“It’s because the world is at peace and people can live and work in contentment that we merchants can prosper harmoniously. Although I’m the owner of Longchang Trading Company, I’m not the decision-maker. It’s all about timing and luck. I don’t have great talents, and I wouldn’t dare to claim control over the empire’s finances. Cousin, you’re overpraising me,” Ji Cheng said, lowering her eyes.
“That may not be true. I suspect Cheng might prefer profiting from times of war?” Shen Che’s smile faded as he narrowed his eyes.
Ji Cheng’s eyes widened involuntarily at his words. She looked at Shen Che, who raised an eyebrow, confirming her suspicion.
Ji Cheng drew a sharp breath. When the Ji family suffered a major setback, others eyed their business covetously, looking to swallow up the Ji family’s trading company. It was no easy task for Ji Cheng to single-handedly support the Ji family and establish authority in front of others.
In such circumstances, there was no other option but to take unconventional measures.
So Ji Cheng had indeed engaged in business that was neither beneficial to the country nor the people – she had entered the arms trade. Only such a highly profitable venture could allow the Ji family to rise again in such a short time.
Ji Cheng’s hand, hidden under the table, had wrinkled her clothes deeply with her grip.
“If Cousin has something to say, please speak plainly. Cheng will comply with anything,” Ji Cheng said. Her spine, which had been straight until now, sagged noticeably. The arms trade was a matter punishable by the execution of nine generations of one’s family. However, the Ji family wasn’t the first to venture into this business. There were other powerful players with deep connections on the court. Ji Cheng had only gained a small share through Ling Ziyun’s introduction.
“Cousin is clever. You knew that if the barbarians invaded from the south, the people would be slaughtered, and all wealth would be meaningless. So you withdrew cleanly and decisively,” Shen Che continued. But in reality, it was useless, just like how one day as a prostitute taints one for life.
Ji Cheng took a sip of the cold tea in front of her, the bitterness making her heart clench. She had indeed earned tainted money, which left her sleepless at night. After the Ji family regained its footing, she immediately ended that business. Although she had done many good deeds afterward, like building bridges and paving roads, nightmares still frequently haunted her, and her sleep had always been poor.
This time, Shen Che didn’t offer to change Ji Cheng’s tea. “I want to ask Cheng to pick up this line of business again, to bring all the arms trade in Jin territory under the Ji family’s control. Arms can be sold, but only to whom I say and when I say.”
Ji Cheng laughed self-mockingly, “Cousin Che overestimates me. Back then, I was just a small fry, picking up scraps. I can’t swallow such a large business.”
“But now the Ji family is different from before. Cheng doesn’t need to be modest,” Shen Che said.
“This matter is too risky. Since we’ve already withdrawn, we have no intention of picking it up again. What I did in the capital had nothing to do with the Ji family. The private arms dealing was my decision alone. If Cousin Che wants to investigate thoroughly, I beg you to be lenient. Cheng can atone with her life,” Ji Cheng said, absolutely unwilling to implicate the entire Ji family.
“Cheng is a businesswoman, don’t talk about death so easily. What I seek is mutual benefit. Besides, it would be too wasteful for such a beautiful woman like Cousin to die, wouldn’t it?” Shen Che said somewhat frivolously.
In her heart, Ji Cheng had cursed this black-hearted fox Shen Che half to death. If she were slightly less clearheaded, she would have been bewitched by Shen Che. He was trying to flatter her, and who knows how many women had fallen for his tricks.
For Shen Che to say such teasing words at this time was simply hinting to Ji Cheng that with her beauty, everything was negotiable.
But what use was being a great beauty? Ji Cheng didn’t believe she could bewitch Shen Che and make him let her and the Ji family go.
Moreover, throughout history, no great beauty involved in matters of state and national enmity had a good ending. Looking back, wasn’t Xi Shi given to King Fu Chai by the King of Yue? And Wang Zhaojun, wasn’t she married off to the Western Regions? Ji Cheng strongly suspected that one day she might be sold off by Shen Che because of this damned beauty.
“I’ve made up my mind,” Ji Cheng said, lowering her eyes. Before coming today, she thought the worst that could happen was losing her reputation, but she realized she had been too naive. The mistakes of the past had finally caught up with her.
Shen Che laughed, “Cheng is clever. With what the Ji family did back then, it’s already enough for nine generations to be executed. What difference does it make whether you agree now or not? Why not take a gamble? Although if things go wrong in the future, I will indeed throw the Ji family out as a scapegoat, but perhaps if we’re careful, nothing will go wrong. After all, some people have been in this business for over a decade without the court taking any action. Bet with me, you might even have a chance of winning.”
Ji Cheng said, “I’m not confident I can do this well. I’m afraid I’ll disappoint Cousin.”
