Chapter 206

Chapter 206

The two children quickly became acquainted. Though Qing Er now appeared as a well-bred young lady, back at the border, Li Mu had raised her to be quite the tomboy—skilled in horseback riding and archery, and even owning a pony of her own.

"The pony I raised is a chestnut mare named Maomao (meaning 'Furry'), because it has a patch of white hair on its forehead."

Yuanbao asked with curiosity, "Is it fast?"

"Extremely fast! When my dad took me rabbit hunting, it ran even faster than the rabbits!"

"Wow!" Yuanbao’s eyes lit up. What child doesn’t love horses? Unfortunately, the horses at home were too big, and Wang Ying never allowed him to touch them, fearing he might get kicked.

"When you have time, have your uncle bring you to the border. I’ll take you riding on the Gobi for a few rounds—it’s so much fun!"

"Deal!" The two little ones pinky promised.

It was evening by the time Chen Qingyan finished his work. Returning to the backyard and seeing an unfamiliar carriage, he guessed that Lin Sui had arrived.

Inside, Wang Ying had already prepared a hot pot. The lamb was freshly butchered, and the vegetables came from the experimental field—fresh and delicious.

"Brother Sui's here! And this must be Qing Er—she’s gotten so big!"

Qing Er stood up and bowed. "Nice to meet you, Uncle."

"Please, sit. No need for formalities. When did you arrive?"

Lin Sui replied, "We arrived this afternoon."

"Was the journey smooth?"

"We traveled with the troops. There weren’t any dangers along the way, but the spring winds were really strong—sand and stones flew everywhere. We had to rest at a waystation for a few days midway."

Chen Qingyan nodded. "Is the Marquis well?"

"He’s doing well. It’s just that he couldn’t leave the border, so he couldn’t come along. He asked me to say hello."

"You’re too kind. The Marquis guards the border with total loyalty. He is a nation's pillar and truly admirable!"

Wang Ying pushed him inside. "Alright, go wash your hands and eat. If we wait any longer, the meat in the pot will be overdone."

The meal was cheerful. Since Yuanbao had to get up early for school the next day, he went to rest early. Qing Er was also exhausted from the journey and followed the servant to the guest room to sleep, leaving only the three adults in the room.

Wang Ying said, "This afternoon, Brother Sui told me that the border is not peaceful, and it’s likely that war will break out again before long."

Hearing this, Chen Qingyan knit his brows. "If the Marquis says so, it’s pretty much certain."

Wang Ying again brought up the salt and iron issue, asking Lin Sui if it was alright to discuss it. Lin Sui nodded. "The Marquis also asked me to inform Cousin and request his help in looking into this in Shanzhou."

Smuggling salt and iron was a big deal, especially when it involved shipping to Xizhou. Chen Qingyan nodded solemnly. "I will send people undercover to investigate this. Once we have clues, I will let the Marquis know."

"Thanks, Cuz."

"It's the least I can do. Besides, we are family—no need for formalities. Since you’re here, stick around a while."

"Of course."

Wang Ying said, "It’s getting late. You should rest now. After days of travel, you must be exhausted. Tomorrow, I’ll show you around town."

After Lin Sui left, the husband and husband discussed the salt and iron matter.

"Selling salt and iron at high prices to the Turkic people—when they invade, will that silver even be safe? This is like making a deal with the devil!"

Chen Qingyan laughed scornfully. "Those big shots have been comfortable for too long. They only care about their own interests and completely ignore the bigger picture."

Wang Ying took off his outer robe and sighed. "When war breaks out, it’s the common people and military households who suffer. The last battle killed thousands at the border, and it took the surrounding counties years to recover. Now, after just a few years of peace, things are getting shaky again."

They lay in bed and blew out the lamp. Chen Qingyan gently patted his shoulder to comfort him. "Even if war breaks out, it won’t reach the interior immediately. You and Yuanbao can return to Jizhou first when the time comes."

"That won’t do! How could I leave you here alone? I wouldn’t be at ease!"

"Isn’t there that teleportation trick with the experimental field? If things get bad, I can just bail."

Wang Ying chuckled. "You’ve thought it through. We’ll see when the time comes. Maybe war won’t break out for a while."

*

Chen Qingyan took the salt and iron smuggling matter seriously. The next day, he sent the Huang brothers to do some digging discreetly in the city.

Such a significant matter couldn’t possibly leave no traces. At the very least, someone must have vouched for the shipments to pass through the city gates. Chen Qingyan’s goal was to uncover who was behind it.

Shanzhou had seven copper and iron mines. Apart from two nearly depleted ones, the other five were under government control, managed by dedicated officials.

Of course, there were also private mines, but their output was low, and the quality of the iron varied. The authorities turned a blind eye to them.

Every month, the iron produced from the mines was transported to Shanzhou’s prefectural city before being distributed to various prefectures for manufacturing weapons, farming tools, and other items.

All this iron had to be carefully recorded in ledgers—not a single discrepancy was allowed. So Chen Qingyan was very curious about how these people managed to move tens of thousands of *dan* of refined iron from the accounts.

The Huang brothers were sharp guys. They mingled in teahouses, taverns, gambling dens, and brothels to gather information, gradually uncovering some clues.

There was a city gate clerk named Liu Yuan who had a fondness for gambling. Perhaps they could learn something from him.

One day, Huang Baiguan went to the gambling den in the southern market as usual. When he arrived, he happened to run into Liu Yuan gambling.

Liu Yuan was playing small Pai Gow. In this game, aside from the banker, each player was dealt two dominoes with points. If the total points were higher than the banker’s, they won; if lower, they lost.

