"Sigh." He Lingchuan let out a breath. "Yes, apparently it'll take a few more days." It had originally been slated for ten days, but now required an extension.
Good things never came easy.
"That is a good thing," Li Qingge said gravely. "Li Fubo has devoted twenty-one years to weapon crafting. If even he misjudged, it only proves the saber's nature is intricate. The harder it is to plant, the greater its power once finished. If such a treasure were in my hands, I would want it to endure a few extra days."
"Patience will have its reward." She took a sip of tea as well. "Still, after hearing Li Fubo describe it, my curiosity is piqued. I wonder if I might visit your residence to see it?"
"Of course," He Lingchuan replied without hesitation. "You are most welcome."
"I have a long journey ahead. How about seven days from now?"
She was already setting a date? He Lingchuan had no objection. "Very well. I shall await your arrival."
Li Qingge smiled faintly. "When the day comes, Young Master, pray do not find yourself occupied again."
Evidently, she saw right through him. He Lingchuan chuckled twice in self-mockery. "How could I? Even if it were a matter of life and death, I would set it aside." He promptly changed the subject. "How long does the Marquis intend to remain here?"
"Once business here is on the right track, I must head north."
"North?" He Lingchuan was slightly surprised. "You mean Xunzhou?"
"The Beijia Kingdom."
She was actually going to the northern demon kingdom? "Travel to the northern lands is permitted?"
"Of course!" Li Qingge's laughter was soft, low, and melodious, sending a tingling warmth through the listener's heart. "Merchants have paths across the four seas. Besides, how many Daoist orders are confined to a single country?"
He Lingchuan thought to himself, *If people come and go across borders so freely, wouldn't monarchs grow suspicious?* Yet he knew very well that few Daoist orders swore loyalty to only one nation. The more prosperous an order was, the wider its disciples spread across the world.
It was said that the precursors of the Daoist orders were the ancient immortal sects. Back then, nations did not yet exist; the sects stood aloof and detached from mortal affairs. Modern Daoist orders carried on this tradition. Sovereign states made no rigid demands upon them, seeking instead to win over the talents they nurtured.
At least, that was usually the case.
Thinking of this, He Lingchuan found Songyang Mansion all the more bizarre. Li Qingge could travel to and from the northern demon kingdom unharmed, yet her late husband had been saddled with the charge of treason.
"Opening a shop in Dunyu at a time like this, isn't the Marquis worried this place might turn into the frontline?" What merchants craved most was stability.
Only in peaceful times could business thrive for long.
"I possess the skill to read people, and thus I have confidence in the He family." Li Qingge leaned back lazily, two fingers resting against her cheek to support her head. An effortless gesture, yet brimming with grace. "Besides, Songyang Mansion is not alone. Isn't the Zhu clan also trying to squeeze into Dunyu?"
Although He Chunhua had recovered Zhu Xiyan's long-lost granddaughter, the Zhu clan's enthusiasm toward Governor-General He was excessive, granting almost every request. Having lived long in Shihuan and tasted the warmth and cold of human nature, Li Qingge knew all too well the true character of these aristocratic clans.
If there were no benefits, no sweet taste of profit, would the Zhu clan truly be so 'grateful' to He Chunhua?
Could an illustrious noble house ever lack for girls?
Xiazhou was rich in resources, yet it had always been held tight in the grip of the four great clans. Among them, the Li clan was the ancestral house of Minister Li, leaving no room for outsiders to intervene. Only through the arrival of a new Governor-General could external powers hope to break the ice and enter the board.
Songyang Mansion had always upheld the principle of placing pieces on multiple fronts. An opportunity like this was not one to be missed.
"The skill to read people?" He Lingchuan grew intrigued. "Then in the Marquis's view, what does the future hold for my old man? And for me?"
"As for Governor-General He, his future nobility is beyond words." Li Qingge's almond eyes cast a glance over, as though trying to see right through him. "As for Eldest Young Master He..."
She deliberately left him in suspense, and He Lingchuan played along. "What about me?"
"You must give me your Eight Characters of birth."
One's Eight Characters of birth were never meant to be divulged to outsiders; certain hexmasters used them to harm people. Yet He Lingchuan rattled them off without batting an eye.
With his Yuan coins and his official status, he was shielded by origin power. What did he have to fear?
Untouchable by a hundred evils!
Well, he also intentionally gave the wrong two final characters.
Li Qingge pinched her fingers in calculation, then looked at him closely, her gaze fixed and unwavering.
Her eyes were gentle and lovely, naturally carrying the effect of rippling water. Under her scrutiny, He Lingchuan could not help but space out a little.
Li Qingge's fingers were slender, her nails neatly trimmed rather than kept long. He Lingchuan guessed it was because she frequently practiced martial arts and weapon forging.
Inexplicably, he thought of Sun Fuling. That neighbor of his seemed to have very pretty hands as well, especially when holding a brush. She didn't grow her nails long either—was it because living alone required doing all the household chores?
She seemed to have mentioned coming over to see the commercial shop he had acquired, but she had never shown up.
Commercial shops... sigh. He Lingchuan felt that even though he stayed in a wood-grade house of under fifteen square meters in the dream realm, he was far more well-off there than in reality.
At least in the dream, he didn't lack money.
"What are you thinking about?" someone seemed to ask.
He Lingchuan blurted out:
"I'm broke."
*Pfft.* A soft laugh came from ahead. Coming back to his senses, He Lingchuan realized Li Qingge was pressing her lips together in amusement.
"Uh, what did I say?" He felt a bit embarrassed. "Pardon me, I spaced out."
When others spaced out looking at her, it was usually because they were mesmerized by her beauty. Yet this Young Master He was brooding over being broke. Li Qingge wondered just how many twists and turns were inside his head.
