Chapter 35

When Li Yuan entered the guest room where Yueyang was staying, led by Shunbao, Yueyang had already taken off his armor and changed into casual clothes. He was sitting in a chair, quietly looking at Li Yuan.

Without waiting for Yueyang to speak, Li Yuan hurriedly clasped his hands and said with a full smile, "Oh, Nephew Yue, it’s quite presumptuous of me to visit you so late at night. I hope you won’t be offended!"

Although Li Yuan repeatedly said it was presumptuous, there was not a hint of embarrassment on his face, which made one admire his thick skin. Shunbao, standing to the side, couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

However, what Shunbao admired was that Yueyang seemed to have no connection with Li Yuan, and he greeted him with a faint smile, "Ah, it’s Lord Li. You wouldn’t have come at such a late hour just to say a few kind words, would you?"

As if he hadn’t detected the faint sarcasm in Yueyang’s words, Li Yuan’s smile remained as "kind and amiable" as ever. He clasped his hands again and said, "Nephew Yue, you are truly wise beyond your years. I came here late at night for two reasons: first, to thank you for your help today, and second, to express my gratitude. Here is a small gift, I hope you will accept it." With that, Li Yuan pulled out a red gift list from his sleeve, and Shunbao quickly took it and handed it to Yueyang.

After taking the gift list, Yueyang glanced at it and couldn’t help but laugh. He looked at Li Yuan teasingly and said, "Lord Li, this ‘small gift’ of yours is not small at all. Five thousand taels of silver and one thousand taels of gold. I’m afraid I can’t bear such a heavy gift." After saying this, Yueyang was about to hand the gift list to Shunbao to return it.

Seeing this, Li Yuan panicked and quickly said, "Nephew Yue, don’t be in a hurry. If you think the gift is too light, we can discuss it further."

"Lord Li, what do you really want?" Yueyang’s smile began to fade. He didn’t believe that this old fox had come to him in the middle of the night just to give him money.

Li Yuan’s smile became somewhat awkward. After a moment of hesitation, he stammered, "I want to buy the armor and weapons you have, Nephew Yue. Is that possible?"

Yueyang looked at Li Yuan’s old face, and at that moment, he had an urge to punch him in the face.

Taking a deep breath, Yueyang kept telling himself to stay calm. After a few minutes, he managed to calm down and said coldly, "I’m truly sorry, Lord Li. These armors were purchased from foreign merchants, and I don’t have any extra to sell to you. I’m really sorry. Shunbao, return the gift list to Lord Li! Show him out!" With that, Yueyang stood up, ready to have Shunbao show Li Yuan out. He had no patience to waste words with this old man.

Seeing Yueyang stand up, Li Yuan panicked and quickly stood up, shouting, "Nephew Yue, wait a moment! I still have something to say!"

"What else do you have to say?" Yueyang felt his patience was at its limit. He realized he had underestimated the thickness of some people’s skin. What was Li Yuan thinking? Didn’t he know that these armors were his capital for survival in this era? How could he think of buying them with money? Did he really think Yueyang was a three-year-old child who didn’t understand the world?

Yueyang looked at Li Yuan with a stern face, deciding that if this old man said one more word of nonsense, he would kick him out without hesitation.

But who was Li Yuan? This old man who had played mind games all his life could see that Yueyang’s patience was almost at its limit. If he couldn’t show genuine sincerity, this visit would be in vain.

After a moment of thought, Li Yuan immediately said, "Nephew Yue, I know that your Yue Family Manor relies on rent from the fields. Do you want to do some business in Yingzhou or Shanxi? If you have such intentions, I do have some connections. We can cooperate. What do you think?"

"Hmm?"

Li Yuan’s words immediately cooled Yueyang’s rising anger. Yueyang’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he immediately asked, "Is Lord Li serious?"

