After the Immortal Disappeared

Hee Lingchuan’s eyes flashed. "You are right, Lord."

Lil Qingge said meaningfully, "Where there is power, there is money."

"I haven’t taken up a post yet."

"But you are the Eldest Prince of the Hee Family, the primary heir to Chief Steward Hee. You stand right beside great power," Lil Qingge said with a smile. "Proximity to power leaves its mark. Why shouldn’t Eldest Young Master Hee make good use of that in the future?"

Hee Lingchuan raised his eyebrows. "Now that, I like!"

"If you have faith in your family and in Xiazhou, now is the time to sweep up assets at low prices," Lil Qingge continued to advise. "At a time like this, the status of Chief Steward Hee’s son is more useful than anything. Even if you face some resistance, you can easily overcome it. When the crisis passes, those assets will be your Golden Chickens. Will you still have to worry about money then?"

Hee Lingchuan stood up and gave her a deep bow. "You have opened my eyes. Thank you, Lord."

He had never done business before and lacked that particular instinct. But with this bit of guidance from Marquis Songyang, he suddenly saw everything clearly.

Yes, everyone in Dunyu, in all of Xiazhou, wanted to curry favor with the new Chief Steward. He was the only one who didn’t have to.

How could he not make good use of such an advantage?

’Forget fairness. A gentleman must know how to leverage his advantages.’

Lil Qingge waved her hand. "It’s a small matter, just some idle talk. That shop next door is truly excellent. Do you want me to help you acquire it?"

"Alright." Hee Lingchuan didn’t refuse this time. ’How could one navigate the world without owing favors? I’ll just have to find a chance to repay her in the future.’ "Then I will trouble you, Lord."

He had accepted the favor, and Lil Qingge’s smile was especially satisfied.

Hee Lingchuan looked at her and sighed. "Why are you helping me like this, Lord?"

"I’ve said it before: I have excellent judgment," Lil Qingge replied just as frankly. "In the business of Songyang Prefecture, the lowest form of investment is in land and shops, the middle form is in commerce, and the highest form is in people—and I have high hopes for Eldest Young Master Hee."

Hee Lingchuan said self-deprecatingly, "It seems I’ll have to start with the lowest form of investment, then."

Lil Qingge chuckled lightly.

Now that everything was said and done, and with an unexpected windfall, Hee Lingchuan stood up and took his leave.

Marquis Songyang stood by the window of the pavilion, watching him cross the covered walkway below and return to the front hall. Then, she asked the maidservant behind her, "Has Steward Zhao negotiated for the shop next door yet?"

"He has. The Binding Pact was settled at noon."

"Tell him to change the buyer’s name to Mr. Hee, and have this contract delivered to the Hee Mansion before dinner."

...

Hee Lingchuan went to the Money Bank again and exchanged the one hundred thousand taels silver note for smaller, more varied denominations.

Then, he deliberately took a carriage on a tour through every part of the city.

Pedestrians on the streets hurried along, few with smiles on their faces. The Dunyu of today was a city divided. The main streets seemed to be bustling with business, and the major restaurants were filled with guests at night. But on the other side of the city, businesses were desolate, and hearts were filled with panic.

Hee Lingchuan had just passed several grain shops with long lines snaking out their doors. Just then, two shop assistants put up "Sold Out" signs in front of the grain bins, leaving the commoners who were a step too late deeply disappointed.

’These are not good signs.’ Hee Yue had told his brother that Dunyu City was not actually short on grain.

This sudden panic buying, then, stemmed from fear and the hoarding of grain by those reluctant to sell.

Right, there was also the matter of the local gentry buying and donating grain a couple of days ago to curry favor with the New State Official.

Hee Lingchuan didn’t believe his father was blind to all this, but the Government Office wasn’t making much of an effort to calm the populace. They only put up a public notice, which was filled with stiff, official jargon. Its ineffectiveness was predictable.

