Liang Jianfang laughed heartily and said: “This is exactly the emperor our Great Tang should have. We want money, we want grain, we want cloth and silk, so we need to keep plundering. Since we can’t plunder our own subjects, we can only plunder others. Hehe, His Majesty’s idea suits this Old Liang’s appetite perfectly. If in the end all these herdsmen slaves need to be completely executed, brothers need not feel troubled—just leave it to Old Liang.”
This bastard was originally a killing talent. Slaughtering people and chopping off heads posed not the slightest psychological barrier for him. Of the three massacres in Korea, two were personally completed by this fellow. He was specifically the manpower Li Er used for dirty work.
“Old Yun, from now on explain these principles to the brothers more often. Drilling in the military camps all day, we’re practically becoming idiots. His Majesty made such a grand arrangement, yet we brothers are still completely confused. If we accidentally bump into His Majesty when he’s angry, we’ll be in big trouble. You’ve mixed with civil officials, you’re more knowledgeable—reminding the brothers more often is right.” Old Jiang ignored Liang Jianfang’s nonsense and spoke these words while looking into Yun Ye’s eyes.
“That’s natural. The Sixteen Guards plus the Lingnan Naval Force are Chang’an’s most basic garrison strength. As for the Crown Prince’s Six Bureaus, they’re not our kind of people. Getting entangled with them brings too much trouble. We brothers only recognize His Majesty.” Li Jingzhong of the Tunwei Guard also spoke up. He worried Yun Ye was getting too close to the Crown Prince and specifically reminded him.
“What can be said, I will definitely say. Brothers aren’t wooden puppets either—you have your own judgment. This younger brother is the youngest—I absolutely won’t watch everyone jump into a fire pit without reacting.”
“In the future if there’s war, this brother’s Lingnan Naval Force will still need you brothers’ protection to remain secure. Sea dragons placed in river ditches can only take beatings.”
Everyone nodded. Alliance matters couldn’t be committed to writing—as long as everyone understood in their hearts, that was enough. They left the palace gates together. Yun Ye wasn’t in a hurry to go home. Liu Jinbao had already rushed over. The two led their horses walking slowly to the West Market. Yun Ye very much wanted to see what kind of impact the financial storm Li Er triggered had on the Great Tang’s commerce.
The West Market was surprisingly calm. Many family businesses remained prosperous. Copper coins as the main currency still transferred from your hands to mine. Apart from a few idiots who slit their throats, many merchants immediately reacted—copper was actually also a commodity, just previously overvalued.
Now restored to its true nature, merchants were much more at peace. At worst, melting down copper coins to cast copper vessels could still recover costs, so copper coin prices couldn’t drop to a despairing level.
However, customers holding silver coins were still very welcome. Yun Ye was already considering whether he should exchange all his family’s silver coins for copper coins. If this continued, silver coins might appreciate in value again. Blind people always loved following trends.
The Yun Family didn’t need to farm, didn’t need to raise sheep, didn’t need to laboriously go to sea islands to pick spices. They only needed to periodically exchange copper coins for silver coins, or exchange silver coins for copper coins, to be wealthy for a lifetime.
Superiority in insight made Yun Ye unconsciously hold his head high, glancing sideways at Liu Jinbao using silver coins to flirt with those barbarian dancing girls. Only after groping them several times did he order a large barrel of grape wine for the household.
The grapes growing in the Yun Family vineyard could only be eaten as fruit. Previously when he had nothing to do, he brewed a bit himself. Li Tai said the taste was like dishwater—as if he’d actually drunk dishwater before.
He most liked seeing barbarians selling seeds. The Yun Family was always a pioneer. Last autumn, the Yun Family’s gift to the Emperor was two enormous pumpkins. Yun Shou stole the show, because those two pumpkins required the child to use tremendous effort to roll them into the Hall of Ten Thousand People from outside. The child couldn’t even lift pumpkins weighing over a hundred catties.
What was celebration? This was celebration. The Autumn Harvest Festival was all about abundant harvest and joy. However beautiful the grain tree the Zhangsun Family bound, how could it compare to a chubby child pushing two enormous pumpkins? Now no one spoke of auspicious omens. Had it been several years earlier, the Emperor would have embraced the pumpkins to thank heaven.
He bought some of every seed whether he recognized them or not. Once planted, he’d know what they were. Anyway, the Yun Family had much land—ruining two or three plots didn’t matter. Even knowing bananas couldn’t be grown, didn’t the banana tree still grow nicely in the greenhouse?
Liu Jinbao’s body was covered with hanging bags, his mouth holding a meat pie. Wang Cai resolutely refused to let Liu Jinbao hang bags on its body. The horse beside it was already covered tightly by a large bundle of aged sugarcane.
He hadn’t seen old man Wei Zheng in quite a while. He’d heard the man had been continuously ill, but encountering him today at the market, he realized those censors were spouting nonsense. The old man’s beard and hair were completely white, his spirit vigorous. Although also wearing common cloth clothes, seeing him shouldering a cloth bag walking with dragon-like steps, one knew this old fellow had been living quite well recently.
He ate two consecutive bowls of cold noodles at the cold noodle stand before stopping. Wiping his mouth, he smiled at Yun Ye and said: “Coming back from the fields, hungry and thirsty, with no money on my person. This old minister didn’t want to buy on credit either. Fortunately, I encountered Marquis Yun to resolve my urgent need!”
There was no way to respond. A dignified Duke deliberately made himself look impoverished, not bringing a single servant, just wandering the market—who knew what he was thinking?