"Serious, very serious!" Li Yuan hurriedly agreed. Although Li Yuan was well aware that this move was like inviting a wolf into his home, the Yue Family Manor had always been bullied because it was just a landlord family that relied on the land for income and had no place in the business world. Therefore, Wang Shoucheng, Lin Yuanteng, and others could bully them without any qualms, simply because the Yue Family Manor didn’t have as much money as they did. However, if Yueyang, a young and inexperienced newcomer, were brought into this circle, the consequences would be unpredictable. But in Li Yuan’s view, no matter what happened in the future, the most pressing threat now was the bandits. If he could win over this young man, the safety of his family would be secured, which was the most important thing.

Yueyang was extremely pleased with Li Yuan’s offer. Recently, due to the formation of the militia, Yueyang felt that his money was flowing out like water. Whether it was the settlement fees, salaries, or the daily expenses of the soldiers, everything required money. With only five hundred people, Yueyang already felt the pressure. If the militia were to expand tenfold or even a hundredfold, the amount of silver and grain needed would be astronomical. Therefore, establishing a stable source of funds was now his top priority.

Thinking about this, Yueyang’s face showed his first smile of the night, "Hehe, if Lord Li says so, I won’t refuse. I hope Lord Li won’t mind my disturbance in the future."

"You little money-grubbing scoundrel! As soon as you heard there was a benefit, you started calling me ‘uncle.’ You didn’t even call me ‘you’ just a moment ago!" Li Yuan cursed in his heart, but his face still wore a smile as he said, "Of course, if you want to do business, just tell me. I can’t help with other things, but finding a few shops and connecting you with some merchants and gentry is within my reach."

"That’s exactly what I was waiting for!"

This was a true reflection of Yueyang’s current state. As soon as Li Yuan finished speaking, Yueyang immediately said, "Since Lord Li says so, I won’t be polite. Since I formed the militia, my finances have become tight. I want to sell some goods. Can Lord Li provide me with a few shops to do some small business? But don’t worry, Lord Li, I won’t take the shops for free. I will pay you the market price."

"This kid really isn’t polite at all!" Li Yuan gritted his teeth in his heart, but he knew this wasn’t the time to be concerned about the shops. The bandits had just been driven away, and no one knew when they would return. If he could win over this young man, he could at least ensure the safety of his family. A few shops were a small matter.

Thinking about this, Li Yuan forced a smile and said, "Nephew, you’re joking. A few shops are nothing. If you like them, I’ll have someone transfer three shops to you tomorrow for your business. As for the money, you don’t need to worry about it. You can pay me when you have the means."

Yueyang, who had grown up learning the modern art of being thick-skinned, knew that missing out on a good deal would be a sin. He quickly clasped his hands and thanked Li Yuan, "In that case, I won’t be polite."

"Alright, I’ll bear it!"

Li Yuan took a deep breath and asked tentatively, "Nephew, getting the shops is no problem, but what kind of business do you want to do?"

After getting the shops for free, Yueyang was in a great mood. He glanced at Li Yuan and said with a half-smile, "Lord Li, don’t worry. I won’t compete with you in the fur business. I just have some salt to sell, so I need a few shops as storefronts. But don’t worry, Lord Li, I won’t take the shops for free. I will pay you the market price."

"What? You want to sell... salt?" Li Yuan’s eyes almost popped out when he heard this.

In China, salt has always been a state monopoly in any dynasty. In ancient times, salt and iron were important sources of tax revenue for the government, and any act of selling private salt was punishable by severe penalties. However, it was already the late Ming Dynasty, and the government’s control over salt had long been nominal. Therefore, Li Yuan was not surprised by Yueyang’s intention to sell private salt. What truly shocked him was that the private salt market in Yingzhou was already dominated by Wang Shoucheng. Now, Yueyang was openly saying he wanted to get involved. Was this... trying to cut off someone’s livelihood?

PS: Send your recommendations and favorites!

[AD begins on the previous page]

[AD ends on the previous page]