Mo Li stood there for a moment, still trying to process what he was looking at, his brows slowly knitting together as confusion crept across his face like fog rolling in over a river.
"A eunuch, and Ming soldiers?" he muttered under his breath, genuinely baffled. "Where did these strange people even come from?"
Ji Menghan, who had stepped into the real world far earlier than Mo Li ever bothered to, cast a quick glance at the formation ahead before lowering his voice, his tone carrying that quiet certainty that only came from dealing with too many complicated humans.
"In Chengdu, anyone who can casually command eunuchs and troops like this only points to one person," he said, pausing just enough for the weight of the answer to settle. "The Shu Prince, Zhu Zhishu."
Mo Li blinked, and then the realization hit him a second later.
"Oh… a prince?"
Ji Menghan gave a small nod, the corner of his mouth twitching as if amused by the gap between academic brilliance and real world awareness.
"You didn't do your homework before coming here, did you?" he said lightly. "The court enfeoffed Zhu Zhishu here in Chengdu, and he's the single most powerful man in this region. His assets stretch across most of the Chengdu Plain, and the richest land in Sichuan is practically all under his control."
Mo Li scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed, as if someone had just pointed out that he had spent years mastering equations but somehow forgot how society actually worked.
"My homework went into electric fans and flying balloons," he admitted. "I'm not exactly as well rounded as you, Senior Ji."
Ji Menghan laughed softly, though there was a trace of something genuine beneath it.
"I almost wish I could be like you instead."
The two of them squeezed their way to the front, pushing past workers who instinctively made room once they realized the people in charge had arrived.
Ji Menghan didn't hesitate, stepping forward with a relaxed confidence that felt almost out of place in front of armed soldiers, yet somehow made the soldiers themselves hesitate.
He smiled politely at the eunuch and gave a small nod.
"I'm the person in charge here, Ji Menghan," he said. "May I ask for your name, sir, and where you serve?"
The eunuch lifted his chin slightly, his expression carrying that familiar mix of arrogance and thinly veiled impatience.
"This humble one is surnamed Xia," he replied with a nasal tone. "You may call me Eunuch Xia. I serve as an external steward of the Shu Prince's residence."
"Eunuch Xia," Ji Menghan repeated, his smile widening just enough to signal courtesy without surrender. "An honor."
He gestured lightly toward the factory behind him, the half-built structures still echoing with the faint memory of hammering and machinery.
"I wonder what offense our factory has committed to warrant such a visit, especially one that brings along the Shu Prince's guard. This land wasn't taken from the Prince's estate. It was wasteland, personally approved for our use by Governor Wang Weizhang."
Eunuch Xia rolled his eyes so dramatically it almost felt like a performance.
"Wang Weizhang?" he scoffed. "What kind of nobody is that? Don't bring up his name in front of me."
He waved his hand dismissively, as if swatting away an annoying insect.
"This land happens to be right next to our Prince's summer retreat. His Highness has been staying there these past few days, trying to enjoy himself, and all he hears from your side is constant clanging and banging. Tell me, how is he supposed to relax like that?"
His tone sharpened as he pointed toward the factory.
"Shut it down. Immediately."
Mo Li froze for a moment, his mind short circuiting in the face of what sounded like a perfectly reasonable complaint, at least on the surface.
"Ah…?" he said, already half ready to apologize like a well meaning student who had accidentally disturbed a classroom.
Ji Menghan, however, did not look convinced.
He turned his head slightly and glanced toward the distance, where the faint outline of the Shu Prince's summer villa could be seen hugging the edge of the mountains, so far away that it looked like part of the horizon itself.
There was an old saying about mountains that looked close but could run a horse to death before you reached them, and right now that saying felt particularly relevant.
At that distance, even firing a cannon might not carry sound all the way over.
And yet, hammering noise from a construction site was somehow causing headaches?
Ji Menghan let out a short laugh, reached out, and casually pulled Mo Li a step behind him.
"The Prince has remarkable hearing," he said, his tone shifting just enough to carry a hint of mockery. "Perhaps he's the reincarnation of some legendary long ear spirit. At this distance, I could fire artillery all day and he might not hear a thing, so how exactly are we disturbing him?"
Eunuch Xia smirked, clearly enjoying himself.
"You said it yourself," he replied. "His Highness simply has excellent hearing. The sound of you breaking stones is enough to give him headaches, so stop the factory."
