Xi'an North Station was roaring like a steel beehive.
Mountains of supplies were stacked in disciplined chaos. Crates of grain. Barrels of salt. Bundles of cloth. Medical chests. Tools. Spare parts. Everything labeled. Everything recorded.
Wang Tang stood at the center of it all with a thick stack of manifests in his hand, looking less like a merchant and more like a general commanding an army of paperwork.
Each time a batch of goods was loaded onto the train, he ticked a line.
Check.
Next.
Check.
Beside him, two figures in wide-brimmed bamboo hats leaned suspiciously close.
They were trying to look casual.
They were failing.
Wang Tang did not even look up. "If you two want to read the list, just read it. There's no need to act like thieves scouting a treasury."
Zhu Cunji inhaled sharply. "Don't call me anything official! If someone hears, my identity will be exposed. Call me Great Hero."
Zhu Yujian added calmly, "I am no longer a prince. I have been demoted to a commoner."
Wang Tang coughed to hide his laughter. "Very well. Great Heroes. What exactly are you peeking at?"
Zhu Cunji lowered his voice dramatically. "Isn't this military intelligence? How can I read it openly?"
Wang Tang finally looked at him.
"Military intelligence? No. These supplies will enter Sichuan under the name of 'private aid.' The decree came from Dao Xuan Tianzun himself. Local gentry and wealthy households have jointly signed documents claiming these goods as their donations."
He tapped the manifest.
"If it is private aid, then it is not a secret. Anyone may inspect it."
Zhu Yujian fell silent for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"You handle matters with such care. Avoiding imperial suspicion at every turn. Compared to this, I was truly foolish."
His voice grew softer.
"When I raised troops to assist the emperor, I could have used the militia's name. Provided support from behind the curtain. Instead, I mobilized the Prince of Tang's personal guard directly."
He smiled bitterly.
"And invited imperial suspicion."
Zhu Cunji clicked his tongue. "Exactly. You should have done as I do. Dress like a knight-errant. Wear a large bamboo hat. Adopt a heroic alias. Lead hired warriors in righteous chaos."
He puffed out his chest.
"Never move as a prince. Always move as Jianghu."
Zhu Yujian shook his head. "If I had done that, I would have looked like a bandit. If I had encountered Master Bai on the way, he might have shot me with a flintlock before I could explain."
Zhu Cunji considered this carefully.
"That is… possible."
Zhu Yujian sighed again. "If the name is not correct, words lack authority. If the name is correct, it invites danger. Being a prince is exhausting."
Wang Tang smiled faintly.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun calls this a systemic flaw. To resolve it, a more advanced social system is required. Unfortunately, I only completed middle school. I cannot explain what that system looks like."
Both former princes looked at him as if he had just described a mythical beast.
Wang Tang continued, "Gu Yanwu has many thoughts on this matter. Dao Xuan Tianzun values him highly."
Zhu Yujian remembered that spirited young scholar at Xiaolangdi Water Fortress. Sharp eyes. Quick tongue.
The kind of man who questioned foundations.
Zhu Cunji meanwhile leaned openly over the manifest now that permission had been granted.
He read line by line.
Then his expression shifted.
"There is a problem."
Wang Tang raised a brow. "What problem?"
Zhu Cunji tapped the paper.
"These supplies are labeled as private aid. That means they have no patronage."
Wang Tang blinked. "Patronage?"
"Protection," Zhu Cunji clarified. "A powerful name attached to them."
Understanding dawned on Wang Tang's face.
"You mean… as they pass through imperial jurisdictions on the way to Sichuan, corrupt officials may intercept them?"
Zhu Cunji nodded solemnly. "Precisely."
Zhu Yujian added, "If these supplies were sent under the banner of a high official or powerful clan, someone stronger would covet them. If under a prince's name, few would dare touch them."
He paused.
"But any prince capable of sending such vast quantities would instantly attract the Emperor's suspicion."
He spread his hands helplessly.
"Systemic flaw."
Wang Tang stared at the mountain of supplies.
Then he grinned.
"Yes. It is a problem."
The two princes leaned closer.
"But it is not a big problem."
Zhu Yujian's eyes widened. "Not big?"
Wang Tang shrugged casually. "If someone tries to intercept disaster relief supplies, we will fight our way through."
Zhu Yujian inhaled sharply. "Fight? Would that not invite imperial suspicion again?"
Wang Tang shook his head.
"These are relief supplies. If officials attempt to embezzle them, they must do so quietly. Secretly. If they reach out and get slapped for it, do you think they will announce it publicly?"
He smiled.
"They would never report to the Emperor that they were beaten while attempting to steal disaster relief grain."
Zhu Yujian thought about it.
"That… is true."
"They would fabricate other charges," Wang Tang continued. "Invent accusations. But one lie requires countless more to sustain it. We now have civil officials under Dao Xuan Tianzun's banner who specialize in paperwork warfare."
He tapped his temple.
"Bureaucratic wrangling? We do not fear them."
Zhu Yujian clasped his hands respectfully.
He said nothing more.
He had seen armies.
Now he saw systems.
Beside him, Zhu Cunji's eyes sparkled.
"In that case, I must join this excitement."
Wang Tang turned slowly. "No."
"I will join as a private aid volunteer," Zhu Cunji insisted. "That is reasonable."
"No."
Zhu Cunji pointed dramatically at the station.
"This train station is mine. The trains carrying these supplies are mine. Dao Xuan Tianzun himself declared it a private enterprise. Whether you agree or not, I am already involved."
He crossed his arms.
"There is nothing you can do."
Wang Tang opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Nothing came out.
There was truly no cure for a wealthy enthusiast with infrastructure.
He sighed. "Fine. Do as you wish."
Zhu Cunji beamed. "Mission accomplished."
Zhu Yujian lowered his voice. "You intend to leave Xi'an openly like this? Are you not afraid someone will notice your absence? You even traveled to Henan to rescue me. Can you truly disappear for so long?"
Zhu Cunji smiled mysteriously.
"Come."
He pulled Zhu Yujian through twisting streets until they reached the busiest avenue in Xi'an.
Merchants shouted.
Carts rattled.
And parked conspicuously at the roadside stood the glittering Kulinan.
Zhu Cunji pointed. "That is my car."
Zhu Yujian frowned. "And?"
Before he could finish, another Zhu Cunji stepped out of a nearby tavern.
This one wore princely robes.
Eunuchs flanked him.
His lips glistened with grease from a heavy meal.
He laughed loudly. "Excellent dishes! This heir apparent shall dine here again!"
As he approached the Kulinan, one eunuch subtly nudged him and gestured across the street.
Princely Zhu Cunji glanced up.
Across the way stood Hat-Wearing Zhu Cunji, guarded discreetly by sworn loyalists.
The two exchanged a subtle look.
Everything is under control.
Princely Zhu Cunji entered the Kulinan and drove off at a dignified pace.
Hat-Wearing Zhu Cunji remained where he was.
Zhu Yujian stared.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"A body double."
Zhu Cunji adjusted his bamboo hat.
"In troubled times, survival requires preparation."
He grinned.
"Besides, how can the most useful man in the world travel without backup?"