My virtue is above yours.

When Chen Jingxuan arrived at the street where Qingluan Pavilion was located, he found that the road ahead was blocked by several wooden forks that resembled barricades.

The road in front of Qingluan Pavilion was riddled with potholes.

Just across the street was a bustling city with people and horses constantly moving about, but in front of Qingluan Pavilion, there were almost no pedestrians due to road construction.

"I haven't heard that there's road construction in front of Qingluan Pavilion?"

Chen Jingxuan rolled over the fork and stepped onto the dug-out bluestone bricks. The road was covered in mud, and the bluestone bricks were scattered haphazardly on the ground, making it impossible to find a place to step.

At the entrance of Qingluan Pavilion, two female shop assistants dressed in skirts stood by the door whispering to each other.

The taller man sighed, "With the roads blocked, there's absolutely no business. It's usually bustling with traffic."

The shorter one beamed, "No business is bad enough! It's been so long since I've felt this relaxed."

"You don't understand. I'm a senior partner; the supplier gives me a commission on every sale. Why would they close this perfectly good road?"

The short girl tiptoed and whispered in the other person's ear, "I heard that it was that young Taoist priest Chen, who is in partnership with our boss, who offended a big shot, which is why they blocked the road in front of our shop."

"Master Chen, is that the Taoist priest who invented the ointment? Who could he possibly offend?"

"That's him. Who knows what trouble he's gotten himself into." The short girl smiled sheepishly. "It's fine too, no business means I don't have to do as much work."

"I'm not good at all. It's all that little Taoist priest Chen's fault. He caused trouble himself and dragged our Qingluan Pavilion into it. I should really go and make him pay me back!" The tall girl kept poking at the rag doll in her hand with her fingernails, venting her anger as if it were the little Taoist priest Chen she had never met.

When the short girl saw Chen Jingxuan arrive, she quickly stood up and, pulling her companion along, greeted him with a smile: "Sir, come in and have a look. We have all kinds of goods."

Chen Jingxuan said directly, "I'm not buying anything, I'm looking for your young master."

Did you have an appointment in advance?

"no."

"I'm so sorry, the young master isn't in the shop. How about we show you around? Maybe she'll be back soon."

Chen Jingxuan looked around the shop. It had several floors and was filled with a dazzling array of goods. The counters, tables, and vases were all top-quality items, exuding an air of elegance and luxury.

The staff were all well-mannered, dressed like housekeepers of a small household, and their speech and manners were outstanding; they were clearly educated.

Chen Jingxuan stepped into the shop on his own: "No need to trouble yourself. Just tell her that Chen Jingxuan from Qingyao Mountain is here to see her."

The two men suddenly felt dizzy: "Are you Master Chen Jingxuan?"

"it's me."

The tall girl quickly bowed and said, "I was ignorant and did not know that Master Chen was visiting. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly. Let me take you upstairs to sit and rest, and then I will go and inform the young master of the pavilion for you."

Chen Jingxuan found a stool and sat down: "No need for all that trouble, I'll just wait here. I'm not some big shot, you don't need to be so respectful."

The two girls walked quickly towards the backyard.

The shorter man sneered at the taller man, "Didn't you just say you wanted him to pay you a bonus? Why are you being so respectful in front of him?"

The tall man glared at her: "They're the boss, after all. Who am I? How dare I ask them to pay me? Don't say anything out of line later."

They went through the back door and came to the backyard, which was filled with goods. Yi Bei, dressed in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), was arranging the goods. They quickly went up to her and informed her of the situation.

"Let him in."

Chen Jingxuan was led into the backyard, which was very large, almost big enough for a horse to run through. Various kinds of goods were piled up in the yard.

Yi Bei was standing in front of a gilded box, holding books and carefully checking the goods.

Chen Jingxuan leaned closer and glimpsed that the box was filled with ornate porcelain jars: "What's this?"

"This is what the palace wanted. Below are aromatherapy diffusers, and these jars on top contain a new type of toothpaste that Yunci and I developed together, blending more than ten kinds of fragrances. The last batch we sent to the palace was very popular with the nobles, so they asked for another batch. Take a sniff."

Yi Bei asked the waiter to bring over a small porcelain jar. When opened, it contained a milky white paste with a faint fragrance.

The fragrance is indescribable, yet it gives one a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze.

