SFL Chapter 7

In the past, there were men willing to spend all their money for an Official position. But in the eyes of women, the title of being a Third Princess held just as little significance.

It’s just that the current situation is uncertain. They were afraid of getting involved and having their whole family wiped out in the turmoil. That’s why they refrained from taking impulsive actions.

While they might not make significant investments, they were still open to low-risk opportunities.

But intuitively, Mu Yunfeng didn’t think those unknown noblewomen would capture Su Qianluo’s attention to such an extent.

Perplexed, Mu Yunfeng decided to go to the palace to inform the Empress about this matter and prevent it from escalating.

It was not unusual for a woman to live in a Royal Palace. And at first, the Empress thought Mu Yunfeng wanted her to recommend a couple of concubines to serve at the Wang residence. However, to her surprise, Mu Yunfeng not only declined her suggestion but also sealed off any possible developments.

“My son, did your Wang Fei drug you with an infatuation potion? Making you focus solely on her,” the Empress angrily speculated, thinking that Su Qianluo had influenced Mu Yunfeng’s decisions.

Before coming over, Mu Yunfeng had done his homework on how to handle the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. He immediately smiled and said, “Mother, my concern has nothing to do with my Wang Fei.”

“It’s just that those people have questionable backgrounds. After they enter, we need to carefully distinguish who might be a spy for whom. The connections behind them are complicated, and neither my Wang Fei and I have the time for this.”

“And also, look at the chaos in my first and second brother’s residences. I don’t want to work all day outside and then come home to deal with these trivial matters,” Mu Yunfeng said seriously.

If there were too many concubines in a residence, it was impossible for them to remain well-behaved.

The Empress deeply understood this. However, she couldn’t believe that Mu Yunfeng didn’t want any more concubines. She asked, “But what about your heir?”

“It’s precisely for the sake of my heir that it’s better to have fewer women in my residence,” Mu Yunfeng reasoned.

The Empress relaxed her brows upon hearing this and said, “You’re right. I must’ve been out of my mind for a second. Rest assured, nobody will be able to go to your residence without my permission.”

“In that case, I can be at ease. And at the very least, this lessens the chance of people sending spies in my residence. I’ll leave matters to you and Wang Fei in the rear courtyard, and I’ll take care of the front courtyard,” Mu Yunfeng continued, no longer dwelling on the issue of concubines.

Seeing that Mu Yunfeng didn’t pay too much attention to this matter, the Empress’ impression of Su Qianluo improved slightly, and she no longer thought it was a scheme orchestrated by Su Qianluo.

“Remind your Wang Fei to be cautious as well. Tell her not to bring people of unknown backgrounds home,” the Empress instructed Mu Yunfeng.

Besides being a mother, as the Empress of this Empire, she had the authority to introduce concubines to Mu Yunfeng. However, it would be strange if Su Quanluo willingly brought concubines to her husband.

Of course, the Emperor also had the authority to do so, but with the Empress around, even if the Emperor wanted to introduce concubines to Mu Yunfeng, he couldn’t bypass the Empress.

After sorting out this matter, Mu Yunfeng shifted his focus to the former official court.

The Empress is worthy of being the superior in the middle palace and no one can bypass her.

And having witnessed this countless times, the Empress became increasingly frustrated and angry. Those people trying to introduce individuals to her son are not only not helpful but they’re also a burden. With this in mind, the Empress found it hard to be easily pleased.

Mu Yunfeng, being the Third Prince, had people keeping an eye on him. Naturally, the First Prince and Second Prince had their share of women coming to them.

However, unlike Mu Yunfeng, who was solely focused on his official duties, those two men didn’t discriminate when it came to the women who came to them. After all, besides the negligible assistance these women provided, their beauty alone was a valuable asset that could stir desires.

In comparison to them, Mu Yunfeng seemed out of place. The contrast was too stark. Even the Emperor, their father, had to personally inquire, “Yunfeng, can you really do it with only one Wang Fei in your residence?”

Compared to the First Prince and Second Prince, whose residences were filled with beauties, the Third Prince was living a life akin to a monk. Even the Emperor felt a bit sorry for him.

Mu Yunfeng didn’t quite understand and asked, “What do you mean, Father? Oh, you mean, I only have fewer people in my residence?”

“But I’m not as lustful of women as my elder brothers. I don’t get immobilized at the sight of them. Why would I need so many women? One is just right, and two would be too noisy.”

