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In the tenth day following Shen Yuan’s departure, the attentive might notice that many changes had occurred in the Capital City.

Most notably, there were shifts within the Imperial Court.

Previously, there had been endless debates about collaborating with Chen Qing, but now nearly every voice was in agreement, especially among the Sorcerer Families, who had recently completely changed their stance and no longer pressured the Court to dispatch troops to Jiangnan.

The second change took place in the marketplace.

Goods from Jiangnan, which previously would have been monopolized by the great families upon arrival in the Capital City—spirits by the Bloodline families and tea along with all sorts of rune stones by the Sorcerer Families—were now strictly forbidden from entering the civilian market.

Therefore, many commoners had only heard of, never truly tasted the fine wines of Jiangnan, nor could they acquire the fabled rune-enabled jade stones said to ward off heat or cold. Even the wealthiest of merchants could only gaze in longing. But these past few days had been different.

Many sharp-eyed merchants had noticed that goods from Jiangnan were starting to appear in the market...

While the best teas and spirits were still under monopoly, many intricately crafted items, such as precision clocks and those magical rune stones, began to slowly make their way into circulation.

Rune stones in particular, whether it was the most popular Ice Jade, Warm Jade, or the Wind Jade that could grant one flight, typically led to severe consequences if someone dared to sell them to the common folk.

Within three days, both buyers and sellers would be dealt with by the families, and there was hardly any escape.

Insiders knew the reason. Once a rune stone was activated, it would emit elemental fluctuations that were easily detected by the families. Unless you purchased it and never used it, which would be foolish after such an extravagant expense.

This deterred even the boldest of smugglers from secretly trading them.

But recently... they had been sold, and through official shops no less, all belonging to commercial branches of the great families.

Of course... the prices were exorbitantly high; a single piece of Warm Jade cost tens of thousands of silver taels, and the Ice Jade, in particular, was even more expensive due to the summer season, its prices nearly doubling that of Warm Jade.

However, the outrageous prices did not deter the enthusiasm of the wealthy families. As soon as the goods were stocked, they were snatched up instantly!

Yet many wondered, why had the sales been prohibited before but were now largely available?

What were these great families plotting?

The last peculiarity would be nearly impossible to discern without a deliberate observer— the Sorcerer Families.

.. had recently begun quietly hiring tutors at high prices.

This in itself wasn’t unusual since the Sorcerer Families had always valued education, and it was common for them to employ learned scholars.

But this time, the families seemed to prefer specialists in diverse studies.

Experts in Art Calculation, physics, and even various branches like medicine, Divination, and geomancy were being poached at high costs.

These scholars were already rare, which led many families to seek talents beyond the Capital City, causing much confusion amongst the scholar class.

Many speculated it had to do with Jiangnan, but the exact circumstances remained unclear and drew little attention.

But nobody knew that these changes would soon plunge the entire scholar class into the same turbulence that Jiangnan faced!

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"Old Master, have we not found someone yet?"

Inside the inner hall, Shen Yan seemed quite anxious...

Shen Qingfeng shook his head slightly, a trace of worry on his face, "We’ve sent people to inquire beyond the Capital, but it seems other families have dispatched many as well. I’m afraid... it will be hard to secure someone."

They had all reacted too late.

The techniques of array passed down by Shen Yuan demanded high proficiency in Art Calculation and physics, which left the legitimate heirs of their clan as perplexed as if reading arcane scripts.

Shen Yan had been quick to realize this several days before, like Shen Yu and other talented heirs who had focused more on inheriting techniques, finding the study of Art Calculation almost completely foreign to them!

Even the less talented offsprings who had earnestly studied these miscellaneous subjects were overwhelmed with clan duties and had not delved deeply into Art Calculation; they had merely skimmed the surface, which at best allowed them to comprehend only the basic content of the initial Chapters.

It started to get considerably challenging beyond that.

At present in the entire Shen Family, the only ones who could barely proceed with their studies were Shen Yan’s illegitimate youngest daughter, Shen Xue, and the nine-year-old, also illegitimate, of the Fifth Master’s household, Shen Liang.

This was not a problem unique to the Shen Family but was common across all Sorcerer Families in the Capital City. Upon realizing the issue, they scrambled to snatch up those previously undervalued specialists in miscellaneous subjects.

The problem was that as the Capital was the seat of the Imperial Government, where learning flourished but was more traditional, nine out of ten scholarly students focused solely on the classics, with very few specializing in Art Calculation and even fewer in physics.

There were hardly any to begin with, and with many families vying for them, there was certainly not enough to go around.

"The first round of assessments is to begin in the middle of the next month," said Shen Yan, his anxiety evident.

"Next month, only Shen Xue and Shen Liang might have a chance at the Shen Family. If the other heirs don’t quickly catch up on the basics of these miscellaneous subjects, I fear it will get increasingly difficult later on. "

Shen Qingfeng sighed as well, Art Calculation and such studies might not be valued highly, but they were difficult to master and required years of dedication to even begin understanding them properly.

The families were in a desperate dash to get started, because if they didn’t arrange for it now, they would only fall further behind in the future.

Those with insight among the magicians could see that this technique’s requirements for miscellaneous studies would only keep rising. In order to fully master the techniques of Jiangnan, every major family needed to cultivate a batch of offspring skilled in these assorted subjects.