Shen Che replied, “As long as Cheng puts in her best effort, that’s enough. If it doesn’t go well, that’s my misjudgment and has nothing to do with Cheng. Don’t be so modest, since I’ve chosen you, you’ll be able to do it well. Besides, I’ll be behind you, helping with all my might.”
Shen Che was speaking from his heart. He had indeed taken a liking to Ji Cheng. Since that time at Tianxiang Tower, Shen Che had witnessed Ji Cheng’s calmness and intelligence. More precious was her adventurous spirit. She was at ease and adaptable on the polo field, controlling the situation both low-key and exquisitely – truly a rare talent.
More importantly, Ji Cheng was also very open-minded, which was admirable for a woman. To do this job well, one couldn’t be too rigid.
“May I ask why you want to control the private arms trade?” Ji Cheng asked seriously. Although she was a merchant and had made mistakes before, at heart she didn’t want anything bad to happen to the Great Qin. Her previous involvement had been small-scale, but she could see that what Shen Che was planning was something big.
“You think I want to usurp the throne?” Shen Che chuckled lightly, as if Ji Cheng had told a very funny joke.
Ji Cheng said calmly, “I don’t care if you usurp the throne. Whoever becomes the emperor makes no difference to me. As long as the people can live in peace and prosperity, I wouldn’t mind even if the barbarians ruled.”
Shen Che was silent for a moment before saying, “Cheng’s vision and breadth of mind impressed me.”
Ji Cheng narrowed her eyes. Was this sincere?
Shen Che smiled, “Every dynastic change is accompanied by massive killings and bloodshed. As you said, now the world is at peace and people are content. No matter who tries to usurp power, they won’t succeed. The hearts of the people are clear.”
If Shen Che had tried to fool Ji Cheng with talk of court affairs or claimed the emperor was his uncle, Ji Cheng probably wouldn’t have believed him. But he just said this simple sentence and Ji Cheng believed him.
“However, our dynasty is prosperous, and the Western Regions have long been eyeing us covetously. Our Great Qin’s army hasn’t fought a major battle for many years, and the outcome is uncertain. Supplying arms to the Western Regions could benefit both the country and the people if done well, but could make us traitors to our dynasty if done poorly. That’s why the court strictly prohibits private arms dealing. But wherever there’s profit, merchants will smell it out, even if it means risking their heads. Since we can’t stop them, we might as well eat them up and take this line of business into our own hands.”
“Who is ‘we’?” Ji Cheng asked.
“We are the Jingshi Army,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng blinked. So she was now a minion of the Jingshi Army. How fortunate, she thought sarcastically.
When Ji Cheng returned to her small courtyard, the first thing she did was to relieve herself. She strongly suspected Shen Che had deliberately tormented her. Later, when Ji Cheng was too exhausted to resist, whatever Shen Che said went. She just wanted to get through the night.
After taking care of her urgent needs, Ji Cheng was exhausted and didn’t want to say anything. But seeing Yugian’er and Liuye’er so frightened, she had to speak up to comfort them.
“It’s nothing, don’t be afraid,” Ji Cheng said.
“But how could Mr. Hao be there, and that account book…” Yugian’er couldn’t even finish her sentence.
“It’s fine, from now on everything will be peaceful,” Ji Cheng said. This was, of course, a lie. Ji Cheng was now playing with the lives of everyone in the Ji family tied to her belt. But some things would only worry Liuye’er and Yugian’er if they knew, making them unsure of what to do.
Ji Cheng thought it was better to let them remain ignorant. Ignorance is bliss.
Perhaps because the situation had completely fallen apart, Ji Cheng slept soundly, no longer worrying about this or calculating about that. But when she woke up in the morning, she had to face her troublesome life again.
First, she had to write a letter to her father, Ji Qing, who was far away in Jin territory. To resume the arms business, was impossible without Ji Qing’s approval.
Ji Cheng racked her brains and, for the first time, praised the great achievements of their Great Qin, saying that without a country, there could be no family and that even merchants had patriotic hearts and couldn’t always be said to only pursue profit. Then Ji Cheng mentioned that she had found a powerful patron in the capital to assist them and that the profits from this were unparalleled – truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would benefit the country, the people, and themselves.
After Ji Cheng finished writing this family letter in the secret code agreed upon with Ji Qing and sealed it with wax, she felt as if she had pulled out half of her hair.
Recalling Shen Che’s scheming from yesterday, Ji Cheng’s teeth itched with anger. This man’s tactics were truly despicable, but Ji Cheng had to admit they were very effective. She had been desperate to relieve herself, and Shen Che had that infuriating attitude of “if we can’t agree, don’t think about leaving.”
Ji Cheng gritted her teeth and endured countless unfair terms, only making two or three small requests before fleeing in panic. She thought, sometimes you really can’t underestimate these tactics. If only she could make Shen Che experience the feeling of being tortured by the urge to urinate.