“Instead of wasting energy on women, it’s better to save that energy to do more for the court.”

The Emperor knew that Mu Yunfeng was giving the First Prince and Second Prince a piece of his mind. However, comparing the actions of his three sons, he couldn’t deny that the Eldest and the Second Prince did better than the Third Prince, even if he was being honest.

But with this, Mu Yunfeng would not be able to rely on any of his in-laws’ connections.

Su Qianluo’s eldest uncle is only one floor away from his Second Wife’s room. His lack of action after bringing Su Qianhuan back home indicated that he was likely just observing the situation.

After all, He had his own unmarried daughter, and when the time came, he would surely assist his son-in-law, rather than lending support to the son-in-law of his Second Wife.

As for Mu Yunfeng’s real in-laws, the Second Wife of the Su family didn’t carry much weight. They couldn’t help Mu Yunfeng and might even hinder him.

On the other hand, when it came to the First Prince and Second Prince, their enjoyment of the beautiful women also came with some level of assistance from the forces behind these women. While the strength behind each beauty might not be significant on its own, the sheer number of women they had accumulated meant a significant overall influence.

The Emperor once again felt that Mu Yunfeng was somewhat isolated, but he couldn’t directly point it out. Instead, he asked about how Mu Yunfeng was doing at the Ministry of Revenue.

People at the Ministry of Revenue didn’t need Mu Yunfeng to take the blame for them. Their attitude toward Mu Yunfeng was naturally cold, especially considering Mu Yunfeng’s previous role as the head of the Ministry of Justice, where he had executed many officials from the Ministry of Revenue. They had shown considerable restraint in not openly mocking or ridiculing Mu Yunfeng.

Of course, Mu Yunfeng couldn’t be held responsible for the major issues at the Ministry of Revenue. However, within the Emperor’s purview, Mu Yunfeng’s position as a prince was enough to deter them from making Mu Yunfeng sit on the cold bench at their Ministry.

The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the nation’s territory, land, taxation, household registration, salaries, and all financial matters. Currently, Mu Yunfeng hasn’t been involved in handling finances. Instead, he was assigned to the measurement of national territory and land. Surveying land is a time-consuming task, and Mu Yunfeng’s role has undoubtedly marginalized him.

The Emperor’s brows furrowed upon hearing this. Although Mu Yunfeng hadn’t voiced any grievances, it was common for a Prince who entered the Ministry of Revenue to yield some real power, rather than being tasked with the cumbersome job of land measurement.

As the Emperor, he couldn’t allow one of his sons to establish too much influence within the Ministry of Revenue. However, he also felt uneasy about his own son being neglected. Whose face was being slapped here?

These young aristocrats outside were so arrogant when they boasted about their fathers’ identities. Now it was his own son’s turn, it was good that he didn’t take him seriously as his biological father.

Mu Yunfeng, the person directly involved, wasn’t as angry as one might imagine. Even if he received a peripheral role, he was prepared to do it well. Besides, he was only overseeing the project and didn’t need to personally travel all over the country to measure land. There were specialized personnel for these tasks, but they had been reassigned to him for now.

After leaving the palace, Mu Yunfeng went to the Ministry of Public Works with the blueprints he had drawn. He needed them to create a tool that would expedite the land measurement process.

“Third Prince, what is this tool? What is it used for?” The Minister of Public Works personally received Mu Yunfeng and frowned as he examined the blueprints.

The blueprints indicated various materials required, and the device looked somewhat similar to a hot air balloon, but significantly larger. It seemed to require a substantial amount of manpower and resources, and its purpose was unclear to the Ministry.

“This is a device that can take people up into the sky. I plan to have the personnel from the Ministry of Revenue sit inside it and oversee our magnificent landscapes from above, measuring the country’s territory and land area,” Mu Yunfeng explained.

The Minister was momentarily stunned, but then, realizing the potential, he became excited. “Third Prince, are you serious? Can this device really take people up into the sky?”

“That’s natural. First, let’s create a prototype. If it succeeds, we can manufacture more in the future,” Mu Yunfeng told the Minister.

“Yes, yes, let’s create a prototype first and see how it performs,” the Minister replied enthusiastically. He didn’t waste any more time entertaining Mu Yunfeng and hurriedly went to discuss the blueprints with the craftsmen.

For an ordinary person, creating a hot air balloon would be an extremely challenging task. However, for the state, obtaining the necessary materials and budget approval wasn’t a problem. Therefore, the Ministry of Public Works quickly initiated the project.

