose translation is correct based on their official rank?" As he spoke, Shen Jingheng actually laughed, but the laughter didn't reach his eyes.

Zhou Wenqing looked down, wanting to glare at Zhang Shucheng, blaming him for being so talkative. But Shen Jingheng was staring at the top of his head, so he didn't dare to make a move.

"Go and bring out all the letters from Russia from the past few years, and come here." Shen Jingheng didn't expect him to be able to give a coherent answer, and directly ordered Zhou Wenqing to bring out all the letters. The second sentence was addressed to Zhang Shucheng.

"Do you remember what the letter you wrote to Russia a few years ago was about?"

"Your Excellency, I dare not speak recklessly. This concerns a matter of great importance to the court, I...I..." Cold sweat poured down Zhang Shucheng's forehead, and he began to stammer.

"Don't be nervous. Just tell me what you've translated. I'll judge for myself who's right and who's wrong between you and Lord Hu." Shen Jingheng tried to make his voice sound gentle. Seeing Zhang Shucheng, who was as timid as a quail, he was really afraid that if he raised his voice, he would scare him into fainting.

"Yes...yes...Sir, I'm not nervous, not nervous at all." He wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve as he spoke. Then he continued...

"I don't remember the exact words, but the gist is that a prince from Russia wants to visit our country. He waits for our reply every May and October at the border."

Hearing his words, Shen Jingheng closed his eyes, suppressed his anger, and asked again.

"What did Lord Hu say in his translation?"

"Lord Hu means... means... is..."

"Speak properly," Shen Jingheng reminded him, taking a sip of tea.

"What Lord Hu means is that those letters are a declaration of war from the Russians, who will wait for us at the border from May to October every year to fight a decisive battle," Zhang Shucheng said, closing his eyes as if he were going all out, and recited Lord Hu's translation. One of their two completely different translations must be correct.

"Heh, very good, you guys are very good." Shen Jingheng laughed in exasperation after hearing his words. Although he didn't know Mao Ziwen, he already believed seven or eight parts of Zhang Shucheng's translation.

He finally understood why the Russians had been deploying troops along the border year after year without taking any action, not even a provocation. This matter had been troubling him for years. He simply couldn't understand the Russians' intentions. They issued a challenge every year, yet never took any action. They could only send heavy troops there to defend every year. Five years had passed, year after year, the same routine.

It turns out that it was the people from the Court of State Ceremonial who translated the letter establishing diplomatic relations into a declaration of war.

His laughter sent a chill down Zhou Wenqing's spine, who had just come out with the letters. Holding several letters in his hand, he didn't know whether to step forward or what to do. After hesitating for a moment, he finally presented the letters with both hands.