The night the Xuanwu Star Trading system went live, Lin Wan'er stood atop the West Market's observation tower, watching as torches flickered to life across the merchant quarter. Her hu fu glowed faintly against her chest—a beacon guiding her to the Mi Zhen Si's hidden vaults.
"Your Highness, the nuxu are ready," a maid reported, bowing.
Wan'er nodded. The female scholars had spent weeks engraving silk ledgers with cryptic symbols—symbols that mirrored the hu fu's star charts. "Activate the tongbao lian," she ordered.
Tongbao lian—"Coin Chain"—was her answer to financial fraud. Each transaction would be recorded on three separate ledgers, stored in different locations. Only by aligning all three could the full record be read—a primitive form of blockchain.
As the first trades began, a figure emerged from the shadows—Princess Taiping's former accountant, now defected to the Yanzhi Bank.
"Your Highness," he said, his voice trembling. "I have information about the Tian Xian's finances."
Wan'er's eyes sharpened. "Speak."
"Their gold is hidden in the Laozi Temple," he whispered. "Beneath the statue of the Sage."
Before she could respond, a commotion erupted below. A group of huangniu brokers stormed the market, waving forged tongbao lian ledgers.
"Fraud!" they shouted. "The princess is stealing our money!"
Wan'er's heart raced. This is Taiping's doing. She activated her calculator, inputting data on the forged ledgers. "These symbols don't match the Mi Zhen Si's cipher," she declared. "They're counterfeit."
The crowd hesitated. "How can we trust you?" a merchant demanded.
Wan'er smiled. "By verifying the chain." She handed him a magnifying glass. "Look closely. Each ledger has a unique watermark—a Mi Zhen Si star."
The merchant squinted at the silk. "It's there! A tiny star in the corner!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. The huangniu brokers fled, but not before Wan'er caught a glimpse of their leader—a man with a scorpion tattoo on his neck.
The Tian Xian's mark.
That evening, Wan'er visited the Laozi Temple with Pei Ji. They knelt before the statue of the Sage, its bronze surface cool to the touch.
"According to the accountant, the gold is hidden here," Wan'er said, pressing her hu fu against the statue's base.
A hidden compartment clicked open, revealing stacks of gold sycee—each inscribed with the Tian Xian's phoenix symbol.
"Enough to fund a rebellion," Pei Ji murmured.
Wan'er nodded. "But how do we use it against them?"
She activated her calculator, inputting data on gold prices and inflation. "We'll flood the market with Tian Xian gold," she declared. "Lower the price, then buy it back at a discount."
Pei Ji frowned. "That could destabilize the entire economy."
"Precisely." Wan'er smiled grimly. "Taiping's power relies on controlling the gold supply. If we break that control, her empire crumbles."
As they loaded the gold onto carts, a voice echoed through the temple. "Well played, niece."
Princess Taiping emerged from the shadows, flanked by Tian Xian assassins. "But you've overlooked one thing—the gold is cursed."
Before Wan'er could react, the assassins attacked. Pei Ji drew his sword, fighting valiantly, but there were too many. Wan'er grabbed a dagger, but Taiping was faster.
The princess pressed a blade to her throat. "Surrender, and I'll spare your life. Refuse, and your precious Yanzhi Bank burns to the ground."
Wan'er hesitated. If I give in, everything I've built is lost. But if I resist…
A crossbow bolt whistled through the air, striking Taiping's shoulder. She staggered back, releasing Wan'er.
"Run!" Pei Ji shouted.
They fled through the temple's secret passages, emerging near the Yanzhi River. As they caught their breath, Wan'er noticed a strange symbol carved into the wall—a combination of a star and a phoenix.
The Mi Zhen Si and Tian Xian symbols merged.
That night, as the Yanzhi Bank burned, Wan'er and Pei Ji stood on a hill overlooking the chaos.
"She's trying to destroy everything," Wan'er said, her voice trembling.
Pei Ji squeezed her hand. "But she can't destroy the tongbao lian. It's decentralized—no single point of failure."
Wan'er nodded. "We'll rebuild. And this time, we'll use the Tian Xian's gold to fund our own revolution."
The next morning, the Xuanwu Star Trading system relaunched with a new feature: huangjin shouyi—Gold Guardians. Investors could buy shares in the gold supply, earning dividends based on market performance.
But as the day wore on, reports trickled in of Tian Xian attacks across the city. Shops were looted, banks burned, and merchants fled.
"We need a new strategy," Wan'er said, meeting with her nuxu scholars. "Something Taiping can't counter."
She activated her calculator, inputting data on international trade routes. "We'll introduce kuajing fuhui—Cross-Border Remittances. Merchants can send money via the Mi Zhen Si's network, bypassing the Tian Xian's control."
The scholars nodded, already drafting the protocols. As they worked, Wan'er stared at the hu fu's star chart, now recognizing the merged symbol as the key to the vaults.
The Mi Zhen Si and Tian Xian were once allies.
That evening, Wan'er visited the imperial tombs. The old woman—the former bodyguard—awaited her, her face illuminated by torchlight.
"You've discovered the truth," she said. "The Mi Zhen Si and Tian Xian were two sides of the same coin—until Princess Taiping betrayed us."
Wan'er handed her the merged symbol rubbing. "How do I use this?"
The woman pressed a jade key into her hand. "This opens the Mi Zhen Si's final vault. Inside, you'll find the Xuanwu Code—a financial weapon capable of destroying the Tian Xian."
Before Wan'er could ask more, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the tomb. The woman pushed her into a hidden passage. "Go! The code is your only hope."
As Wan'er fled, she heard the woman's scream. She sacrificed herself to save me.
That night, as she deciphered the Xuanwu Code, a realization dawned: it was a mathematical formula—a way to predict market crashes and manipulate prices.
This is what Taiping fears.
The next morning, Wan'er met with Prince Longji in the Daming Palace. "I have a plan to end the Tian Xian once and for all," she said, showing him the code.
Longji's eyes widened. "This could destabilize the entire empire."
Wan'er nodded. "But it will destroy Taiping."
He hesitated, then nodded. "Do it. I'll provide the soldiers to enforce the code."
That evening, the Xuanwu Code was activated. Markets across Tang plunged as prices plummeted, panic spreading like wildfire.
In Luoyang, Princess Taiping raged as her gold reserves lost half their value. "Find Mingyue!" she screamed. "Kill her!"
But Wan'er was already one step ahead. She'd hidden in the Mi Zhen Si's final vault, surrounded by enough gold and financial instruments to rebuild the empire.
As the dust settled, Pei Ji joined her, his face etched with exhaustion. "It's done," he said. "The Tian Xian are defeated."
Wan'er nodded, her heart heavy. At what cost?
But as she stared at the hu fu's star chart, now fully illuminated, a new resolve filled her. The financial
revolution had only just begun.