Before meeting Marquis Songyang, Hee Lingchuan could only lament the cruelty of war. But after leaving Songyang Prefecture, his perspective shifted. It was as if gold and silver were waving at him from every street corner.

’It would be a great injustice to myself not to take advantage of this.’

At the Hee Residence, renovations were still in full swing. When Hee Lingchuan returned to his courtyard, the Rock Wolf was nowhere to be found. Its hearing was too sensitive to endure the endless CLANGING and BANGING, so it had simply gone out to play with Hee Yue’s Black Wolf, Big Black.

Hee Lingchuan sipped his water while looking at Sword Mountain. He saw that its color was becoming increasingly golden; the Broken Blade was clearly absorbing the Zhu Gold with great enthusiasm.

He eagerly awaited the blade’s transformation.

Hee Lingchuan stroked the handle, and he suddenly thought of the shop that the Pengcheng Bureau had specially swapped for him.

Was this the Broken Blade’s way of hinting that he should do the same in reality to solve his money shortage?

Unfortunately, he hadn’t understood until Marquis Songyang had spelled it out for him.

"Sorry, I was being slow." The blade could definitely understand him. "But next time you give a hint, can you be a little more direct?"

The Broken Blade, of course, did not answer.

Just then, Monkey jumped in from who-knows-where and knocked on the doorframe. "Sunx Hongye is here, and he brought someone with him."

’I’m practically Hee Lingchuan’s doorman now. Can’t I get a raise for this?’

Sunx Hongye walked into Hee Lingchuan’s small courtyard, closed the door behind him, and pointed to the man he had brought. "Master, this is Shan Youjun."

He was one of the two former Li Family private soldiers that he was trying to recruit for Hee Lingchuan.

"After that incident, Jiao Tai was arrested, and Shan Youjun left the private army. Neither of them are Li Family men anymore."

Shan Youjun dropped to his knees on the spot, declaring resolutely, "As long as you rescue Jiao Tai, I, Shan Youjun, am willing to serve the Eldest Young Master to the death!"

The sudden movement pulled at the wound on his backside, making him grimace in pain.

"Get up." Hee Lingchuan pulled him up with one hand. Shan Youjun felt an overwhelming force compel him to his feet, and he was secretly surprised.

’This Rich Young Master seems to be quite capable.’

Hee Lingchuan asked Sunx Hongye, "Can we get Jiao Tai out?"

"I’ve already found three or four eyewitnesses who can testify that someone else pushed the pregnant woman into the rockery, not Jiao Tai," Sunx Hongye said. "They’ve already gone to the Prefecture Yamen to give their statements and have them recorded. Once the real culprit is caught, Jiao Tai should be released soon."

He paused, then added, "The Li Family will probably find out about what I’ve done very soon."

"The one who pushed the pregnant woman was just a minor leader in the private army, a distant relative of Li Zhi. At a critical moment, the Li Family won’t go out of their way to protect him. If Li Shuang has any sense, she’ll have him tied up and sent to the Prefecture Yamen herself." Hee Lingchuan smiled at Shan Youjun. "Don’t worry, this matter will be settled quickly."

For the past two days, Shan Youjun had been terrified, his heart filled with the frustration and bitterness of being powerless to save his friend. But now, with just a few casual words, the Eldest Young Master Hee before him had decided the fates of two men.

He started to kneel again, but Hee Lingchuan grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Enough, enough. How are you going to work for me if your knees are so weak?" He turned and poured a cup of hot tea for each of them.

Sunx Hongye accepted it calmly, but Shan Youjun was a little apprehensive.

"Over the next two days, you need to find me another person," Hee Lingchuan said, making another request of Sunx Hongye. "This person needs to be a seasoned operator, someone who knows the ways of Dunyu like the back of his hand. He must be familiar with everyone from high society to the underworld, and have all the gossip about the local gentry and the four great families at his fingertips. Someone like..."

