Chapter 140: Turbulence

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, temperatures gradually dropped. A few days of rain had finally given way to clear skies, and a refreshing breeze seemed to breathe some life into the city, which had been closed for nearly a month. Days were clear and bright, and at night, the starlight was pure and distinct, with fluffy, cotton-like clouds drifting across the sky.

For over a month now, the plight of the starving people, both inside and outside the city, had reached its limit. Of course, it was said that previous years had seen even more difficult situations, and while the tension was palpable, it was hard to say where the absolute breaking point lay. The government occasionally distributed grain, and some wealthy families helped by providing porridge and meals, ensuring support both within and outside the city walls. During these relief efforts, soldiers also helped maintain order, preventing any major disturbances.

However, groups and gangs had also formed among the displaced, and fights over food were common. Such disturbances often erupted after the government and wealthy families finished distributing grain and meals, proving difficult to control. Since the city's closure, some people had died. The number who starved to death was actually small; the majority died from brawls, looting, or gradually succumbed due to lack of medical treatment after injuries. Overall, however, it was reportedly fewer deaths than in previous years.

Living in this era, people had heard countless times about how things were in previous years. Most had compassion, but the current situation was relatively good, and life had to go on. Business deals continued, and social engagements were still attended, though the overall atmosphere of the city had become slightly quieter. In the preceding days, the continuous autumn rain had only intensified this sense of stillness and stagnation.

The Mid-Autumn poetry gathering took place as usual, remaining as lively as ever. However, the content of the poems differed from previous years, shifting from descriptions of flourishing scenes or romantic musings to laments about disunity on the night of reunion, primarily depicting the plight of the displaced within and outside the city. Li Pin, Cao Guan, Liu Qingdi, and others presented new works, and some previously renowned poets and lyricists showed even greater breakthroughs this time. Of course, the author of "Shuidiao Getou," which caused such a stir last year, did not participate. He was deeply embroiled in family business affairs and had no time for other pursuits. Some people discussed his clumsiness in business, either mocking or sighing, which ironically diminished much of the mystique behind the name "Ning Liheng."

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, life gradually returned to its usual rhythm. People waited day by day for the effects of the flood to subside, and numerous businesses and shops in the city continued to operate as usual in this atmosphere. One refreshing morning, around nine o'clock, in a small room next to a warehouse belonging to the Su family's cloth shop in Jiangning City, a few people were busy with something. This warehouse room was connected to the adjacent shop, but in the current climate, business wasn't particularly good. A maid named Juan'er occasionally ran in to check on things.

Busy in the room were Ning Yi and the siblings Zhou Pei and Zhou Junwu. The brother and sister were dressed as apprentices, in blue clothes and small hats, but their fair, soft skin immediately showed they were children of some standing. They had inexplicably been following Ning Yi for a month now, and some members of the Su family had grown accustomed to their presence, assuming them to be children of the main family or Ning Yi's disciples, and thus allowed them to wander around. Sometimes Ning Yi had them serve tea or water, and occasionally even asked them to help move some goods—nothing heavy, of course.

For the siblings, this kind of life was quite novel. The day before yesterday, Ning Yi had even paid them their first month's salary: one liang and two qian of silver per person, the standard for child laborers that month. After comparing it to prices outside, the siblings realized that one liang and two qian of silver wouldn't buy much, but the experience itself remained quite new.

Of course, using them as child laborers was only when he was occasionally bored. Most of the time, Ning Yi fulfilled his duties as a teacher, giving them lessons during his free moments. He also taught Zhou Pei modern arithmetic, casually demonstrating how addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division correlated with contemporary calculation methods. Initially, Zhou Pei had been dismissive of the Arabic numerals, but now she frequently asked questions about them.

The reason the three were engaged in this activity today was that a few days prior, the siblings had followed Ning Yi to his laboratory. He had allowed them to look around and briefly explained some physics concepts. Ning Yi's main goal was to find a few pieces of glass that could serve as convex lenses, planning to make a telescope for amusement. On a whim, he had demonstrated the principles of focusing and magnification to them. Zhou Pei had been rather unimpressed, stating it was simple and everyone knew it. Since the telescope was still under construction, Ning Yi decided to demonstrate something simple yet not necessarily known to everyone.

A wooden box had just been constructed with some help. Now, with some black cloth, a light-proof tent was formed around it. The three of them hid inside and lit a candle. Ning Yi then covered one side of the candle with the box, which was only half-covered, allowing some light to escape. He then took a thick piece of Xuan paper with a hole cut out, framed with bamboo, and placed it down, thus setting up a simple pinhole imaging experiment.

Juan'er stood at the doorway, looking at the black cloth tent with some confusion. A moment later, she heard voices from inside: "Look, the light over here is upside down.""Uh...""Ah, Teacher, how can this be?""It must be a magic trick.""Magic tricks also have principles."