"I see that within three years, disaster will surely befall Young Master He," she said, shocking him with her dramatic pronouncement. "A great calamity looms overhead."
"...Marquis, if you set up a fortune-telling stall on the street with talk like that, I fear you'll attract disaster as well."
Li Qingge cleared her throat. "However, as long as you cross that hurdle, an unmeasurable future lies beyond."
This routine sounded far too familiar. "Is your fortune-telling accurate?"
"Perhaps." Li Qingge chuckled herself. "Accurate about fifty to sixty percent of the time."
He Lingchuan rubbed his nose. "Then I still have a forty to fifty percent chance of dodging it. That's quite comforting to think about." Not to mention, he didn't even know whose Eight Characters he had just handed over; ninety percent chance the one facing disaster wasn't him.
Li Qingge gave a soft cough. "What did you say earlier? You lack money?"
The topic had looped back. He Lingchuan smiled wryly. "Could you pretend you didn't hear that?"
"What's strange about lacking money?" Li Qingge interlaced her fingers. "Most scions of wealthy families I know put on a grand front, yet six or seven out of ten are perennially strapped for cash. If all their expenses must be supported by the family, this is the norm."
There was no way to refute that. Having played the wealthy young master for so long, He Lingchuan felt for the first time that eating, drinking, and using the family's resources without contributing was somewhat dishonorable.
Most importantly, He Chunhua rationed the allowance for his two sons, never letting them spend lavishly.
He Lingchuan put on a stern face. "Did they come crying to you?"
"They come to Songyang Mansion to pawn fine items. After all, we have a good reputation, know how to appraise goods, keep secrets, and don't drive prices down to the bone. We are far better than ordinary pawnshops," Li Qingge said slowly. "I know an eldest young master from the capital whose clan is extraordinarily prominent. Yet he has pawned his ancestral Heavenly Silk Garment at Songyang Mansion four times, redeeming it whenever he had money."
Some high and mighty clans were merely glamorous on the surface.
With Great Yuan's current state of affairs, its subjects could hardly escape unaffected.
She leaned forward slightly and asked He Lingchuan, "If Young Master He is tight on funds, do you require Songyang Mansion's assistance?"
He Lingchuan waved his hand at once. "No need."
He had no debts; he simply hadn't found a source of income yet. What was more, he remained deeply wary of the woman before him.
Borrowing her money would likely bring bitter consequences down the road.
Li Qingge did not press him. "No matter. You are merely trapped within the board, unaware that the game can be broken with a flick of the hand."
Broken with a flick of the hand? He liked the sound of that; he loved tasks that required no effort. He Lingchuan immediately sat up straight. "Please enlighten me, Marquis."
"The wealthy scions of the capital put on a grand front only because they cannot run their households or make the decisions, leaving them with a fixed sum of money."
He Lingchuan nodded. How was that any different from him?
"Yet even more so, it is because the capital and Shihuan have enjoyed peace for too long. Lucrative businesses and avenues of profit have long been monopolized, leaving latecomers like them with no opportunity." She smiled. "Let me ask you, Young Master He: do you have confidence in Xiazhou, and in Governor-General He's ability to resist the Xunzhou army?"
"Naturally." They were family; he and He Chunhua were grasshoppers tied to the same string. Besides, his old man's capability was something he could rely on.
"Then right now, the entire city is full of golden opportunities." Li Qingge pointed toward the east. "For instance, the shop adjacent to our Songyang Mansion branch—its owner is anxious to sell. Back then, I compared two properties back and forth before choosing the cheaper one. Now, in these extraordinary times, Young Master He need only go over and press down the price, and the shop will be yours for the taking. If it is inconvenient for you, I can send Manager Zhao, and I guarantee he will secure it."
She said softly, "I had people inquire. Previously, prime shops along the main thoroughfare asked for at least six to seven hundred taels, and larger ones in prime spots could fetch over a thousand. Now, you can buy them at a thirty to forty percent discount. If the owner is desperate for liquid silver, even half price is possible."
"Why are they in such a hurry?" He Lingchuan's eyes flickered. "They want to flee?"
"Indeed. Seeing Xiazhou about to become the frontline, they want to leave while they can, before the royal court issues a relocation restriction order." Li Qingge clearly possessed a solid grasp of Dunyu's situation. "A few days ago, even the Zhan clan began withdrawing south. Ordinary nobles and commoners are wavering even more. If I may speak bluntly, although Governor-General He has taken office, public confidence remains unsteady."
Coming by carriage today through the less bustling streets, He Lingchuan had also noticed shops shuttered one after another. There were even commoners packing their bedrolls and dragging their children along, clearly fleeing the looming disaster.
The thunder of war rumbled louder and closer. Although the authorities tried their utmost to suppress it, panic spread across the city from person to person.
Confidence was more precious than gold. When hearts wavered, Dunyu's real estate naturally plummeted in value.
Furthermore, for years the Yuan Court had issued relocation restriction orders in border regions, forbidding frontier populations from moving into the interior. Xiazhou had not originally been a frontline, so people had harbored no such worries. But as the Xunzhou army pushed southward step by step, Xiazhou would soon become a battleground contested by military strategists, and the Yuan Court might designate it as a border region.
When that time came, it would be too late to flee.
"Young Master He must still have some spare funds on hand, yes? If it is not enough, you may borrow some from me."
"I have enough."
"Acquiring properties from these people is far easier than before. In every crisis lies opportunity; without danger, where would opportunity come from?" Li Qingge smiled. "Let us look even deeper. Governor-General He is newly appointed, unfamiliar with the land and the people, while the situation in Xiazhou is extraordinarily convoluted. The personnel he can rely on and trust the most right now are none other than his own kin."
Chapter 232