Chapter 224: A Messy Account

He Yue glanced around, making sure there were no other living creatures in the room, then let out a low sigh.

"It's just talk. Everyone knows the King is easily swayed. When Father speaks passionately, he believes Father; when others plead with tears, he sympathizes with them. Have you forgotten how the new policy reforms failed?"

He Lingchuan shrugged. He hadn't forgotten, because he had no memory of it at all! He couldn't be blamed for that; the original owner had paid too little attention to national affairs.

"Many people were disappointed by that failure, and I imagine Grand Marshal was among them." He Yue sighed again.

He Lingchuan raised a finger to his lips and quietly shushed him. This younger brother was smart, just too idealistic. He changed the subject: "Hey, what do you think about Old Man Li not dying earlier or later, but precisely before we arrived in Dunyu? Isn't there something suspicious about it, almost like—heaven's help?"

"He was seventy after all, in his twilight years." Even if that candle had looked quite robust originally, "Even if he was killed by evil magic, there's no evidence to catch anyone."

"That old man did too many unethical things; many people probably cursed him. One day his protective amulet failed, and he was gone." He Yue wasn't very concerned with how Li Zhao died, but he was very concerned with the aftermath: "Li Zhao's death, the fragmentation of the Li family, and the division of the four great families, all benefit us."

He Lingchuan suddenly asked him, "Will they suspect us? After all, the current situation is most advantageous for us."

"Suspect us of what?" He Yue paused, then understood the implication and burst out laughing. "How could that be? We have no grudges against the four great families, Father is an appointed official of the royal court, and we haven't even met Li Zhao. How could we secretly harm him?" The louder he spoke, the more he sounded like he was arguing. He Lingchuan shushed him several times but couldn't interrupt him.

"What's going on?" The courtyard gate suddenly creaked open, and He Chunhua walked in. "Yue'er, why are you so agitated?"

He Yue stood up to greet him. "Father, my brother and I were discussing how the Li family might interpret Li Zhao's death."

"The innocent need no explanation." He Chunhua's gaze swept over his two sons, softening. "There's no need to pay attention to outside gossip."

"How's your injury?" He also noticed the bandage on He Lingchuan's arm. "Your medicine ape said you bled out at least two catties for the blade cultivation." He also noticed the furnace in the corner of the room and walked over to examine the blade mount. "Just sticking the blade in like this is enough?"

"Master Li said it will grow on its own in a few days, like a living thing."

"Good. I'll send more men here to make sure no riff-raff disturbs the blade cultivation process." He Chunhua smiled. "I've already discussed it with Marquis Songyang. Since Master Craftsman Li is already here, he might as well stay in Xiazhou for a while longer. He'll lend his prestige to Songyang Manor's newly opened branch in Dunyu, and I'll help them get off to a good start by placing the first batch of orders with this branch."

"Orders?" He Yue immediately grasped the key point. "Do we have to pay for them?"

"Of course... from the public account." He Chunhua coughed lightly. "Given that we've just arrived in Xiazhou, Songyang Manor has agreed to let us open a credit account. We can settle it in installments over a year, interest-free."

The He brothers exchanged a look. This was a significant favor, a helping hand in their time of need. Marquis Songyang truly had investment foresight.

"Songyang Manor is a Daoist sect, and they don't have abundant manpower in Dunyu. They usually don't forge mundane weapons. I've ordered a batch of weapons from Songyang Manor for use by military generals. Zeng Feixiong has wanted a Meteoric Iron spear for a long time."

Weapons used by generals differed from those of ordinary soldiers; they were at least at the artifact level. For instance, Zhong Shengguang, Dong Haoming, Nian Zanli, and even Sun Fuping, all used treasures worthy of being recorded in history. Even the Soaring Dragon Spear gifted to He Lingchuan by Wu Shaoyi was once the prized weapon of Liao Mozhao, a renowned general of the Xuan Kingdom. Even the immense strength of the Crocodile God couldn't break it. Ordinary mundane weapons couldn't achieve such feats.

Zeng Feixiong had only been promoted last year, and his personal saber broke while bravely fighting Lu Yao. He had been looking for a suitable weapon ever since, and this time, a high-quality artifact would be best.

He Yue's eyes lit up. "Father, have one forged for me too!" As the son of a provincial governor, he still had this small privilege. In the northern lands, the position of Governor-General was equivalent to that of a provincial governor, the head of a province.

He Chunhua chuckled, naturally agreeing. "Yue'er is a gentleman, and a sword is the gentleman among weapons. I'll ask the Grand Craftsman to forge a precious sword for you." Then he looked at He Lingchuan. "Lingchuan, what about you? You seem to have a saber, a spear, and a bow already, don't you?" The Ghost Eye Bow of the rebel leader Hong Xiangqian was also with his son.

He Lingchuan opened his mouth, then changed his words at the last moment: "Oh, I haven't decided yet. I'll discuss it with Master Li."

He Chunhua nodded. He Lingchuan looked at his father's loving expression and felt a subtle emotion. Speaking of Old Man Li's death, had he thought too badly of his father? After all, there was no evidence; any speculation was just baseless conjecture.

He Yue worried, "Father's decisive actions today certainly showed his capabilities, but the four great families probably won't yield easily."

He Lingchuan chuckled, "Then let them make their move; we'll be happy to meet it."

