Chapter 6: Money Shouldn't Be Spent Too Little

For monsters and some humans, these dried meats were delicious snacks.

The father and son, along with Uncle Hao and the butler, searched diligently but found nothing appealing, so they had no choice but to give up.

He Lingchuan lowered his head and secretly glanced at the necklace on his neck.

This item was unusual; it was no longer the original. He had repeatedly considered whether to present it, but a voice deep inside always reminded him: "Never show it to anyone!"

This premonition was so strong that he agonized over it for a long time but ultimately decided to follow his intuition.

"Take these back. The two guards will remain under Hongbaidao's custody. Ah yes, I remember Hongbaidao has a farm in the southern suburbs. It's off-season now, so the area around the farm is likely deserted. Lingchuan, do you understand? ... Good, go after dinner. Do it discreetly." He Chunhua turned to Uncle Hao, "Ah Hao, stay for a moment."

He Lingchuan acknowledged the order and left, while Uncle Hao remained.

After the Prefect's eldest son's figure disappeared behind the verandah, He Chunhua said to Uncle Hao, "Tell me exactly what happened today, from beginning to end."

Uncle Hao recounted everything, without embellishment or exaggeration.

He Chunhua nodded upon hearing it and dismissed him.

The seasoning room fell silent. He Chunhua stared at the leopard carcass on the table, lost in thought for a long while.

Butler Wu waited nearby, and only after two sticks of incense had burned down did he speak up to remind him: "My Lord, it's time for dinner."

Prefect He grunted, "What do you think of this matter?"

"The young master may seem reckless, but he handled it quite well," Butler Wu chuckled. "Those two guards shouldn't be allowed to run around and snoop in the city."

"The little scamp has learned his lesson," Prefect He gently exhaled. "It seems his severe injury this time was a blessing in disguise."

"My Lord was originally concerned about the young master's sudden change in temperament. Now you can rest assured."

"Indeed," Prefect He murmured. "Let's go, it's time for dinner."

*****

No matter how much Prefect He yearned for his homeland, or how much the He mansion resembled the style of the capital, their daily meals still had to defer to reality, and they ate much like the locals in Blackwater City.

After all, one lives off the land; if you live by the mountains, you eat from the mountains; if by the water, you eat from the water. And here, by the soil, one ate what the soil provided.

He Lingchuan feasted heartily on half a boiled lamb leg before him. It was genuinely simmered in clear water, with only ginger slices and scallion knots added to remove any gamey odor.

The clear broth brought out its natural flavor. The lamb itself was tender and springy, and when dipped in seasoned pepper and spicy salt, it was incredibly delicious—He Lingchuan personally sliced a piece, dipped it, and ate it, sighing with satisfaction.

The cooks hired by the Prefectural Manor only used bighorn sheep younger than eighteen months old. These sheep preferred to roam the Gobi Desert, often eating dandelions, Scutellaria, and other medicinal herbs, which made their meat rich and fragrant, very different from other sheep of the same kind. It was a specialty of Red Cliff Road.

A beautiful woman in luxurious clothing sat beside He Chunhua, slowly drinking millet porridge after lightly blowing on it twice. Her unhurried pace was a sharp contrast to He Lingchuan's hearty eating.

This was Ying Hongchan, He Chunhua's original wife and the mistress of the He mansion. She occasionally sampled a piece of lamb, but it had to be deboned by the butler and artfully arranged for her.

She listened to her husband and younger son's conversation, smiling broadly, and sometimes glanced at He Lingchuan.

All four members of their family were here, perfectly assembled.

He Chunhua was discussing this year's taxes for Qiansong Commandery with his younger son.

Yes, taxes. One of the most talked-about topics among Blackwater City residents was that Prefect He's most capable assistant was neither a seasoned accountant nor his personal strategist, but his younger son, He Yue, who was not yet fourteen years old.

This young boy learned to read at three, could recite three hundred poems by heart at seven, and the following year, the He mansion had two accountants sent to prison—He Yue, with nothing better to do, had audited the account books, uncovered several long-standing fraudulent accounts, and exposed two fat "rice weevils."

By the time He Yue was twelve, in addition to excelling in chess, calligraphy, and painting, he began to "dictate" Prefect He's official duties... no, rather, to offer advice and strategies.

He Chunhua was not a rigid old pedant. His younger son's proposals were clear, logical, and effective, so he naturally gave them his full support. He Yue grew more confident with each task, even taking on some of his father's workload.

Therefore, such a scene was now very common.

He Lingchuan did not participate in their discussion, not uttering a single word. He simply quietly enjoyed his meal, after all, the original He Lingchuan had done the same.

He couldn't interject at all.

Both He brothers inherited their father's good looks. He Lingchuan was well-built, tall, and handsome, while He Yue had delicate features, resembling Madam Ying more closely.

However, their personalities were completely different.

He Yue had a photographic memory, while He Lingchuan, as the eldest son, would invariably fall asleep within fifteen minutes of reading, more effective than any sedative.

The only thing more annoying than "that kid from another family" was "my own brother is a genius student."

It was a complete and utter defeat in every aspect.

"Alright, let's eat!" Ying Hongchan interrupted the conversation between the older and younger men. "If you don't pick up your chopsticks soon, the food will get cold."

In reality, if they didn't pick up their chopsticks soon, He Lingchuan would have eaten all the food.

He practiced martial arts, and his appetite was more than double that of an ordinary person.

Seeing Ying Hongchan personally put a soft-fried river shrimp on He Yue's plate, He Lingchuan wiped his hands with a napkin. "Second Brother," he said, "tomorrow, issue a travel permit to Liu Baobao's merchant guild. Their caravan is returning soon and they don't want to get stuck at Baitong Pass."

"I told you not to call me 'Second Brother'!" It was terribly grating, and He Yue truly hated the moniker. "I was just about to tell you, Liu's merchant guild has overdue vehicle and horse taxes for two years, plus late fees, totaling over seven hundred taels. They only get their travel permit once they've paid up."

"If that caravan doesn't return, they can't pay the seven hundred taels," He Lingchuan chuckled. "They're old acquaintances; let's make an exception this one time. I'll help you keep an eye on them then."

He Yue wanted to say more, but He Chunhua had already spoken: "It's alright, issue the document."

With his definitive word, He Yue could only reluctantly agree, and glare at He Lingchuan again.

"One exception"? There have been ten or eight such times already. When has that old man ever personally gone to keep an eye on them? He always says it and then forgets!

And yet, Father always favored the eldest brother.

He Lingchuan raised his sea buckthorn juice towards him and grinned.

In fact, after one or two times, he understood. This wasn't embezzlement; it was doing his father's work. After all, Prefect He held an official position and sometimes found it inconvenient to appear personally, so his son acted on his behalf.

"Speaking of which, Big Brother's expenses this past month have indeed decreased. He only drew over two hundred taels from the mansion, whereas usually, nine hundred taels wouldn't even be enough," He Yue recited, as if counting his treasures. "But after you got injured, your medical treatment, medicine, and tonics also cost over three hundred taels of silver..."

He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly feigned impatience: "Alright, alright, I get it. Wasn't I stuck in bed for too long, with no chance to spend? I know I spent less, but I'll make sure to spend more next month!"

The cracks were truly everywhere. He hadn't expected that spending less money would make him even more suspicious.

Roughly, one tael of silver was worth one thousand coins. So, Young Master He's usual monthly expenses amounted to nine hundred thousand coins!