Becoming the Imperial Prince’s Tutor, there is no doubt that one would be tied together with the prince...

Xiqiu did not want Shenzhi to take this risk.

"What does Fourth Master think?" Xiqiu asked Fourth Master Xiao, looking at him.

Fourth Master Xiao was silent for a moment, then replied, "There might still be a way to handle this matter!" After saying that, he glanced at Xiqiu and continued, "The Prefect of Zhejiang is advanced in age and has prepared a resignation letter which will soon be presented to the palace... If Wenxian is interested, he could go to Zhejiang."

Even though the Prefect of Zhejiang’s resignation letter hadn’t been submitted, he already knew about it. It seemed that if Shenzhi was interested, the position of Prefect of Zhejiang was already secured for him.

Xiqiu tilted her head and pondered for a moment, feeling that this idea was indeed a good one!

"Then I’ll ask eldest brother later and see what he thinks." Xiqiu replied.

Fourth Master Xiao nodded.

The next day, Xiqiu told Shenzhi about this matter. Shenzhi only said he would consider it and did not give a direct answer...

In court, Zhou Bohan submitted a memorial, clearly supporting Lord Wu on the fisheries tax. Lord Zhang immediately countered in court, saying, "In recent years, Great Zhou has engaged in too much maritime trade and fishing activities, inevitably causing turmoil in coastal areas. Economic instability widens the gap between rich and poor, making fishermen’s lives difficult as they pay large taxes, while port trade is increasingly prosperous, stimulating local economic growth. I’m afraid soon no one will go fishing, as everyone will turn to port trade for business, which might ultimately be counterproductive." Essentially, he was saying, "The profit margin for fishermen is already thin; if you increase the fisheries tax, is there any need for them to fish? Everyone can just switch to maritime trade, and if that happens, not only will you not collect any fisheries tax, but it might also reduce the current tax revenue."

Lord Wu retorted, "This is just a minor phenomenon and cannot be generalized!"

Lord Zhang fought back, and Lord Wu was not willing to yield. In court, there were both opponents and supporters. The two lords’ disciples even formed factions, leading to increasingly intense conflicts. The Emperor, sitting high on his throne, secretly turned around to discuss the Fujian Maritime Trade Bureau and issues regarding Quanzhou Port, Guangzhou Port, Ningbo Port, and others with Fourth Master Xiao and several close ministers...

Chief Lei took the plan given by the Ministry of Industry and, in early June, braved the scorching sun to travel to Fujian. The First Master subsequently sent a clerk from the Ministry of Industry to Fujian to assist Chief Lei in supervising the construction of the Supervision Bureau. The Fujian Sea Ban will officially be lifted by the end of the year.

The court’s disputes continued unabated, while Xiqiu worried about Shenzhi’s matter. Yet, Fourth Master Xiao and Shenzhi himself remained carefree, as if unbothered by it all.

"Fourth Auntie." Xing and Sheng clasped their fists towards Xiqiu. Xiqiu nodded, smiling as she looked at the two of them and pointed to the chairs in front of them, "Sit down and talk." She then instructed Bihuai, "Bring us the chilled sour plum soup from the kitchen."

Bihuai responded affirmatively, and Xiqiu turned to Xing, "Is there no class today?"

"Yes, Mr. Song’s colleague arrived in the Capital, and he requested three days’ leave from Second Uncle. Today is the first day!" Sheng said, his eyes sparkling with joy, while Xing smiled lightly, glancing around and asking, "Where is Zhi?"

"He’s fishing." Xiqiu said with a light smile, "He goes to the Qing River to fish every morning." Glancing at the time, she added, "It might still be a while. Do you want to go and see?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng turned his head to look at Xing, "Shall we go fishing too, since our third brother hasn’t finished his classes yet?" Xing pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Sure!"

Just then, Bihuai came in with the sour plum soup, and Xiqiu instructed her, "Go to the storeroom and fetch a set of fishing gear for both Sheng and Xing." She then looked at the two of them, "Wear a hat and don’t get sunburned."

The two children responded affirmatively, got up to say goodbye to Xiqiu, and immediately went to the side of the Qing River in the backyard. From afar, they saw Zhi indeed sitting on the dock, holding fishing rods in both hands and dangling his feet in the water below.

"Zhi." Sheng ran over quickly, triumphantly pulling out a small birdcage from behind him, "Look, what’s this!"

Zhi turned his head and saw an immature bird fluttering inside. Its feathers were vividly colored, and Zhi’s eyes lit up as he asked, "Big brother, this parrot looks so pretty!"

"What parrot!" Sheng scoffed, "You don’t recognize quality when you see it." He then showed off the cage, shaking it slightly, "Let me tell you, this is called an Oriole. Have you seen an Oriole before? Its call is beautiful, a sound only heard in heaven... rare on earth..."

Listening to this, Zhi’s expression became serious. He threw the fishing rod in his hand to Qingshan, stood barefoot, and earnestly observed the Oriole, then nodded knowingly, "It does seem a bit different." He paused and added, "Then have it call, let me hear how nice its voice is."

"Haha..." Xing laughed, coming over to Zhi, "Don’t listen to big brother’s exaggeration. It’s just a bird with a crisp call, not as magical as he says." He then led Zhi to look at the fish basket hanging from the dock, "Have you caught any fish?"

Zhi continued to stare at the birdcage, answering without turning his head, "I’ve caught two, but I want to catch more. It would be better if everyone had one to eat."

Xing chuckled, picking up a fishing rod with bait from the servant beside him, and replied, "Then I’ll help you. With more people, we’ll surely catch more." He then headed to another side with the fishing rod.

Seeing Zhi liking the Oriole in his hand, Sheng felt pleased, handing the birdcage to Zhi, saying, "Take it, from now on, don’t say that I don’t keep my word."

"For me?" Zhi held the birdcage lovingly, with a wide smile and sparkling eyes, "Thank you, big brother!"

Sheng raised his eyebrows, looking very pleased and waved his hand like a big brother, "No need to thank me. If you want anything else in the future, just let me know!"

Zhi nodded repeatedly, eyes fixed on the Oriole!

Xing turned back to look at the two of them, laughing silently and remembered that the day after tomorrow he was going out with his father to visit elders. His expression turned solemn, and he sighed secretly.

The three of them spent the entire morning by the river, catching seven or eight fish. With Qingshan and Qingyuan carrying the fish basket, they went directly to the kitchen, taking the fish out one by one and comparing sizes: "This one for braising, this one for soup, this one for steaming..." Xing shook his head, "This one is big, why not make boiled fish slices, Fourth Auntie’s favorite."

Zhi nodded, "Okay! This one for boiled fish slices!" He then added with a smile, "Let’s grill the other four fish tonight!"

Xing and Sheng nodded, "Okay, when third brother comes back, we’ll set up a fire in the yard to grill the fish." At Fourth Auntie’s, she always let them "have their way," and Xing and Sheng were eager to try.