Chen Jingxuan sniffed it: "I feel like I've smelled this somewhere before."

"This is the taste of spring. I named it Willow in the Stream."

Yi Bei instructed the shop assistant to pack the imperial goods and led Chen Jingxuan up the stairs to the tea room on the second floor.

She poured herself a cup of hot tea, the green buds swirling in the hot water.

Chen Jingxuan took the warm teacup and asked, "Why is there sudden road construction outside?"

"The Ministry of Works issued an order this morning that this road must be rebuilt. Business was booming in the shop, but now it's deserted. Well, that's fine, it'll give my staff a break. But it's not good news for you, Daoist Master." Yi Bei sat down, covered his face with his hand, and took a small sip of tea.

Chen Jingxuan, holding his teacup, asked, "Are you saying that this was intentionally done by Vice Minister Fan of the Ministry of Works?"

"I wouldn't dare to speculate, I just want to know, how did your discussion go yesterday?"

Chen Jingxuan replied, "Minister Fan barely said a few words, and they were all in official jargon. It was Young Master Fan who advised me to back down."

"How will you answer?"

"There was neither rejection nor opposition."

Yi Bei smiled and said, "Without a clear answer, the other party will perceive it as a rejection."

Chen Jingxuan frowned in displeasure: "So they deliberately built a road in front of Qingluan Pavilion just to cut off my source of income? To prevent me from sponsoring the academy?"

Yi Bei got up again to pour tea: "Road repairs won't affect Qingluan Pavilion's business much; it'll just mean a few less days of work. Anyway, once the academy is demolished, the road will be repaired. It's just that Master Chen won't have the extra money to help relocate the academy."

Chen Jingxuan gripped the teacup tightly: "But I simply couldn't generate enough cash flow from the toothpaste business."

Yi Bei said, "But they don't know that. Vice Minister Fan is determined to cut off your path. I wonder if Daoist Chen will back down?"

Chen Jingxuan calmly said, "I would like to ask you for a favor. I need to get into the Ministry of Works."

Yi Bei stared at the man in front of her. Knowing the danger, he still risked his life. She didn't know if it was stupidity or courage.

This aspect of his personality is something we share.

She replied, "Taking a risky gamble, Master Chen, you have great courage. The Ministry of Works is a restricted area; outsiders cannot enter. I can only help you find an easily manipulated and discreet clerk to go in and find what you need. May I ask what you seek, Master?"

"I need to confirm whether the land deeds and building deeds for the academy have been issued by the Ministry of Works."

Yi Bei offered a cup of tea: "Leave the Ministry of Works' affairs to me. I will also do my best regarding Yu Chan's matter. Just don't forget about the great karmic debt, Daoist."

"I won't forget."

After finishing his tea, Chen Jingxuan left without lingering.

Watching his departing figure, Yi Bei smiled slightly: "With Master Chen's help, the poetry gathering will have nothing to fear from the princess."

When Chen Jingxuan returned home, the house was deserted and there were no signs of his senior brothers and sisters.

He sat down in the main room, and Chunhong brought him a basin of water to wash his face. He put his hands in the basin, rubbed them, and asked, "Where are my senior brothers and sisters?"

Chunhong replied, "Master Lu and Master Zhu sent someone to deliver a message saying that the sect has sent them on a long journey. Master Lu is going to Qingzhou, and Master Zhu is going to Jizhou. I don't know when they will be back. They asked me to tell you to be careful in everything you do."

The fact that the entire sect transferred the senior brothers and sisters away clearly shows that they didn't want them involved in the academy's affairs. It's estimated that Vice Minister Fan has already spread the word that he won't back down until he hits a brick wall, and the sect is thinking of protecting the senior brothers and sisters.

Chen Jingxuan felt increasingly disadvantaged. Vice Minister Fan had blocked his sources of income, stolen his property deeds, and spread rumors that left him isolated and helpless. Zongli had also completely given up on him.

He was just a lowly Taoist priest with no connections, and no one thought he could possibly defeat the Vice Minister of Works.

The current impasse lies in the property deeds; only by finding the property deeds can the vice minister be proven guilty.

After resting for a while, Chen Jingxuan prepared to set off. He planned to go to Vice Minister Fan's residence to look for the whereabouts of the land deeds.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking on the door.

"Master Chen! Help! Something's happened at the academy!"