After a burst of excited chatter from inside, Ning Yi emerged from the black cloth as Juan'er approached. He smiled at her and said, "Go in and take a look. It's quite interesting, and most people probably haven't seen it before..."Juan'er went inside, still confused, and then saw the inverted candle flame projected onto the side of the wooden box.

For the past month, Ning Yi had acted much like a worker, holding a morning meeting each day, walking a fixed route, and then having free time. He appeared diligent, yet accomplished little. Most often, he was accompanied by Chan'er, and sometimes Juan'er. The maids had also become acquainted with Zhou Pei and Zhou Junwu, and the polite Junwu often addressed them as "Sister Chan'er" or "Sister Juan'er." Zhou Pei was more reserved, but she, too, had adopted a familiar attitude towards them and Ning Yi.

"Some people might call this a clever trick or a skillful craft, so for now, there's no need to take it too seriously. However, some things can be very interesting. For example, these two lenses, when placed at such a distance from each other, can magnify objects... Hmm, I've already asked Carpenter Chen to help carve a good cylindrical tube, and then I'll figure out a way to secure them inside..."

Ning Yi always preferred to lecture in a conversational manner. That morning, the long bamboo tube was placed on the table by the windowsill. Xiao Pei, Junwu, and Juan'er, who had joined them, took turns looking inside, their eyes wide with astonishment. The lenses couldn't be fixed permanently yet; Ning Yi had only found their approximate focal length and had wrapped them in layers of Xuan paper to temporarily fit them into the bamboo tube for demonstration. Since the lenses weren't secured, they easily tilted, meaning this small telescope couldn't be moved around. Yet, from its effect, it was already quite remarkable.

"Light forming an inverted image through a small hole actually demonstrates that light travels in straight lines. But in some situations, like when you put a chopstick into water, it appears bent—there, light changes direction. If you think seeing an inverted image alone can accomplish much, that's difficult, because this telescope is the product of combining many different elements and principles. Once people can research to this extent and understand everything clearly, you won't have to slowly try your luck like me. You'll directly know what kind of lenses you need to make a telescope, what the concave and convex surfaces should look like... When you understand more principles, you'll also know how to precisely create those curved surfaces and how to control them with precision."

"However, you don't need to consider how to build these things. What I want you to understand is... a way of thinking: the combination of 'because' and 'therefore.' Don't just know how something works without understanding why. Many artisans have used old methods for years without knowing why those methods produce certain effects. If you understand the principles, you can create even more transparent lenses and telescopes that see farther and clearer. Efficiency will increase tenfold, even a hundredfold. It's the same for anything you do..."

"Zhou Pei, the calculations you enjoy are also like this. They are clearer. From 'one plus one equals two' to 'two plus two equals four,' they can extend infinitely. We live in a human world, but there's also a world of numbers. In fact, calculating how light refracts, how it magnifies, and by how much, all require the aid of numbers. The world of numbers is simply cause and effect, a clear logical relationship... I don't want you to become mere artisans or anything like that in the future, but I hope you can grasp this logical relationship. This should be very useful."

"Of course, in the world of calculations, there are also some rather extreme and fascinating examples, such as..."After finishing the experiment, Ning Yi continued to ramble a bit. Junwu kept looking intently at the pinhole imaging device and occasionally fiddled with the telescope. Zhou Pei was also surprised by the experiment but listened even more intently to Ning Yi's words. Juan'er listened for a while before stepping out to check on the shop, sighing to herself in a quiet corner, "The Young Master is truly amazing..."

A short while later, Xi Junyu passed by and came in to chat with Ning Yi. Junwu and Xiao Pei immediately went to pour tea and arrange seats, a testament to the tacit understanding between the children and Ning Yi. In fact, besides attending lessons, they had spent the past month wondering why Ning Yi hadn't seemed to do anything productive.

Xi Junyu was just passing by that day because the cloth merchants' guild meeting was scheduled to open in three days, where each family's "chips" or stakes would be formally laid out. Thus, he had come to check on Ning Yi's current situation. In reality, all the managers were busy running around; Xi Junyu himself had just met with the head of another shop that morning and was now preparing to attend another engagement.

"Although this month has passed, it now appears our Su family has the strongest support. However, the world of business is full of deception, and we must guard against all possibilities. Even though Minister Han supports us and Minister Dong also favors our Su family, it's hard to say if any unforeseen changes will occur. Both the Xue and Su families have extensive networks in official circles, so it's difficult to predict if there will be a last-minute reversal. If we have any backup plans, they should be arranged as early as possible."

Ning Yi nodded. "Do your best, and leave the rest to fate. Manager Xi, you've worked hard recently. I appreciate it."

"It's my duty." After a few more pleasantries, Xi Junyu invited him to an engagement to meet an official from the Imperial Silk Bureau, but Ning Yi shook his head and declined; his presence there would have little significance. After Xi Junyu left, Zhou Pei and Zhou Junwu spoke with furrowed brows.

"Why didn't you go?""Maybe you could have persuaded that person..."

Ning Yi, tidying his things, laughed, "I have so many things to do, why would I bother with that?""But you have nothing to do," Zhou Pei retorted, pouting.

