"Now is the time of great contention. Retreat is for those who waver like a blade of grass on the wall; loyal ministers should walk the path of no return!"

"As long as you work hard enough, I'm sure I can soon become a wise and mighty monarch; as long as you are willing to shed blood for me, I'm sure I can more quickly control the entire realm of Huiguang!"

"It's not that I'm unwilling to trust you, but I need you to take one step towards me, and I'll take the remaining ninety-nine steps!"

Each word from Ming Shuiyun was a polished gem; her eloquence left the likes of Long Xiaoyuan speechless, unable to retort, except to weakly argue: "But the Qin Family has so much money, why don't they directly donate it all to Shuiyun Palace for you..."

"It's not unwillingness, it's simply impossible!" Qin Yueshi quickly replied, "Most of our Qin Family's assets are invested in the Steam Chamber, a new commercial association jointly established by the Shi Family, the Qin Family, and many merchants. The Qin Family doesn't have much spare cash. If Miss Long wishes to borrow money from us, we will actually have to borrow from the Shi Family, and unlike our interest-free loans, the Shi Family's loans always demand nine returns out of thirteen, potentially leaving the Qin Family compensating the Shi Family directly!"

"But it's okay; the Qin Family firmly believes that Shuiyun Palace will achieve final victory. If Shuiyun Palace wins, the Qin Family will naturally recover its investment; if Shuiyun Palace fails, the Qin Family is willing to become a sacrificial offering for Shuiyun Palace!"

"Compared to national destiny and human ideals, mere money is hardly worth mentioning! Sister Long, wouldn't you agree?"

Long Xiaoyuan opened her mouth but couldn't say a word. A male student nearby seemed inspired by Qin Yueshi's speech and stood up, saying: "Indeed! If staking one's life can increase the odds of victory for Shuiyun Palace, then why not? I, Huang Zhizhen, am willing to borrow 198 gold dollars from the Qin Family and lend them to Shuiyun Palace..."

"Zhizhen!" Another senior pressed his shoulder: "Have you asked your old man, have you asked your brother!?"

"I'm me, they're them. Why should I ask them—"

The hot-blooded youth named Huang Zhizhen was dragged away by others, at that moment the bell for the next class rang, and Ming Shuiyun understandingly said: "Sister Long, we have to go to class now, shall we chat later? The study group is always happy to welcome you."

"Shuiyun Palace."

Long Xiaoyuan sighed deeply: "I understand, we won't bother you anymore."

"That's not what I mean..."

"A very clever tactic. Although I'm dissatisfied with Qin Le Yin's laissez-faire attitude towards you, Qin Le Yin's intervention was impeccable. But I'll still remind you, be wary of Qin Le Yin, his selfishness can't be summarized by terms like fame and wealth; his desires are so vast that they're beyond what Shuiyun Palace can satisfy."

Long Xiaoyuan took out a notebook: "This is your study plan tailored according to your current academic level, besides the Imperial Academy's courses, it also includes 'essential courses for rulers' recommended by our Anguo Tea Society. Since Shuiyun Palace hasn't received formal royal education, reading more of our recommended books should help you avoid many unnecessary detours."

Ming Shuiyun took the notebook, his expression was somewhat complex: "Thank you, Sister Long..."

"Shuiyun Palace, it's not that we're unwilling to bet our lives on you," Long Xiaoyuan said, "but we're not just individuals; we have families, clans... No matter how capricious we are, we can't squander our family's reputation. So I said Qin Le Yin's move was brilliant; it instantly revealed our ugly façade, exposing us as mere hypocrites who talk a good game..."

"No, Sister Long, I haven't—"

"In fact, it's true," Long Xiaoyuan shook her head, "Shuiyun Palace, we're not loyal to you; we're just loyal to Huiguang."

"Therefore, we care about Huiguang's future, while those around you care about your joys and sorrows at Shuiyun Palace... When I was reading history books before, I wondered why the fatuous monarchs couldn't distinguish loyalty from treachery. Now I somewhat understand..."

"Nevertheless, we'll still support you, perhaps by lending you 10 gold dollars or joining your study group to work for you... If one day Shuiyun Palace you lose the qualification to wield power, we'll leave you. But if Shuiyun Palace you perform increasingly well, we might even go bankrupt just to become something akin to a ship's captain beside you."

