Unbeknownst to Nathan Ye, someone had been observing his repeated visits to the Ministry of Supervision over the past three days. Not far from the ministry, in a nearby tavern, a gruff voice spoke up.
"That Master Ye has been going to the Ministry for three days straight," the speaker was a heavy-set middle-aged man with a rough appearance. His face was greasy, his skin dark as soot, and a prominent scar ran from his forehead to the back of his ear. The man's appearance was downright menacing; the kind that would make passersby choose another path.
The man raised his cup, eyes appearing hazy from drink, though a glint of sharpness lingered within them. "What's wrong, moved by the sight? Thinking this lord might actually make a difference? Starting to feel that old fire in you again, Old Niu?" a mocking, raspy voice cut in.
This came from a thin, eccentric-looking old man, clad in a loose black robe with his collar open, showing a bony chest. Next to him lay a black box, his hand resting protectively atop it. When he grinned, two of his front teeth were missing, and his remaining teeth were yellow and cracked.
"I only heard... this Master Ye has a good reputation," the man called Old Niu replied, hesitating.
"A good reputation? Since when did you, Old Niu, start caring about that? Haven't you seen enough 'upstanding' officials?" The old man sneered. "Those with good reputations are often the ones with the dirtiest hands."
"And even if this Master Ye really is different and could accomplish something, what's it matter?" he went on, his voice thick with bitterness. "Once he's in the Ministry of Supervision, he'll end up like the rest of us—just another wasted soul."
At these words, a palpable air of resentment filled the room. The people eating around them paused, their eyes betraying various emotions—numbness, sorrow, anger, and bitterness.
"This world has long been beyond saving. We're just forgotten waste, rotting away here in the Ministry of Supervision," a burly man in the corner said with a bitter smile. He downed a jug of wine and hiccupped. "Not even an Emperor could make me work for him. If he's got the guts, he might as well kill me. I don't want to live anyway!"
With that, he slumped off his chair, utterly intoxicated.
"Look, Old Niu, that man was once the most renowned constable in Jiangnan, admired far and wide. Now look at him..." the old man chuckled darkly. "We're all just unwanted relics of Da Zhou, here to rot away and die, and once we're dead, no one will know or care. Accept it!"
Old Niu sighed, closing his eyes in pain and drinking deeply. Whatever faint hope had begun to stir was extinguished by his companions' bleak words.
The world is too dark, it cannot bear even a single light. So be it. Let it be.
...
I am an agent of the Shadow Bureau, posing as a mute under the alias Xuanxuan, successfully infiltrating Nathan Ye's residence. Before my assignment, my supervisor warned me that Master Ye was unusual and instructed me to observe him closely.
I didn't believe it at first, but now I realize how wrong I was. This lord is truly peculiar. I can't figure out what he's doing.
The mute girl sat idly on the threshold, chin in hand, watching Nathan Ye move about the kitchen. Since he returned home, he had been busying himself with pots and pans, bottles, and jars, for what seemed like hours. She was bewildered; as far as she knew, scholars avoided the kitchen. They were supposed to be preoccupied with loftier pursuits, not fiddling with cooking implements.
But Nathan seemed completely oblivious to such conventions. He treated his cook as "Madam," his old servant as "Uncle Huang," and even treated her, the newly hired servant, as an equal, speaking to her without any condescension. Such behavior would be unusual in any era, but in a corrupt Da Zhou, it was practically unheard of. She had never encountered anyone like him before.
"It's done!" Nathan's joyful voice broke her train of thought.
"Finished!" he declared, holding up a jar, a handful of bright crystals in his hand. Before she knew it, he had tossed some into her mouth.
"Try it!"
Out of reflex, she opened her mouth, and as the crystals dissolved on her tongue, an incredible sweetness spread through her mouth. She glanced down to see that the jar in his hands was filled with white granules.
"Is this... sugar?" she thought, chewing slowly. Although she wasn't impoverished, she had never tasted anything like this—sugar so pure and sweet.
"This is white sugar," Nathan said, wiping his brow and placing the whole jar in her hands. "It's all yours."
In his past life, Nathan had been an only child and had always envied those with younger siblings. Although he didn't have a little sister in this world, he saw the mute girl as one. She was young, unfortunate, and endearing, which made him care for her like family. Just a teenager, yet already she had endured so much. Nathan couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He made the sugar for her as a small act of kindness.
Sugar, as the people of Da Zhou knew it, was usually coarse, impure, and expensive. Nathan had refined it using methods he recalled from his previous life, producing a fine white sugar that was not only purer but also more flavorful.
"It's a pity I don't know how to make anything better. I could only manage this for now," he said, downplaying his efforts. To him, this was just a treat for a young girl. In his previous life, kids would have dismissed white sugar as commonplace—after all, there were so many other treats, like ice cream and chocolate.
"Eat as much as you want. When it's gone, I'll make more," he added, patting her head before turning to leave.
Left sitting on the threshold, she thought, "Did he really spend all that time just to make sugar for me?"
The realization made her clutch the jar tightly. She knew the value of sugar like this—it would cause an uproar among the elite if they saw it. Snow-white sugar was unheard of, and the recipe alone would be worth a fortune. Yet Nathan had no intention of profiting from it; he had simply wanted her to enjoy something nice.
She scooped another handful of sugar into her mouth, savoring its sweetness. A slight smile appeared on her lips as she whispered to herself, "It's really sweet."
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