"Today, let's greet the brothers from the Eastern Factory. When the Praying Place arrives, it'll be good for everyone to cooperate and act accordingly."
In the Eastern Factory's grand hall, Chen Yi cupped his fists towards the prominent figures of the Eastern Factory and spoke.
Wang Gu, standing to the side, opened his mouth and said:
"I believe everyone has already heard—at least for the next month or two—Chen Qianhu from the West Factory will be temporarily assuming the role of Supervisor."
Inside the grand hall, some of the captains instantly burst into laughter with endless words of flattery flowing.
Min Ning gazed at Chen Yi standing before the crowd, her eyes subtly complicated.
Even though she'd known yesterday that he'd temporarily replace the Supervisor, Min Ning still couldn't help but feel shocked when she saw him here in person.
Especially as this man—who harbors desires for both her sister and herself—was now to become her immediate superior.
"Come, Chen Qianhu. This way, please."
Wang Gu made a gesture of invitation,
"Coincidentally, there's a case file here you can take a look at to get familiar with the Eastern Factory's processes."
Chen Yi stepped forward and followed Wang Gu.
Min Ning watched this scene, her brows slightly furrowed.
She recalled that just yesterday, Wang Qianhu had been conspiring with several familiar captains.
Arriving at the case file room, Wang Gu pulled out a file from the desk and placed it in Chen Yi's hands.
Chen Yi lowered his eyes and skimmed through it quickly.
At the top of the file, a few words were written:
"Northwest outskirts of the Capital City, there are civilians privately constructing an infant tower."
Glancing at the file's date, Chen Yi noticed it was from several years ago—it had been shelved for quite some time.
Chen Yi furrowed his brows and said:
"Privately constructing an infant tower…"
He'd heard of infant towers before. Initially, they were used to abandon sick and deformed newborns. Later, commoners began discarding unwanted infants—some male but mostly female—into them.
And that wasn't the worst of it. In certain extreme villages, people would kill the infants inside to ward off spirits seeking reincarnation—through drowning, fire, or other cruel means. Such brutality defied description.
As for why… The answer was simple: they couldn't afford to raise them.
"Unlike your West Factory, which oversees one factory and one battalion, we at the Eastern Factory deal with a lot of trivial matters. For example, private construction of infanticide towers—since the palace fears its ominous aura might disrupt the Capital City's feng shui, we're tasked to handle it."
Wang Gu assumed Chen Yi's silence meant he couldn't believe the Eastern Factory would handle such trivial affairs, so he timely explained.
Chen Yi closed the file and said solemnly:
"Take me to see it. According to Great Yu laws, illegally killing one's child results in confiscation and being enslaved."
Though unsure if the Ding'an Party was somehow involved, ignoring it outright would certainly undermine the proverbial "thrice-burning fires" of a new appointee.
And if the Ding'an Party was indeed involved, Chen Yi wouldn't hesitate to drag them down along with the Lin Party when the Praying Place arrived.
Wang Gu responded with a sarcastic smile:
"We shall depart immediately."
.........…
Their tall horses passed through the marketplaces, slowly exited the city gates, and headed towards the village outskirts.
Smoke curled upwards. Chen Yi gripped the reins, his expression tranquil.
Was it merely an illusion?
Chen Yi couldn't shake the feeling that more people were following their group.
When they left the Eastern Factory, there had been roughly seven or eight people. Yet, once they'd exited the gates, their numbers had substantially increased.
Chen Yi turned back casually to count.
There were now fifteen people.
Most wore the official uniforms of the Brocade Guards, with three among them being flag captains.
"Keep going; we're nearly there."
Wang Gu, trailing behind, remarked.
"Clearing an infant tower requires this many Brocade Guards?"
Chen Yi asked casually.
"You may not know, Chen Qianhu, but these days, court intrigue is rampant, and officials oppress the people. Even outside the Capital City, there's no shortage of troublemakers."
Wang Gu said this with a calm expression,
"A single misstep could land us in a grave situation."