Seeing the bags on Liu Jinbao’s body, Wei Zheng’s eyes lit up. He took a handful of each type, saying he wanted to plant them in his garden.
“Duke Wei, this humble one doesn’t actually know what these seeds are. Like gambling on luck, I bought some of each—whether good or bad, there’s no certainty.”
“This is very good! Just like throwing dice—before the bowl is lifted, who knows if it’s big or small? Unintentionally planting willows that provide shade—these seeds might give this old minister some surprises. This year I have something to look forward to.”
Yun Ye and Wei Zheng never discussed government affairs. As long as he discussed government affairs with him, he himself would be unlucky. The old fox was now extremely crafty, unlike before when he concealed things. As long as it was within Yun Ye’s scope of duties, he would openly and honestly assign it, then wait for Yun Ye’s handling opinion. Yun Ye had already received several rounds of such obviously difficult government affairs.
“Marquis Yun has now entered the proper path. The dignified Ministry of War Assistant Minister is where you should be. Old Lu and Old Yang, though they can’t be called corpses in positions of authority, haven’t made much progress either. Since you began presiding over the Ministry of War, you don’t know how many times Old Fang and Old Du have praised you. Being able to accomplish what others cannot accomplish qualifies one as a capable minister. Train a bit more, and when you pass thirty years of age, let Old Du remove that Minister title and you can preside over the Ministry of War yourself.”
“So that’s why I’ve been this Ministry of War Left Assistant Minister endlessly! This was originally a nominal position—I only needed to receive my salary. Now I’m pinned to the Ministry of War unable to move. You also know I have a lazy and indolent nature. For a while it’s fine, but if the time drags on, who knows, I might bring disaster to the nation and people.”
Wei Zheng laughed heartily, stroking his beard and saying to Yun Ye: “Although you, Yun Ye, are selfish and lazy as a person, you haven’t yet done a single thing that brought disaster to the nation and people. When it involves yourself, you’re carefree and casual. But when it involves the common people, you, Yun Ye, are extremely careful and cautious. The things you’ve accomplished make us old men look at you with new eyes. Among the young talents, you should be first. Mix well in this great dye vat called the court. This old minister very much wants to see what color the crafty and strange Marquis Yun will be dyed.”
Having spoken, he patted Yun Ye’s shoulder twice with that disgusting look of ‘I have high hopes for you,’ then happily walked off. Before leaving, he even pulled down a sugarcane stalk from the horseback to use as a walking stick.
Wei Zheng left, and Yun Ye continued strolling the streets. Such leisurely times were not many.
Who would have thought—barbarians could actually weave such soft blankets! Previously the blankets they wove were stiff as boards. Who’d have imagined that in just a few short years, these bearded fellows had improved their technique? Covering oneself with such a blanket in spring would truly be an enjoyment. Grandmother was getting old, her sleep was always poor. Laying out several of these blankets might have good effects.
“However many blankets you have, I’ll take them all. Deliver all these blankets to the Yun Family estate at Yushan, say the family master bought them. Look carefully—only this kind of soft blanket. If you dare bring those stiff rigid kind, watch out for your dog legs.”
The barbarian was extremely happy, placing his hand over his chest continuously swearing, proving he wouldn’t deceive even a wild dog. Hearing this, Yun Ye’s face was full of anger. Damn it, could barbarian proverbs translated into Han language even be listened to? This was only because Yun Ye’s temper had improved these past two years. In the past, the barbarian wouldn’t have escaped a beating.
Passing by the Yanlai Tower, he saw a young man in blue clothes with one hand touching his chin sitting at the tea stall across the way, having a wandering doctor lance the blood blisters on his hand. Just watching made Yun Ye hurt, yet this fellow didn’t even furrow his brow once.
“A perfectly good young man always staring at the brothel—what for? If you really want to go up, just go up. What kind of thing is glaring from below?” Yun Ye sat before Li Yifu and asked without good humor.
Li Yifu was startled, then said to Yun Ye: “Teacher, your student suffered an unjust loss here and feels very stifled. This time piling the Sweat Mountain at the Academy was precisely thanks to her. You say, if your student doesn’t frequently come here to review the loss he suffered, wouldn’t that show too little heart?”
“The one who harmed you was yourself. The one who punished you was the Mountain Chief. How did you redirect your anger toward the brothel? What kind of sentiment exists in a brothel? You should have had awareness from the first day you went up. You took money to buy pleasure, they let you buy—one willing to hit, one willing to be hit. What’s there to be angry about?”
“Teacher speaks reasonably. But Li Yifu feels that if I don’t take back what others owe me, my heart is always uncomfortable. Being punished by the Mountain Chief is perfectly justified—he is an honored teacher, and I indeed had faults. Piling the Sweat Mountain was deserved.”
“But piling the Sweat Mountain made me not only sweat but also bleed. You should at least let your student have a venting target, right? Yanlai Tower is quite good. I’m currently pondering how to collapse this building.”
Yun Ye looked back at Yanlai Tower and nodded: “Indeed, it’s so magnificent and imposing it’s disgusting. Young man, collapsing this building is fine, but don’t cause any deaths. Here’s a sugarcane stalk for you—quench your thirst. There’s white foam at the corners of your mouth—it looks disgusting.”
Taking advantage of Li Yifu’s hasty mouth-wiping, Yun Ye cheerfully headed straight for Yushan with his hands behind his back, together with Wang Cai.