He Chunhua nodded. "Don't forget the plan we formulated in Ru County... If we only focus on Dunyu, fighting with these few noble families might seem too petty. We came to Xiazhou to settle accounts with Nian Zanli. At that time, he manipulated Nian Songyu to trick my son and me into entering the Coiling Dragon Desert to work for his rebel family, almost causing us to commit treason. This matter will ultimately be settled on the battlefield." The northern front was the top priority within the Governor-General's duties in Xiazhou.

"Yue'er, come to the provincial government office tomorrow. I need your help to tally the account books and count the population for future troop recruitment and grain procurement." This was his second son's specialty, and He Chunhua naturally wouldn't waste it. "Chuan'er, Sun Hongye, one of your subordinates, also has some talent. I'll borrow him for a while." Although he had recruited nineteen people in Shihuan and observed many more along the way, upon arriving in Xiazhou, he still felt a shortage of capable personnel. "Alas, in a small place like Qiansong County, there were too few people skilled in governance; he couldn't even bring many with him."

"Take him, take him." He Lingchuan was very agreeable. "By the way, if he goes to do the accounts, I don't have to go, right?"

He Chunhua gave a faint smile. "Can you make sense of them?"

He Lingchuan coughed.

He Yue said, "There are so many absurd things happening in Dunyu; the local government office can truly be called corrupt."

"Otherwise, why would I need your help?" He Chunhua said calmly. "Just after today's public hearing, I went to check the historical treasury documents, and they tried to fob me off with bad accounts." A cold smile played on his lips. "The next step should be to sort out these matters." Then he turned to his elder son. "By the way, starting this month, your allowance will be reduced to one hundred fifty taels. Now, calm down, shut your mouth and listen to me!"

He Lingchuan was about to open his mouth to protest, but a glare from his father silenced him.

"We've just arrived in Xiazhou, and our expenses are greater than before, while our income is smaller. The money we brought from Blackwater City needs to cover many things. This afternoon, I briefly checked the provincial treasury, and it's full of junk; there's hardly any money left." He Chunhua patted his shoulder, speaking earnestly. "So, in addition to increasing revenue, we also need to find ways to cut expenses. The expenses for the monkey and the rock wolf are on your mother's account. You need to be careful with how you spend your one hundred fifty taels. Once we overcome the current difficulties, your allowance will gradually increase again."

Their father was truly doting on his elder brother, offering an allowance of one hundred fifty taels with an apologetic expression. He Yue watched from the side, not without envy. His own monthly allowance was only fifty taels, though he never managed to spend it all.

He Chunhua was overwhelmed with duties; as soon as he finished speaking, he stood up and quickly left. On his first night in Dunyu, he was certainly going to work late into the night.

Seeing that his brother's face was still quite pale, He Yue also discreetly took his leave.

He Lingchuan poured himself a large cup of tea and slowly sipped it, thinking, fortunately, he still had a hundred thousand taels in silver notes hidden in his pocket. This was the money he had privately kept after selling Sun Fuping's Violet-Gold Pestle to Songyang Manor. However, his practice of the Midnight-Noon Art was about to enter its next stage, and the Yin-Yang powder he consumed would also need to be upgraded, requiring more expensive ingredients for better efficacy. One hundred fifty taels a month wasn't even enough to buy half a set of medicinal ingredients. His father was right; he needed to increase income in addition to cutting expenses. Now that he was in Xiazhou, he had to find a way to make money, lest he run out of funds.

Today, Coiling Dragon City enjoyed clear skies, and He Lingchuan had just returned from patrolling the wasteland. Recently, Liu Tong's squad had rotated to guard duty on the wasteland. Unlike the Red Plateau, this area didn't have much water; it was a typical tundra climate, where one could survey dozens of miles from a high vantage point. The number of newly emerging monsters in the wasteland was not as high as on the Red Plateau, and there were even fewer who caused trouble, making it a relatively easy assignment for most squads. However, Liu Tong was very experienced. Seeing that it had snowed a few days ago, he led his teammates to Smoky Mountain, thirty *li* west of Coiling Dragon City.

The mountain lived up to its name; it emitted smoke, sometimes with a pungent odor. When He Lingchuan arrived, he discovered it was a very active volcano, as large plumes of steam often emerged from cracks in the ground for no apparent reason, capable of scalding someone's arm if they weren't careful. It hadn't erupted for quite some time. Due to geothermal heat, the mountaintop was covered in snow, yet the foot of the mountain surprisingly had some greenery. The ground beneath the pine and spruce trees was uneven. When the snow melted, it formed ice pits or puddles, which nourished moss and lichen.

Liu Tong led everyone into a mountain cave. The cave was located at the foot of the mountain, long, and filled with a damp smell. Walking inside, the ground felt soft because the moss had almost woven itself into a carpet. It was also very warm here; the severe cold outside could not penetrate.

However, He Lingchuan hadn't expected there to be guards outside the cave. Liu Tong revealed his identity, and the guards let them pass, instructing, "Each person is only allowed to take five."

"My team only has six people left."

The guard was silent for a moment, then said, "Each person can take one more."

What kind of treasure in the cave could be counted by the piece? Liu Tong soon revealed the answer: It was snails. He effortlessly found a snail and showed it to everyone: "These Candy Snails have vibrant shells, and almost no two in the world have the same color. They are one of the specialties of this wasteland. Strictly speaking, they are a specialty of Coiling Dragon City; they don't appear anywhere else."