Chen Yi narrowed his eyes slightly.
After crossing a dirt road, the village gradually came into view, and in the distance, a crude wooden tower could be seen.
From within the tower, faint sounds seemed to emanate.
Very subtle, unclear to ears.
It sounded like crying, yet also like mourning.
Chen Yi's grip on the reins tightened further.
A suffocating stillness pervaded the village. At the sound of horse hooves, nearly every villager shrank into their homes. A few scattered laborers threw themselves down into the fields, not daring to rise.
The sun blazed high, and the reeking stench of decay wafted out from the infant tower.
The spirited horses raised their heads, unsettled, and neighed towards the heavens.
Behind him, the Brocade Guards dismounted in unison, their hands unconsciously resting on their blades.
Wang Gu cupped his fists and said:
"Please, Chen Qianhu, dismount."
Chen Yi did not respond, his gaze locked onto the infant tower.
After a long pause, he neither dismounted nor answered, merely saying coldly:
"Round up every resident here. Find out who built the tower and who the accomplices are. As per Great Yu laws, take them all into custody and escort them to the Capital City."
Wang Gu ignored his command entirely and replied once more:
"Please, Chen Qianhu, dismount."
Chen Yi turned his eyes sideways, asking:
"What part of what I said did you fail to understand?"
Sensing a tinge of menace in his tone, the Brocade Guards' hands began to draw the Brocade Spring Blade an inch outward.
Watching Chen Yi fixated on the infant tower, Wang Gu sneered:
"Who would've thought Chen Qianhu still had a shred of compassion left in him."
Chen Yi turned his face back, staring directly at the Brocade Guards.
On the open plain, fourteen men had already positioned themselves to surround him from three directions, their blades now fully unsheathed.
"Dismount at once!"
The Brocade Guards said in unison.
"This place lies on the Capital City's outskirts—not far from the city itself. Given that even routine patrols by soldiers can uncover privately constructed infant towers, how is this tower still standing here?"
Chen Yi gazed at the men, speaking slowly:
"And that file—clearly neglected for years—why was it only handed to me today?"
Wang Gu did not answer directly, instead saying:
"The Lin Party corrupts the court, amasses illicit wealth—if the Lin Party is not toppled, Great Yu will never achieve revival."
Chen Yi gleaned something from this,
"Lin Gong Grand Secretary has always placed great importance on cultivating immortality. No matter how vile his actions, he'd never allow something like an infant tower—which disrupts feng shui and damages spiritual cultivation—to persist. Such a thing would provoke dissatisfaction within the palace."
"So… this is your Ding'an Party's doing? Your Ding'an Party deliberately allowed them to construct infant towers, merely waiting for the day you'd accumulate enough evidence—drip by drip, grain by grain—to topple the Lin Party."
His words caused visible unease among the gathered Brocade Guards.
Wang Gu replied with a sarcastic smile:
"Chen Qianhu, even for humans, treating gangrene requires cutting through flesh and bone."
"Moreover, Ding'an Party intends to prescribe a remedy for the ills of Great Yu."
"Compared to the Lin Party's sins, what does this amount to?"
"Chen Qianhu, if not for the Lin Party's corruption, would the common people have had to resort to infant killings?"
The words slowly fell.
Chen Yi remained silent, still seated upright.
The autumn wind swept across the desolate yellow earth, kicking up sand and stones.
Villagers peered cautiously through cracks, glancing outside.
First came the metallic rustling of blades being unsheathed. Amid the windswept chaos, the man atop the imposing horse did not move—but the long blade had already entirely left its scabbard, the veins on his hand bulging.
The spirited horse raised its head to the sky, roaring into the autumn breeze.
He was neither a good man nor entirely an evil one; there was always a line he wouldn't cross.
Chen Yi gripped the Brocade Spring Blade tightly. He had never before wanted to kill as much as he did today.
Perhaps because…
He'd heard too many hollow words over time.
And seen too many beasts in human clothing.