"Who says I have nothing to do? Soon I'll be going to eat, and this afternoon I need to stroll around the street, pick up the telescope casing from Carpenter Chen, and figure out the best way to secure the lenses. Oh, and I also plan to paint a layer of lacquer on the outside, and swing by the East Market to see if there are any new storybooks or novels for sale. Which of these isn't more important than attending social engagements?"

"But Teacher, if the social engagements don't go well, your family could face problems!""But haven't they handled the engagements well already? My going would be useless. All the preparations for becoming an Imperial Merchant have been made, as you two also know. We don't need to resort to any petty tricks. We've simply leveraged our connections and asked everyone to speak with their conscience. We don't need those officials from the Imperial Silk Bureau to show us excessive favoritism; we've sent money and various gifts so as not to make things difficult for them. As long as they don't go against their conscience, we are confident we'll get it."

"Wouldn't it be even better if they spoke against their conscience for the Su family? That way, it would be even more certain.""Of course, that wouldn't be bad either..."

"Anyway, I just don't think you tried your best, Teacher..." Junwu grumbled.Ning Yi, however, simply smiled. "Don't worry, don't worry. I've already done everything that needed to be done. This was originally a minor matter; I don't know why you two are so anxious. It's getting late. Come on, I'll take you to lunch..."

As he prepared to leave, Zhou Pei suddenly stepped in front of him, smiling. "Uh, wait, there are only three days left. Can we also see the cloth?"Ning Yi thought for a moment, then tilted his head. "Oh, alright." He took out a key, opened a nearby cabinet, then retrieved a brocade box and opened it for the two children to see. Xiao Pei and Junwu gathered around, touching it a few times.

"Wow, it's really prettier than what we see at home...""I haven't seen cloth this color much before.""It's a secret formula," Ning Yi said with a smile, then laid down three rules. "But let me make one thing clear first: you two aren't allowed to talk carelessly about this at home, aren't allowed to help anyone find information, and aren't allowed to try to hint anything to the Imperial Silk Bureau officials or anyone else... Of course, you don't have that kind of influence now, but I want fairness."

"Don't flatter yourself, we wouldn't help anyway," Zhou Pei said, rolling her eyes with a laugh.Little Junwu nodded beside her. "If we don't get the Imperial Merchant title, it must be because that Dong Decheng person took a lot of money."

"Haha, let's go, time to eat... Juan'er, are you coming along?"At midday, the group of four walked out of the cloth shop. Soon after, royal guards, disguised as cloth shop assistants or ordinary passersby, also appeared from the surroundings and followed them. Sunlight streamed down, and their chattering voices spread through the air.

"Is this what they mean by 'the best warriors achieve victory without spectacular deeds'?... But Teacher, you really didn't do anything... Sister Juan'er, right?""Uh... the Young Master actually did a lot...""Of course, you'd defend your Young Master, but my sister and I saw nothing... But then again, it's true, not much needed to be done. We thought it was a huge crisis, but step by step, it just came to this. This is called an 'open strategy,' right, Sister?""I don't know...""Why?""Those people only did one thing, and then all their secret schemes vanished. Isn't that strange?""Yes, yes, Teacher, Sister is right, don't you think it's strange?""An 'open strategy' isn't afraid of 'covert schemes'.""Oh, right, right, Sister... ah...""...So noisy."

With three days remaining until the Imperial Silk Bureau's gathering, a calm afternoon followed the peaceful midday. Ning Yi went to the street to pick up the telescope casing and bought some small tools to better mount the lenses. Time passed, through evening and into the night. By the late hours, crowds were dispersing from the entrances of brothels and taverns. At a street corner, Xi Junyu bade farewell to several managers and declined an invitation from one to ride home in his carriage. The weather was good that day, and he decided to walk alone.

He walked along the Qinhuai River until he reached a relatively secluded bend. He looked around, then headed towards a small pier nearby. Before long, the sound of a boat being punted echoed, and a boatman propelled a small skiff into the deeper waters. Xi Junyu stood on the boat, his gaze serene, watching a faint halo of light in the distance.

It was a small, seemingly quiet pleasure boat. As the two boats drew close, Xi Junyu stepped aboard. In the central hall of the pleasure boat, it looked as if a banquet had recently concluded; the lights were dim, and the tables had a distinct air of leftover food. In front, a man sat at the host's seat, holding a bowl of white rice and eating with his head down. Hearing footsteps, he ate a meatball, still keeping his head down, and continued to talk while picking dishes with his chopsticks.

"I was just thinking that perhaps I dismissed everyone too early. Maybe if a beautiful woman had stayed to accompany me, this meal would taste even better. Thankfully, Brother Xi, you arrived early; it's just as good."Xi Junyu walked to one side and picked up a bowl. "I'm certainly no beauty."

"Haha, but... Brother Xi always brings me good news."The man laughed and looked up. In the dim light, the person before him was none other than Wu Qilong, the Eldest Young Master of the Wu family.