Today, luck wasn’t on his side. He had lost over twenty strings of cash by noon and now had only two left—not enough to turn his luck around.

Just as Liu Yuan was about to leave, someone pressed down on his shoulder. Already irritated, he was about to curse but swallowed his words when he saw it was Huang Baiguan.

After the New Year, the Huang brothers had been promoted to minor officials by Chen Qingyan. They had crossed paths a few times at the government office but had no private interactions.

"Brother Huang, what brings you here today? Care to try your luck?"

Huang Baiguan rubbed his fingers together. "I’ve been meaning to come for a while, but I’m new here and not familiar with the place. Now that I have some free time, I thought I’d give it a shot." He put on the act of an experienced gambler, making Liu Yuan chuckle.

"Perfect timing. You can take my seat. I’m leaving."

Huang Baiguan quickly stopped him. "Wait, don’t go yet. The gambling style in Jizhou is different from here. Could you help me read the cards? If I lose, it’s on me. If I win, we’ll split the earnings."

In truth, Huang Baiguan had no idea how to gamble. He was only here to investigate for his employer, and he forced himself to sit at the gambling table.

Liu Yuan was more than happy to agree. A no-risk deal like this was a sure win. Maybe he could even recoup his losses!

He pulled over a stool and sat beside Huang Baiguan, teaching him how to place bets and play the cards.

Perhaps it was a case of the bystander seeing more clearly than the player. With Liu Yuan’s guidance, the two won quite a bit of silver—not only recovering the twenty strings Liu Yuan had lost but also winning an additional seven or eight taels.

After leaving the gambling den, Huang Baiguan kept his word and gave half of his winnings to Liu Yuan. Liu Yuan hadn’t expected him to actually share the money. After some polite refusals, he accepted.

"Today was all thanks to you, Brother Huang! If I hadn’t run into you, my money would’ve been gone for good!"

Huang Baiguan said modestly, "It's all thanks to Brother Liu Yuan's direction. If I had played alone, I might have lost everything."

The two burst into laughter; their bond grew instantly.

"What a day! Come on, my treat!"

This was exactly what Huang Baiguan wanted. He happily followed Liu Yuan to a nearby tavern.

Liu Yuan was a regular there. After greeting the tavern owner, he led Huang Baiguan directly to a private room on the second floor.

"Brother Huang, you've been in Shanzhou for almost half a year now. How do you like it here?"

Huang Baiguan, scratching his head, said, "To be honest, it's not as good as our Jizhou. Things are expensive here, the food isn't as refined, and there are Qiang and Rong tribespeople. The language barrier makes them tough to manage."

Liu Yuan laughed heartily. "I can see you're an honest man. It's true that Shanzhou isn't as good as Jizhou, but it's not all bad. If you can find the right patron," he rubbed his fingers together, indicating, "you can make much more money here than in Jizhou."

Huang Baiguan picked up his teacup and took a sip to hide his surprise.

Soon, drinks and dishes were served. The two clinked cups and began drinking. Huang Baiguan had trained in martial arts since childhood and had a strong constitution; even after several cups, his face showed no change.

After two bowls of yellow wine, Liu Yuan became more talkative. "Brother Huang, you should come find me to hang out more often. I don't have many hobbies—I just love playing pai gow."

Huang Baiguan tossed a peanut into his mouth. "I'm afraid that might not be possible. Older Brother Liu Yuan, you lost twenty strings of cash at the gambling table without batting an eye. If it were me, I'd probably be ready to die."

Liu Yuan laughed loudly. "You kid, if you're afraid of losing, why gamble at all?"

"The urge got to me. Before, I only dared to play small games where the wins and losses weren't big. This is the first time I've won so much money!"

"We brothers really click. You helped me win back my money, so if you ever need anything in the future, just let my older brother know. I'll do whatever I can to help!"

Huang Baiguan raised his wine bowl. "With those words from you, older brother, I'm already satisfied. But..."

"But what?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Let's drink, let's drink."

Seeing that Huang Baiguan was hiding something, Liu Yuan said, "You're treating me like an outsider. What's bothering you so much?"

Huang Baiguan fell silent for a moment before speaking. "To be honest with you, older brother, I really want to find a way to make some money. As you know, my brother and I came here from Jizhou with Lord Chen. To put it nicely, we're his subordinates; to put it bluntly, we're servants without a contract."

"My brother and I together only earn two strings of cash a month. After food and expenses, we can't save any money. Back home, our father is in poor health, and I want to save some silver to send back for his retirement..."

Liu Yuan patted him on the shoulder. "I understand, brother. If life weren't hard, who would leave home and travel so far?"

Huang Baiguan wiped his eye with his sleeve. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Older Brother Liu Yuan, please don't laugh at me."

"Laugh at you? Of course not. How about this—I'll introduce you to a good job, but I'll need to run it by my people first. If there's an opportunity, I'll let you know."

"What kind of job is it? Do you think I can handle it?"

Liu Yuan lowered his voice and leaned closer to Huang Baiguan's ear. "The iron transport business. We just provide some cover. For each cartload, you can earn this much." Saying so, he held up two fingers.

"Two hundred coppers?"

"Two taels of silver!"

"That much!" Huang Baiguan's heart raced with excitement. He hadn't expected to get what he needed from Liu Yuan so quickly.

"This is just between us. I'm telling you because I treat you like a true brother."

"Don't worry. Whether it works out or not, I'll remember this favor, older brother! I owe you one!"