Apart from Mu Yunfeng and the officials at the Ministry, no one else knew why Mu Yunfeng had gone there. When the news reached the ears of the First and Second Princes, their interpretation took a somewhat different turn.

Drawing conclusions from their own behavior, they were convinced that Mu Yunfeng had gone to the Ministry of Public Works to form alliances.

They couldn’t believe that Mu Yunfeng would truly rely on no one, and it seemed that he was about to reveal his true intentions.

The Second Prince, as if he had found a handle, eagerly went to the palace and directly reported Mu Yunfeng’s actions to the Emperor.

He knew that this would diminish his image in the Emperor’s eyes, but if he could bring Mu Yunfeng down, it would be worth it, even if he faced the Emperor’s reprimand.

At the same time, Mu Yunfeng received a summons from the palace. Simultaneously, one of his attendants spoke, “My Lord, not long ago, the Second Prince entered the palace. This summons might be related to him.”

Who knew what the Second Prince had said about their Lord in front of the Emperor?

“Don’t worry, he’s destined to fail in his attempt to steal the chicken and lose the rice,” Mu Yunfeng chuckled.

He knew what he had done, but the Second Prince didn’t. Mu Yunfeng had openly interacted with the Minister of Public Works, and the Minister’s warm attitude toward him was apparent. Naturally, the Second Prince assumed that Mu Yunfeng had successfully recruited the Minister. However, passively waiting for the outcome wasn’t the Second Prince’s style.

The First Prince, who also harboured suspicions, was delighted to see the Second Prince take the lead.

When Mu Yunfeng entered the palace, as expected, the Minister of Public Works was also summoned. Both of them had palace eunuchs accompanying them and didn’t speak. They entered the palace one after the other.

The Second Prince sat to the side, his eyes filled with satisfaction, feeling that Mu Yunfeng was now trapped.

The people at the Ministry of Public Works had witnessed Mu Yunfeng’s unusually close interactions with their Minister. They knew that the Minister held real power in his hands, and even the Second Prince refrained from getting too close to the Minister, fearing it might give others leverage over him.

“Third Brother, why did you go to see the Minister of Public Works? Can you tell your Second Brother?” The Second Prince spoke with a mocking tone, looking at Mu Yunfeng as if he believed Mu Yunfeng was in dire straits. The Emperor was seated behind the Second Prince and he naturally didn’t see the changes of the Emperor’s expression from the start till the end.

“Second Brother, you belong to the Ministry of War. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to help in this matter. Let’s not complicate things further,” Mu Yunfeng replied.

He remained composed and calm, even when standing next to the Minister of Public Works. This sudden composure from Mu Yunfeng made the Second Prince feel a sudden unease.

“That’s quite funny, third brother. You’re in the Ministry of Revenue, and you’re dealing with the Ministry of Public Works. How can you say I can’t be of assistance?” The Second Prince mocked, but inside, he felt a growing sense of unease.

“Your Majesty, Third Prince came to me to request that the Ministry of Public Works create a tool that can quickly measure the territory and farmland of our country. This tool is almost complete and will be introduced soon,” the Minister of Public Works calmly informed the Emperor.

“Oh, what kind of tool can quickly measure our country’s territory?” The Emperor became interested upon hearing this.

“Your Majesty, it’s an aircraft that allows people to fly. With this aircraft, we can view our magnificent country from high above. And by applying the corresponding calculation methods, we can obtain accurate data about our country’s territory. It’s much faster than having our people walk and measure step by step,” the Minister of Public Works explained enthusiastically.

Mu Yunfeng had a premonition that this aircraft would be a significant breakthrough in their Ministry’s technological capabilities.

Throughout history, humans had never ceased to explore the secrets of flying like birds, such as with sky lanterns, driven by their fascination with the skies. However, the appearance of an aircraft capable of carrying people and flying was unprecedented.

As an Emperor, he contemplated the matter more profoundly than the excited Minister. He pondered how they would handle the situation if they encountered enemies capable of flying? Following the army and navy, would they need to establish an air force in the future? After all, the sky had no natural defenses, which made him somewhat anxious.

Fortunately, they were the ones who first mastered this flying technology.

In the palace hall, the thoughts of those present varied. The Second Prince’s complexion grew increasingly pale after listening to the Minister’s words.

If, at this point, he still didn’t realize that he had fallen into someone else’s trap, then he had truly lived in vain.