Cold sweat trickled down Fan Li's back.

Thankfully, he was using the alias Fan Zhe. Xue Susu clearly hadn't recognized him. Otherwise, given the Great Ci Dynasty's stance towards him, there might have been another corpse floating in the Qinhuai River last night.

Fan Li continued reading Xue Susu’s information.

“Mission: Infiltrate the Great Ming and assassinate Emperor Jiajing.”

What?!

Holy crap!

The Painting Sage was tasked with such a mission?!

Fan Li couldn't help but think of Jing Ke from the Warring States period.

Assassination was indeed a viable option. At least, so far, even Fan Li couldn’t think of a better way to kill Emperor Jiajing within the Great Ming’s territory.

An Emperor who had mastered Pangu’s Giant Body was practically invincible!

Lure Emperor Jiajing out of the Great Ming?

Perhaps through a personal military campaign?

Then, join forces with Empress Yao Guang, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan – those Great Vehicle Realm Emperors – to ambush and kill him outside the Great Ming’s borders?

It was a good idea, but practically impossible.

Throughout history, personal military campaigns led by Emperors were incredibly rare. Many rulers never even left their palaces.

Fan Li knew that the Jiajing Emperor from his previous life was a notorious recluse. He had once gone twenty-four years without holding court, spending his days in seclusion, cultivating diligently.

He had to admit, the Painting Sage, Xue Susu, her potential as an assassin was far greater than Jing Ke’s!

But Fan Li was curious. Xue Susu was now a Qinhuai courtesan. With such a glamorous yet lowly identity, how would she assassinate Emperor Jiajing?

Could it be that Emperor Jiajing also enjoyed visiting the Qinhuai River at night?

Fan Li didn’t believe it. The story of Li Shishi from the Water Margin required an Emperor with a taste for art and romance, like Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty.

Emperor Jiajing was clearly not the same type of person.

As Fan Li pondered this, he noticed the scroll Xue Susu had given him, lying on his desk.

Damn it!

Should he just burn it?

It couldn’t be anything good!

A candlestick sat on the table, the candle having burned all night, only a small amount of wax remaining. The flame flickered weakly.

Fan Li didn’t unroll the scroll. He simply held it over the flame.

He burned it for a while, until even the last drop of wax had melted away. But the scroll remained completely unharmed!

“This… is a spirit treasure?” Fan Li was stunned.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

If he couldn’t destroy it, he could simply throw it away. He wasn’t a fan of Xue Susu’s, nor did he care for her gift, even if it was her own painting.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, a knock, no, it was more like someone pounding on the door!

Fan Li was startled. Was there even such a thing as a home invasion in a high-class establishment like the Smoke and Waves Pleasure Barge?

He opened the door and saw a handsome scholar with a face as beautiful as jade. His eyes were bloodshot, and he glared at Fan Li with the fury of someone facing their father’s killer.

“You’re Fan Zhe? The Fan Clan Trading Company’s representative in the Great Ming?”

Fan Li nodded. “May I ask who you are?”

The scholar puffed out his chest. “The Top Scholar, a sixth-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy, Chen Deyan!”

“So, it’s the Top Scholar? My apologies, my apologies.”

Fan Li was stunned for a moment, then quickly put on a fawning smile, the typical demeanor of a cunning merchant facing the prestigious Top Scholar.

He bowed deeply.

Chen Deyan, worthy of his title, had impeccable manners. He instinctively returned Fan Li’s bow.

“No! I have something to ask you!”

Seeing his agitated state, clearly being used by someone, Fan Li whispered, “Shh! Top Scholar, this is the Smoke and Waves Pleasure Barge. You shouldn’t address yourself as an official. Be mindful of the Great Ming’s laws…”

Chen Deyan had spent years studying diligently, finally achieving his dream of becoming the Top Scholar. His reputation was everything to him.

Fan Li’s reminder startled him. Cold sweat trickled down his back.

“Th… Thank you for the reminder.”

His expression softened. He looked at Fan Li with a mix of anger, jealousy, embarrassment, and gratitude.

Sensing the shift in his attitude, Fan Li thought carefully. What was going on?

He had never met this Top Scholar before. Why had they suddenly become enemies?

He had heard that Chen Deyan had lost to Xue Susu in a poetry contest. But now, he was also a guest on the Smoke and Waves Pleasure Barge?

Could it be…?

Fan Li suddenly remembered that Xue Susu had visited his room last night, and Yan Shifan next door had known.

It seemed that everyone on the barge was aware that the courtesan had spent the night in Master Fan’s room?

“May I ask why the Top Scholar has graced me with his presence so early in the morning?” Fan Li asked, feigning confusion and putting on a fawning expression.

“If the Top Scholar has any requests, just send word. The Fan Clan Trading Company would be honored to serve you.”

His words pleased Chen Deyan immensely!

That’s right!

The Great Ming emphasized education and agriculture, but suppressed commerce!

Merchants held a low social status. In the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants were at the bottom, while scholars were at the top.

A mere merchant, facing a scholar, especially the Top Scholar, the highest representative of the scholar class, should behave exactly as Fan Li was now.

“I’m here…”

Chen Deyan’s handsome face flushed with embarrassment. He seemed to struggle to find the right words.

Fan Li had guessed correctly. Chen Deyan was jealous.

After losing to Xue Susu in the poetry contest, he hadn't been angry. In fact, he had been captivated by her talent. Last night, he had stayed on the Smoke and Waves, hoping to rekindle their connection, but he had waited all night in vain.

This morning, Chen Deyan had heard the guests gossiping, someone claiming to have seen Xue Susu enter Fan Li’s room. He was consumed with jealousy and had come to confront him!

‘If she had stayed with Junior Grand Secretary Yan or Young Master Xu Fan, I would have endured it. But Fan Zhe is just a merchant, a Chu merchant at that. Why would she favor him?’

Chen Deyan’s thoughts riled him crazy.

Finally, he spoke, “Last night, you and Grand Master Xue…”

“Last night?” Fan Li, seeing the Top Scholar’s jealousy, cursed him inwardly for being so pathetic. If the Top Scholar of the Great Chu acted like this, consumed by jealousy over a courtesan, Fan Li would have stripped him of his official robes!

“Last night, Grand Master Xue came to my room, and I was overjoyed. But she only came to thank me for donating the ‘Tao Te Ching.’ She left a painting as a gift and departed.”

“What?!”

Chen Deyan was shocked, then delighted. He grabbed Fan Li’s shoulders and exclaimed, “Are you serious? Grand Master Xue just gave you a gift and left? You two… You two didn’t…”

He stopped himself, as if afraid of tarnishing Xue Susu’s reputation.

“Yes,” Fan Li said, sighing dramatically. “Grand Master Xue came and went quickly. I thought I might have earned her favor, but it seems I was mistaken. Alas!”

Hearing this, Chen Deyan’s expression softened. He even looked at Fan Li with a hint of disdain.

The Top Scholar seemed to be saying, ‘You? Worthy of spending the night with Grand Master Xue? You’re like a toad lusting after a swan.’

The more he thought about it, the more he believed that nothing had happened between Fan Li and Xue Susu.

“So, Top Scholar, what brings you here?” Fan Li asked innocently.

“I…”

Chen Deyan was speechless. His gaze darted around, finally settling on the painting Xue Susu had given to Fan Li.

“I would like to purchase Grand Master Xue’s painting. Would Master Fan be willing to part with it?”