Chapter 240: A Word to the Wise

“Sigh.” He Lingchuan let out a breath. “Yeah. It seems like it will take a few more days before the saber is restored.” The original estimate had been ten, but now it appeared that it would still take some more time.

Still, good things take time.

“Honestly, that’s a good sign,” Li Qingge said, turning serious. “Li Fubo has specialized in artifact forging for twenty-one years. If even he misjudged how long it would take, that simply proves that the saber’s nature is complex. The harder it is to ‘grow,’ the greater the power of the finished product. If a treasure like this were in my hands, I would hope it took a few extra days.”

She then took a sip of her tea before continuing, “Patience is always rewarded. That said, after hearing his report, I’m curious myself. Would I be able to visit your residence to take a look?”

“Of course,” He Lingchuan answered without hesitation. “You’re more than welcome to do so.”

“Unfortunately, there’s a trip that I must make at the moment. How about seven days from now?”

She’s actually setting a date?

He Lingchuan naturally had no objection. “Alright, I’ll be waiting.”

A faint smile appeared on Li Qingge’s face. “When the day comes, do try not to suddenly have something come up again.”

She knows perfectly well what she’s implying.

He Lingchuan gave a couple of self-deprecating chuckles. “How could I? Even if it were a matter of life and death, I’d put it off.” He then changed the subject. “How long does Your Lordship plan to stay here?”

“Once business here is on track, I must head north.”

“North?” He Lingchuan was surprised. “You mean to Xun Province?”

“Beijia.”

She’s actually going to the northern monster state?

“You can travel freely in the north as well?”

“Of course.” Li Qingge’s laugh was soft and rich, the kind that tickled the heart. “A merchant’s road runs to the four seas. Besides, what respectable Daoist sect confines itself to a single state?”

He thought that, with this kind of borderless coming and going, would the monarchs of the various states not grow suspicious? But in truth, very few Daoist sects swore loyalty to only one state. The more prosperous a sect, the more its disciples spread across the world.

It was said that the Daoist sects originated from the immortal sects of antiquity. Back then, there were no states. They stood above the dust of the mortal realm, apart from mundane affairs, and the Daoist sects of today inherited that tradition. States rarely imposed rigid demands on them. On the contrary, they competed to attract the talent those sects produced.

At least, that was usually the case.

That line of thought only made Songyang Mansion seem more peculiar to him. Li Qingge went back and forth to the northern monster state with perfect ease, yet her ex-husband had been charged with colluding with the enemy and treason.

“Is Your Lordship not worried about opening a store in Dunyu at a time like this? Are you not worried that this place might become a frontline battlefield?” Above all, merchants yearned for stability.

After all, it was only in peaceful times that business could endure.

“I’m skilled at reading people, so I have confidence in the He Family.” Li Qingge reclined lazily, propping her delicate chin with two fingers against her cheek. Even that casual motion brimmed with poise. “And besides, it isn’t just my Songyang Mansion. Isn’t the Zhu Family also trying to squeeze into Dunyu?”

Although He Chunhua had indeed helped Zhu Xiyan find the granddaughter he had been separated from for years, the Zhu Family’s enthusiasm toward him was undeniably... a bit much. The Zhu Family seemed to almost grant any of his requests. Having lived long in Shihuan, tasting the warmth and cold of human relationships, Li Qingge knew exactly what noble families were like.

Without benefit—without a sweet taste on the tongue—would the Zhu Family show such gratitude to He Chunhua?

Were noble families ever short of young ladies?

Xia Province was rich in products, yet for years it had been held in a stranglehold by four great families, one of which was Minister Li’s own family. Outsiders had little room to intervene. But now, with a new governor-general taking office, newcomers might finally have a chance to get a foot in the door.

Songyang Mansion had always favored a multi-point layout, so there was no way they were going to miss this opportunity.

“Reading people?” He Lingchuan’s interest was piqued. “Then in your view, what lies in my father’s future and mine as well?”