Now that so many descendants were starting from scratch, a good tutor was of utmost importance. With an outstanding tutor and diligent students, even those with less aptitude for these subjects could at least master the basics and have a fighting chance.

Without securing a good tutor, they might find themselves at an increasing disadvantage as time went on...

"Old Master, regarding such diverse scholars, they are most plentiful in the Eastern Sea and Jiangnan. We don’t have connections in the Eastern Sea, but surely you must know some people in Jiangnan, right?" Shen Yan couldn’t help but speak up.

Now, the assessment brought by Shen Yuan, though somewhat abrupt in its content, turns out to be a good thing for families like ours with shallow foundations.

After all, everyone is competing in an unfamiliar field, and having the chance to start on an equal footing is something we naturally don’t want to lose due to lack of preparation.

"I’ve been away from Jiangnan for at least two hundred years..." Old Master Shen said with a chuckle, looking at the other, "Even if I knew some people back then, they’d be dead and their bones turned to dust by now, no? Do you really want me to reach out to the Shen Family in Jiangnan?"

Shen Yan immediately fell silent. It was the Shen Family in Jiangnan that had produced a monster, an incident that almost implicated them. Now they couldn’t avoid it fast enough, let alone take the initiative to make contact.

What’s more, making contact would be useless. Fifth Master Shen had served as Chief of Staff in the Ministry of War for many years, and he himself had not seldom visited, but they had always been very cold to him.

"What should we do?" Shen Yan asked anxiously.

"Don’t you know what to do?" Old Master Shen looked at him amused, "What are you trying to pull with me, old man? Isn’t it just that you don’t want to ask your own son and expect this old man to speak on your behalf?"

Shen Yan: "...."

Old Master Shen really didn’t spare any sentiment...

But indeed, that was the case. Shen Yuan’s return had caused him, the Family Head, to lose face quite a bit. Especially after being snubbed twice, it was clear that Shen Yuan had no respect for him. He truly couldn’t bring himself to ask Shen Yuan for help.

"I wrote a letter to him yesterday already," Old Master Shen sighed, "It’s lucky that the boy isn’t very extreme, otherwise the Shen Family would really be in trouble this time."

Shen Yan nodded, about to speak, when he heard the Steward’s voice from outside the inner hall, "Old Master, there’s a letter from Jiangnan."

"Bring it in quickly!!" Old Master Shen did not bother with propriety and hastily called for the letter.

The Steward stepped quickly forward, handing over the letter.

Old Master Shen opened it and his deeply furrowed brow suddenly smoothed out!

"What... what did he say?" Shen Yan, too, was anxious. Seeing the old man silent for so long, he couldn’t help but ask.

Old Master Shen gave him a look and sighed, "You and your wife have cared the least for this child, but his temperament turns out to be the best, in stark contrast to your precious darling.

.." He shook his head and stopped there, not continuing, but spoke of what the other was concerned about, "Shen Yuan has said that Mister Bai Hua and his wife from Lyuzhou, due to the birth of the Bai Family’s first grandson, are returning to the Capital City to visit their son and daughter-in-law.

Shen Yuan had visited them before he came back and asked them to come to our house to tutor the younger generation. "

"Mister Bai Hua?" Shen Yan was stunned, and then his eyes lit up, "The creator of Jiugong Arithmetic and the current head of the Bai Family?"

"Hmm..." Old Master Shen nodded, "The Bai Family is a Scholarly Family, and though also valuing the imperial examinations, due to imperial regulations, Art Calculation and the study of the material world are required courses for family members.

They are also a family of good physicians.

Not only have they produced Imperial Scholars, but also many well-known doctors.

It seems Shen Yuan has been well-prepared; this child. .. is truly commendable."

Shen Yan pursed his lips, wanting to follow with praise, but the memory of being coldly told to leave by Shen Yuan a few days ago made it impossible for him to express any compliment.

"Summon all the younger generation, I have instructions to give!"

"Yes..."

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"No one from Jiangnan is willing to come?"

Inside the Fang Family, Fourth Master Fang widened his eyes, "Didn’t the shopkeeper in Jiangnan write saying he knew many scholars?"

The Fang Family’s Steward responded with a wry smile, "It’s said that he visited all of them, but life in Jiangnan is too comfortable. None of those scholars are willing to leave Jiangnan, and no amount of offered treatment is tempting enough, indeed troublesome."

"Then double it!" Fourth Master Fang commanded sternly, "With a high enough reward, there’s always someone who will be tempted."

The Steward didn’t know what to say for a moment; the shopkeeper from Jiangnan had already written saying that Fragrant Silver was popular there, and the money from here was not very useful there.

"Oh right..." the Steward suddenly said, "There’s news that the head of the Bai Family recently plans to return to the Capital City."

"Which Bai Family?" Fourth Master Fang frowned.

"The founder of Jiugong Arithmetic, the descendant of Bai Fangting..."

"Why didn’t you say so earlier?" Fourth Master Fang jumped up at once, "Where is the person now?"

"It’s said that they left Jiangnan seven days ago; they should reach the Capital City in another two days... "

"Prepare gifts immediately, I’ll go visit the Bai Family myself!"