Ji Menghan let out another soft chuckle, and then, without warning, changed his tone entirely.
"If we wanted the Prince to not hear anything," he asked casually, "how much silver would that take?"
Eunuch Xia's face immediately shifted into a look of satisfaction, the kind of expression that appeared when someone finally stopped pretending and got to the point.
"Now you're talking," he said with a grin. "Five hundred taels."
Ji Menghan nodded slowly, as if everything had suddenly fallen into place.
"I see."
Only then did Mo Li finally catch up, the realization hitting him like a delayed explosion.
So this wasn't about noise at all.
This was extortion.
He felt his face heat up, embarrassment and anger mixing together in an awkward mess.
He had almost apologized.
He had almost believed it.
He clenched his fists.
Eunuch Xia, clearly not done, continued as if reading from a shopping list.
"And that electric motor factory over there is also too noisy, so that's another five hundred," he said. "And that one over there, I don't even know what it does, but it's noisy too. Honestly, everything around Chengdu is noisy these days."
He spread his hands with exaggerated generosity.
"Our Prince is merciful, so he won't overcharge you. Just five thousand taels in total, and you can keep building all your factories."
Mo Li almost exploded on the spot.
Ji Menghan, however, simply reached out and lightly grabbed his arm, the gesture subtle but firm, anchoring him in place before he could do something stupid.
"Eunuch Xia," Ji Menghan said with a calm smile, "these factories are being built under the direction of Governor Wang Weizhang."
"You're bringing him up again?" Xia sneered. "I already told you, he's nothing. In front of our Prince, he doesn't even count as air. Don't think his name carries any weight here."
Ji Menghan nodded, as if conceding the point without actually conceding anything.
"Very well, then let's not mention him," he said. "These factories are being built under the guidance of Dao Xuan Tianzun."
Eunuch Xia let out a sharp laugh, the kind that carried both contempt and amusement.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" he said. "Some so called Tianzun, building a giant statue on a mountain and pretending to be divine? You might fool commoners, but you won't fool our Prince."
His expression turned cold.
"You're nothing more than a cult, just like the White Lotus, stirring trouble and deceiving the masses. Pay the five thousand taels, and our Prince might overlook your little tricks. Refuse, and he'll send a memorial to the court. When the imperial army marches into Sichuan, your entire group will be wiped out."
Mo Li's patience finally snapped.
He raised his fist, ready to swing, though the motion lacked any real threat, more academic frustration than actual violence.
Ji Menghan immediately grabbed his arm and forced it down, his voice dropping to a low whisper.
"A smart man doesn't take a loss right in front of him," he murmured. "Dao Xuan Tianzun is dealing with Liaodong right now, and Sichuan isn't under direct watch. We have workers here, not soldiers. If we clash with the Prince's guard, we lose, and people die for nothing."
Mo Li froze, the logic cutting through his anger like cold water.
Ji Menghan straightened, his smile returning as if nothing had happened.
"Five thousand taels, right?" he said cheerfully. "Give me a few days to prepare. I can't produce that much cash on the spot."
Eunuch Xia looked satisfied, nodding as though granting a generous favor.
"Three days," he said. "You have three days."
With that, he turned and left, humming to himself as he led the Shu Prince's guards away, clearly pleased with how things had gone.
Ji Menghan watched him go, the smile slowly fading from his face until only a cold, calculated expression remained.
"Notify all factories," he said quietly. "We're holding a workers' assembly."
That night, on the outskirts of Chengdu, the half completed generator factory stood under dim light, its construction temporarily halted, its wide training ground now filled with rows of seated worker representatives.
Ji Menghan stood at the front, Mo Li beside him, along with several blue hat graduate students, Governor Wang Weizhang, and a chieftain from the nearest Jiarong Tibetan tribe, the only one close enough to make the trip within a day.
He looked out over the crowd, letting the silence settle before speaking.
"Everyone," he began, his voice steady, "we're here today to discuss one man."
He paused, just long enough for anticipation to tighten across the field.
"The Shu Prince."
Before he could continue, a local worker from Sichuan suddenly shouted from the crowd, his voice loud and unrestrained.
"That bastard prince is nothing but trash!"
The words echoed across the field, and for a brief moment, the entire gathering felt like a pot just beginning to boil.