“When it comes to Governor-General He, glory beyond words wouldn’t begin to cover it.” Li Qingge’s almond eyes then slid his way, as if to see straight through him. “As for Young Master He...”

She was deliberately stringing him along, and he played along. “What?”

“Well, to answer you properly, I’ll need your Four Pillars of Destiny.”

Typically speaking, one’s Four Pillars of Destiny were not to be shared lightly. In this world, some curse masters harmed people with nothing more than that information. Yet, without blinking, He Lingchuan recited the time and date of his birth, as well as his eight characters, aloud.

He had a Yuan Coin and held office, and he had origin energy protecting him. What had he to fear?

As he currently was, a hundred evils could not invade!

Well, he did intentionally say the final two characters wrong.

Li Qingge counted on her fingers, then studied him again, staring without so much as a blink.

Her gaze was gentle, with a natural shimmer like ripples over water. Letting her look, he found his focus slipping.

Her fingers were slender, and her nails were neatly trimmed. It appeared that she was not of the kind who grew her nails long. He guessed it was because she often practiced martial arts and artifact forging.

For no good reason, Sun Fuling came to mind. It seemed that neighbor of his had fine-looking hands too, especially when she lifted a brush. She did not grow her nails either, but in her case, perhaps it was because she lived alone and had to do housework.

She had said that she wanted to come and look at that little shop he had acquired, but she had not shown up.

That shop...

He sighed inwardly. In the dreamscape, he lived in a tiny wood house of not even fifteen square meters, and yet it felt more spacious than his life in reality.

At least in the dreamscape, he was not short on money.

“What are you thinking about?” someone seemed to ask him.

He answered without thinking, “Money. Or rather, the lack of it.”

A suppressed chuckle sounded in front of him. He Lingchuan snapped back to himself and saw Li Qingge smiling.

“Uh, what did I just say?” He was a little embarrassed. “Sorry. I got distracted.”

Most people who stared at her and drifted off did so because they were dazzled by her beauty. This Young Master He, however, was thinking about money. She had no idea how his brain was wired.

“In the next three years, I foresee disaster for you,” she said, dropping the line like a bolt from the blue. “There’s a great calamity hanging right over your head.”

“...Your Lordship, if you say things like that while fortune-telling on the street, you’d be inviting calamity for yourself.”

Li Qingge cleared her throat lightly. “However, should you manage to make it through this great calamity, a boundless future awaits you.”

Well, that sounds awfully familiar.

“Are your readings accurate?”

“Perhaps.” Li Qingge smiled. “I’ve found them to be right fifty to sixty percent of the time.”

He Lingchuan rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Then I’ve still got forty to fifty percent odds of dodging the bullet. That’s actually comforting.” It did not matter; he was not even sure whose eight characters he had ended up reporting. In other words, there was a ninety percent chance that whichever poor sap was due for disaster was not him.

Li Qingge coughed softly. “Just now, you said that you’re short on money?”

Why are we back on this?

He Lingchuan grimaced. “Could you pretend you didn’t hear that?”

“What’s strange about lacking money?” She laced her fingers together. “Most of the rich children I know only look glorious in public. Six or seven out of ten are perennially short of money. If all your expenses come from family stipends, that is the norm.”

There was no good way to respond to that. He had been a pampered young master for so long, and for the first time, he felt that eating at home, drinking at home, using what home provided seemed a little less than honorable.

The key point was that He Chunhua put his sons’ allowances on a rationing system. At least for the time being, there was no blowing money to the skies.

He Lingchuan put on a stern face. “So they come crying to you?”

“They’ll bring nice things to Songyang Mansion to pawn. Our reputation is good, we know our goods, we keep things discreet, and we don’t crush the price to the bone. We’re far better than any ordinary pawnshop,” said Li Qingge. “I know a very high-born young master in the capital whose family is extremely illustrious, and yet he has pawned his family’s heirloom heavenly net robe with us four times now, redeeming it whenever he has the funds.”