"Good luck, Shuiyun Palace."

With that, Long Xiaoyuan and the others left, and Ming Shuiyun watched their backs, lost in thought.

Long Xiaoyuan and her colleagues were not to blame; their goodwill towards Ming Shuiyun was genuine, and their lack of absolute loyalty to Ming Shuiyun was also true, because they were loyal only to the person sitting on the throne, and that person didn't necessarily have to be Ming Shuiyun.

Li Ying snorted: "Failing to make an argument yet subtly calling us traitors, while they themselves play the blade of grass on the wall with such righteousness. Clearly fleeing in disgrace, but acting as if it's a parting of confidants..."

Lin Xue suddenly said: "I have a premonition that, apart from Li Ying, we'll all be nailed to history's pillory of shame in the future."

"And her?" Kui Nianruo asked in surprise, poking Li Ying's face, distorting it: "Why isn't she included?"

"Because Li Ying has too many enemies; she turned into the pillory itself," Lin Xue shrugged, "Everyone would have peacefully ended the disputes if not for her insisting on engaging in verbal sparring for fun. In dramas, such troublemaking characters tend to die miserably."

"—Or they might survive till the end," Li Ying showed no remorse: "In novels, characters like me, who bring joy, usually end up best, either marrying princes or handsome men. Years later, when you've all passed away, I'll be recounting stories to my grandson: Back in the day, I was the captivating blossom of the Imperial Academy, though beside me were five others whose beauty was slightly inferior..."

"You're just shameless!"

"No wonder ancient people wrote diaries; they did it to prevent their enemies' descendants from tarnishing their reputation..."

"I think today's Li Ying is too subtle; in her normal state, she would say she plans to write a story titled 'Li Ying and Five Servant Girls' after we're gone."

They laughed and hurried to the next classroom, and after settling down, Li Ying suddenly remembered, quietly asking: "By the way, once the study group is up and running, can we manage funds worth a thousand gold dollars? Let me handle it; I want to learn logistics!"

"Studying logistics with a thousand gold dollars; even the Imperial Family doesn't go that big," Qin Yueshi replied irritably. "And it definitely won't be a thousand; it's likely just six or seven hundred."

"Why only six or seven hundred? Didn't your Qin Family give a thousand?"

"Who said our Qin Family would give it?"

"You did! If you don't put it there, then the ledger—"

"Only Shuiyun and the leadership are qualified to look at the ledger, and the leadership is us. Even if our Qin Family doesn't contribute money, nobody else will know," Qin Yueshi said confidently. "Besides, the study group doesn't need much money at first; putting money in the academy is a waste."

"So what's the deal with this fundraising?"

"The Qin family's money is returned, and borrowed money is split thirty-seventy."

"Clearly Shuiyun borrowed the money herself, why does she only get thirty?"

"No, Shuiyun gets thirty percent. The remaining seventy percent is managed entirely by our Qin Family," Qin Yueshi explained. "Even thirty percent of the loan is enough to operate the study group for a while. The other seventy percent is better kept to grow in the Qin Family's hands and can be returned to Shuiyun when needed."

"Shuiyun!" Li Ying worriedly held Ming Shuiyun's hand: "Look at this ugly face of the Qin siblings! This can't go on; they're trying to sideline you! Don't trust them; why not give the money to me instead? I can also engage in business to grow assets..."

Ming Shuiyun forced a smile: "I don't know business either; I can only trust Sister Shi and others."

Watching a large sum of money slip away, unable to scrape even a little bit, Li Ying felt regret, but soon she perked up: "Sister Shi, you're busy with both studies and training; surely you have no time for business? Let me do it; I won't study or train, just leave this task to me!"

"Of course I'm not in charge; this sum will be managed by my brother."

"Teacher Qin? But he can't leave campus, and usually he's also busy, right?"

"Not Qin Le Yin," Qin Yueshi shook her head. "Perhaps you've misunderstood; although my eldest brother is the patriarch of the Qin Family, and many deals were made when he was in Xuanzhu County, when it comes to specific business operations, down to negotiating every penny of profit, these matters are not handled by my eldest brother."

"In the Qin Family, the one most adept at asset management is my second brother."

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