Since childhood, Ji Cheng had a habit of self-punishing after making major mistakes. After returning from school in the morning, she locked herself alone in her room.
Liuye’er tiptoed in to check on her, then came out to whisper to Yugian’er, “What exactly happened to Miss last night? She’s torturing herself so severely this time.”
Yugian’er had also peeked in a few times from outside. Ji Cheng had been maintaining a position with her legs split straight to the sides for a long time. Just thinking about it was painful. There were also some other postures that Yugian’er thought only someone with broken bones could manage.
The two maids were extremely worried outside, while Ji Cheng was sweating from the pain inside, but she didn’t relax at all and kept pushing herself.
This was all because of her pride and carelessness. When Ji Cheng first met Shen Che, she felt that his reputation outside was very different from the person himself. Later, she also intuitively sensed some danger, but perhaps because Shen Che was truly too charming, or perhaps because she was dissatisfied with Shen Che in her heart and saw him as shameless and vulgar, looking down on him everywhere. Thinking about it now, Ji Cheng truly wanted to slap herself twice.
Underestimating the enemy – this was the most unforgivable mistake.
At the end of her letter to Ji Qing, Ji Cheng also briefly explained that their past involvement in private arms dealing had been discovered, and she had no choice but to compromise. She didn’t know if her father would regret entrusting the Ji family to her temporarily after reading the letter, beating his chest in remorse.
When Liuye’er went in to check on Ji Cheng for the last time, Ji Cheng’s feet were hanging from colored ribbons, and her body was suspended in a split. The sight made her shake her head.
Ji Cheng tortured herself until she was weak and her hands and feet were trembling before finally letting herself go. After washing up, she went to Ji Lan’s room for dinner.
Ji Lan was in the east side room with Shen Cui, picking out accessories. This was in preparation for the Chrysanthemum Banquet at the South Duke’s mansion.
As soon as Ji Cheng entered, she heard Ji Lan say in a sour tone, “Aiya, we should have made several more sets of hair ornaments for you before autumn. You’re a grown lady now, but unfortunately…” Unfortunately, they were short of money.
In fact, how could Ji Lan be short of money for making hair ornaments?
Ji Cheng didn’t respond. After dinner, Ji Lan sent Shen Cui to rest, saying that only with enough sleep would her complexion look good.
Ji Cheng had been enduring Ji Lan’s sarcasm lately. Ever since their “half-confrontation” last time, Ji Lan had been cold towards her.
“Sit down, Cheng,” Ji Lan pointed to the row of chairs against the east wall.
After Ji Cheng sat down, Ji Lan said, “Do you want to go to the Chrysanthemum Banquet at the South Duke’s mansion in a few days?”
Ji Cheng’s eyes widened slightly, and the corners of her mouth turned up involuntarily. It seemed her aunt was truly a member of the Ji family, always turning everything into a transaction. Ji Cheng couldn’t help but start to reflect on herself, hoping she wouldn’t learn to be so unlikable.
Ji Lan looked at Ji Cheng’s “What can you do to me” smile with disgust and said coldly, “You should know, if I don’t let you go, you won’t be able to enter the gates of the Duke’s mansion.”
Ji Cheng nodded.
“Cheng, you were wrong about the past events, and so was I. I can let bygones be bygones but don’t think your aunt is easy-going and plays dumb. I’ve already written to your father about this, and this is his reply to you. Read it yourself.” Ji Lan handed Ji Qing’s reply to Ji Cheng.
Ji Cheng opened the letter and read it carefully. Ji Qing naturally first reprimanded Ji Cheng, then told her to compensate Ji Lan for all the losses her shops had suffered.
Ji Cheng closed the letter and heard Ji Lan say, “What do you say?”
Ji Cheng looked at Ji Lan with a cold smile. She resented Ji Lan. If it weren’t for their internal strife, how would Shen Che have noticed her, and how would the Ji family’s secret past involvement in arms dealing have been exposed? Even with the Jingshi Army’s help, it must have taken Shen Che a lot of effort to find evidence.
There was one thing Shen Che didn’t say, but Ji Cheng knew: the Jingshi Army’s capabilities were so great, able to penetrate heaven and earth, leaving no stone unturned. The expenses were certainly not small. Shen Che’s interest in the Ji family and the arms trade was also for the sake of profit.
When Ji Cheng used tactics to squeeze Ji Lan’s shops this time, she had indeed exposed the Ji family’s economic strength. Where there’s meat, wolves, and dogs will come.
Thinking of this, Ji Cheng was so furious with Ji Lan that she could have killed her. Ji Lan had no idea what kind of predicament her selfishness would bring upon the Ji family. Ji Cheng also felt like she could kill herself, blaming her lack of foresight and arrogance.
“I will not give it,” Ji Cheng slowly uttered these three words.