Indeed, the truth was that some great families were glorious only on the surface.

With Great Yuan as it was, its people could hardly remain untouched.

She leaned forward slightly and asked, “If you’re short on money, Young Master He, would you like Songyang Mansion to help?”

His first reaction was to wave it off. “No need.”

He was not in debt; he simply had not found a source of income. More importantly, he was very wary of the woman before him.

If he owed her money, odds were there would be no happy endings down the line.

She did not press the matter. “No matter. You’re in the middle of the board, so you don’t see that this game can be overturned with a flick of the hand.”

Overturned... with a flick of the hand?

Now that was the kind of talk he liked to hear. He Lingchuan enjoyed nothing more than a challenge that was not really a challenge at all. He immediately straightened up, sitting properly. “Please enlighten me, Your Lordship.”

“The young heirs in the capital only shine in public because they can’t truly run their households or make decisions. The money they get is always limited.”

He Lingchuan nodded.

That doesn’t sound much different from my situation.

“But more than that, the capital and Shihuan have been at peace for too long. Every profitable trade and avenue of wealth is already monopolized, so there’s little room left for latecomers.” Then she asked, still smiling, “Tell me, Young Master He, do you have confidence in Xia Province and in Governor-General He’s ability to hold off the army of Xun Province?”

“Absolutely.” They were family, after all. They were two grasshoppers on the same rope, as the saying went. Besides, his father’s methods were something worth betting on.

“In that case, the city is brimming with opportunity right now.” She pointed east. “For example, the owner of the shop right next door to this Songyang Mansion branch is anxious to sell. When I first compared the two storefronts, I chose this one because it was cheaper. Given the current circumstances, as long as you go over and press your price, you could probably take it for yourself easily. If you’d rather not go personally, I’ll send Steward Zhao. I can guarantee we’ll secure it.”

She then said softly, “I’ve already made inquiries. In the past, prime shops along the main street started at six or seven hundred taels. Those with particularly good locations and large frontage could go for over a thousand. Now, in these times, you can get them for thirty to forty percent off. If the owner urgently needs cash, even half price is possible.”

“Why are they in such a rush?” He Lingchuan’s eyes flickered. “Are they planning to run?”

“Yes. Xia Province is on the verge of becoming the front line. They want to leave while the royal court hasn’t yet announced a migration restriction order.” Clearly, she had a sound grasp of Dunyu’s situation. “Even the Zhan Family started withdrawing south a few days ago. Ordinary nobles and commoners are even more shaken. To be blunt, even though Governor-General He has taken office, public confidence is still unsteady.”

On his way here in the carriage, he had passed through less prosperous streets and noticed one shuttered shop after another. Ordinary people with bedding bundled and children in tow were clearly preparing to flee like refugees.

The thunder of war grew louder and nearer. Even as authorities worked hard to quell it, panic spread by word of mouth, permeating the entire city.

Confidence was worth more than gold. With hearts unstable, Dunyu’s real estate naturally fell in price.

Moreover, for years, the Royal Court of Yuan had issued migration restrictions in border regions, forbidding those living in its borders from moving inland. Xia Province had not been a front line before, so people had not worried about that. But as Xun Province’s troops pressed steadily southward, Xia Province would soon become contested ground, and the court might then classify it as a border region.

When that happened, it would be too late to run.

“Young Master He, you must still have some money on hand. If it’s not enough, you can borrow from me.”

“I still have money.”

“It’s far easier to take these assets out of their hands now than it ever was before. Crisis, crisis—without danger, where would opportunity come from?” Li Qingge smiled. “Let’s take it a step further. Governor-General He is newly appointed, a stranger to both the people and the land, and Xia Province’s situation is unusually tangled. At the moment, the people he relies on and trusts the most are naturally his own family.”