Chapter 952: Increasingly Better

"It's a good time for harvesting and pressing palm oil. Aren't pirates busy with that too? Who has the manpower to go out raiding?" Lu Qing'an shoveled food into his mouth. "They haven't caused trouble at this time of year in the past either."

His eldest son spoke logically and with good reason, but Lu Zhensheng still felt a sense of unease.

"He bought the Yangshan Archipelago from us, and if he truly possesses the ability to ward off misfortune, then it would truly be..." Lu Zhensheng glanced at his eldest son. "...We'd become the laughingstock of the entire world!"

It was his eldest son who had strongly urged him at the time, insisting that the deal was very lucrative, which was why they sold the Yangshan Archipelago.

"How could we have known this beforehand?" Lu Qing'an retorted, unwilling to take the blame. "The Yangshan Archipelago has been with the Lu family, in your hands, for so many years, and it never produced such results."

His words were too blunt, and Lu Zhensheng grunted, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"If it weren't for raising provisions for Mou, and if Mou hadn't pressed us so hard for them, why would we have had to sell ancestral property?" Lu Qing'an added. "Baile's resources are abundant, originally more than enough for us, but if we use them to help Mou fight, war is a bottomless pit!"

"Am I just eagerly throwing money at Mou?" Lu Zhensheng slammed down his chopsticks. "This is called preparing for danger in times of peace! You know very well how precarious Baile's surrounding environment is; I don't need to elaborate. To protect the territory our ancestors left us and to revitalize our family's fortunes, we still have to rely on your second brother, and on Mou's disposition!"

Lu Qing'an's expression changed, and he fell silent.

Every time this topic came up for debate, it always ended this way.

Both father and son fell silent.

In truth, both of their viewpoints had merit. Lu Qing'an also understood that since Baile acknowledged Mou as its protector, this kind of protection fee had to be paid.

After a good while, Lu Zhensheng picked up his chopsticks again. "Qing'an, I know you have your difficulties. But now is the time for us to think and work together. Also, I just received a victory report from Qinglin."

Lu Qing'an looked up. "He won another battle?"

"Yes, he annihilated over two thousand enemies at the Six Passes, seized the opportunity to cut off the main enemy army's retreat route, and, with General Du, launched a pincer attack to encircle them. Beijia suffered massive losses in this battle and soon began sending envoys to negotiate peace!"

Lu Qing'an's face brightened. "That's wonderful!"

The Lu family's full financial and material support for his second brother was, in fact, a form of investment.

Since it was an investment, naturally, they hoped for the highest possible returns.

His second brother truly lived up to expectations, as always.

The more distinguished his military achievements and the higher his status in Mou, the stronger Baile's standing would be and the better its surrounding environment.

"The Mou Royal Court rewarded him for his merits, appointing him as General of the Left Guard and Count Ding'an," Lu Zhensheng said, clapping his hands. "That's a jump of two ranks!"

"Second brother has finally made a name for himself!" Lu Qing'an said happily. "Congratulations, Father."

"This is a blessing for the whole family, and also the favor of our ancestors' good fortune," Lu Zhensheng said, beaming. "Qinglin said that the war in the west might be drawing to a close, and he'll be coming home soon."

"We must give him a proper welcome when he returns!" Lu Qing'an looked delighted.

The fortune of the Lu family in this generation seems to have settled upon Lu Qinglin.

"Oh, right," Lu Zhensheng added. "Qinglin also specifically mentioned in his letter that there will be two Imperial Dewfalls, the first within half a month at the earliest, and the second within forty days at the latest. He told us to prepare early."

Lu Qing'an was surprised. "Two in a row? How does he know?"

The Lu family hadn't received any prior notice about the previous two Imperial Dewfalls.

"The higher one's position and authority, the more informed one is," Lu Zhensheng said with a smile. "Furthermore, Qinglin has achieved two major merits in a row, so Mou naturally rewards him. You should go prepare. Just let the officials know three days in advance."

In a system like Mou's, an increase in status naturally unlocks corresponding benefits and privileges, including access to secrets unknown to commoners.

The arrival of the Imperial Dewfall is incredibly important for living beings. Even knowing half a day in advance, and being able to prepare sooner, is a tremendous stroke of luck!

"Yes."

Just as Lu Qing'an assented, Lu Zhensheng added, "As for the Yangshan Archipelago, aren't they aggressively recruiting artisans and commoners?"

"Yes, they've drawn many people away from us," Lu Qing'an said. "I heard they even recruited Bailong tribesmen from Ya."

Lu Zhensheng let out a surprised sound. "Bailong people? Which branch? The Wanqizhao or the Wanqitong?"

"That... I'll have someone inquire about it," Lu Qing'an said, knowing such detailed information would require special arrangements.

"The Bailong tribe was close to Mou, which led to their chieftain being killed, and the remaining members who refused to submit were driven out. Mou originally wanted to relocate them to its own territory, but the Bailong tribe was unwilling to leave their homeland. This tribe is quite warlike. Send someone to contact them and see if they can be of use to us."

Lu Qing'an frowned, then, after a moment's hesitation, said, "Father, I think we should leave the Yangshan Archipelago alone for now. Ya, to our east, is stirring again. There have been several border incursions, and this morning Qingbang has already set out with troops. I heard that the ruler of Ya is marrying off another daughter and needs a large dowry."

Lu Qingbang, son of Old Master Lu Six, is the fourth eldest of this generation in the family and is also capable in battle. With Lu Qing'an absent from Baile, he has to go out and meet the challenge.

Ya always raids when it's short on money. Last year, Baile took a few blows and ultimately had to pay to resolve the trouble.

This year, alas.

Compared to the military threat from the east, what is the Yangshan Archipelago even worth? This old man always fails to prioritize.

Lu Zhensheng was still preoccupied. "But the Yangshan Archipelago..."

Lu Qing'an had no choice but to try and reason with him. "Even if that fellow He can't pull off any tricks, and even if he has the ability to make the Yangshan Archipelago flourish, it won't be bad for us. If we get a chance to take it back later, it'll be as if he prepared the fields, built the docks, recruited the labor, and completed the development for us. When that time comes, we'll take everything ready-made. What's wrong with that?"

Lu Zhensheng thought about it, and it seemed to make sense.

As for whether they could take back the Yangshan Archipelago? Ha, how many people under that fellow He's command are actually capable of fighting? Those currently recruited are just farmers and palm oil harvesters.

How quickly could a pure outsider develop military strength on a desolate island? This question didn't require deep thought for either father or son.

Lu Zhensheng exhaled. "Then you must also keep a close eye on that fellow He and see what else he plans to do. I always feel he won't settle down easily."

"We've already started working on it," Lu Qing'an replied, feeling annoyed inside but unable to appear too perfunctory. "He's still making massive purchases; the demand is huge. Ordinary merchants definitely can't meet it, so I've also instructed the merchant association to collectively raise prices."

With the merchant association raising prices, the Lu family would also profit greatly.

Although the Lu family couldn't spare the manpower to deal with the Yangshan Archipelago for now, it would be easy for them as landlords to cause some trouble for the Yangshan Archipelago, and it wouldn't even be overtly apparent. It would be best to feed that fellow He a mouthful of coptis, making him suffer in silence.

"The Yangshan Archipelago should have more islands that can be developed than just those. That fellow He has also exposed his weakness; he might be short on funds."