He thought for a moment, then came up with a good example. "Someone like Assistant Liu from Shihuan City."

Sunx Hongye had only become Hee Lingchuan’s advisor just before he left Shihuan and had only met Assistant Liu once or twice, but he knew exactly what kind of work an "assistant" did.

"Master, you’re looking for an assistant who’s an expert on Dunyu’s affairs?"

"Not just that." That was a good summary, but Hee Lingchuan wagged his index finger. "This person must also be skilled in commerce and be able to manage my financial affairs for me."

He could foresee that his life from now on would be dominated by either Cultivation or warfare. What time would he have to run a business?

Therefore, he needed a suitable manager.

Hearing this, Shan Youjun suddenly spoke up. "Sir, I have someone I’d like to recommend."

"Go on." ’Right, this guy is a local, too.’

"He was the former steward of the Shu Family’s Third Master. His surname is Ding, his name is Ding Zuodong. He’s a Dunyu native and has lived here for over forty years. When the Third Master was alive, Ding Zuodong was in charge of all the household’s procurement and affairs, and he arranged everything perfectly. Among all the masters of the Shu Family, his household was the most orderly and respectable."

"Later, the old master of the Shu Family passed away. The Third Master, overestimating himself, tried to compete with the eldest son for power. He lost and was ostracized. Two years later, Third Master Shu went out of town on business and drowned in a river. The Shu Family then found an excuse to drive Ding Zuodong out."

"Ding Zuodong found several jobs after that, but the Shu Family sabotaged them all. He’s been incredibly frustrated, and I heard he’s planning to take his family and move south in a few days. It would be a real shame."

Sunx Hongye asked, "What is this man’s character like?"

"He’s a good man," Shan Youjun said. "Right after Third Master Shu died, an old gentleman in Daji Village to the south offered him a high-paying job as a steward. Ding Zuodong didn’t take it, because Third Master Shu had left behind a widow and three children. As far as I know, even after leaving the Shu Family, Ding Zuodong made sure to properly arrange and hand over the last of Third Master Shu’s assets."

Hee Lingchuan nodded, then suddenly asked, "How do you know all this so clearly?"

"These stewards of the four great families are often the subject of public discussion, and Ding Zuodong’s reputation is quite good." Shan Youjun coughed lightly. "Also, he’s my maternal uncle. I originally lived in Youxu County to the north. I came to Dunyu to rely on him."

Hee Lingchuan smiled. No wonder.

"Then how come he was a steward for the Shu Family while you were a private soldier for the Li Family?" ’Hedging their bets.’

"By the time I got to Dunyu, he had just been kicked out by the Shu Family," Shan Youjun sighed. "He couldn’t even fend for himself, so he found someone to get me a place in the Li Mansion."

He and Sunx Hongye exchanged a look, and the latter gave a slight nod.

Hee Lingchuan then said, "There’s no shame in recommending a relative if they’re qualified. Go back and talk to him. If he’s willing to work for me, have him come for an interview tonight."

Shan Youjun was overjoyed. "Yes, I’ll go right away!" He bowed and exited.

Sunx Hongye said to Hee Lingchuan, "Master, you returned with a spring in your step. Did you have some success outside?"

’This kid is observant.’ Hee Lingchuan then told him about Marquis Songyang’s advice.

"Her words are very true. I should have thought of it sooner." Sunx Hongye immediately began to blame himself after hearing the story. "The streets are paved with opportunities, yet I was blind to them?"

"Your talents don’t lie in making money," Hee Lingchuan laughed heartily. "Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been stuck in Shihuan for so long, earning nothing but a few extra patches on your clothes."

...

The afternoon flew by.

Before dinner, Steward Zhao from Songyang Prefecture arrived and presented Hee Lingchuan with a box.

Inside was the contract for the shop next to Songyang Prefecture. Hee Lingchuan still needed to go to the relevant department to register the deed and make a record of it before the property would truly belong to him.