Chapter 395: Raising Silver

“How did you think of striking up a friendship with this Eunuch Wang? This matter…” Magistrate Tian hesitated for a moment before saying, “It must not be done too often.”

“We literati must follow the proper path of the Imperial Examination System and act with integrity so as not to give others cause for gossip.”

He offered this guidance appropriately, knowing Tianyou would understand.

“Teacher, one cannot be too upright. Take today’s matter, for instance. Didn’t you hear what Eunuch Wang said? He told us to look for him directly if we come to visit the Prince in the future, rather than waiting foolishly like we did today…”

“Did you not catch the underlying meaning in his words?”

“The Prince might not even have known you arrived this morning… Teacher, do you know of a Manager Zheng in the Prince’s Manor? That man has some issues.”

Magistrate Tian repeated, “Manager Zheng?” He said slowly, “You must mean the Manager Zheng who oversees the inner courtyard of the manor. I have heard of him.”

He lowered his voice. “The current Princess’s maiden family is also surnamed Zheng.”

Yan Lao’er understood immediately. One does not become an inner manager without being a close confidant.

“You say he has issues. What kind of issues?” Magistrate Tian asked.

Yan Lao’er recounted his actions from the morning and the strange conversation Manager Zheng had initiated with him.

“…I am waiting for the person behind this business who actually has the final say. The numbers I gave the grain stores weren’t low. Ordinary grain stores couldn’t produce that much stock. Two of the larger establishments could handle it, but they need to wait a bit to transfer goods. They even verified my silver, fearing I didn’t have the money for a deposit and was just messing with them. Hehe!”

It was all thanks to his daughter carrying so much silver on her person. Hahaha!

Magistrate Tian nodded. “You revealed your wealth and spoke of buying large quantities of grain in the shops. If they have a mind to sell, they will naturally seek you out. Before that, they will certainly investigate your background.”

“I felt someone following me when I left the Prefectural Government Office to ask about grain stores. As for our background, it is all out in the open. It just depends on whether they dare to sell,” Yan Lao’er said with a smile.

“Then in Tianyou’s opinion, do they dare?” Magistrate Tian asked with a smile.

“Why wouldn’t they? Even you know about this, Teacher, so their actions clearly aren’t very discreet. After today’s trip to the Prince’s Manor, I’ve seen it clearly. They have backing, and their courage has grown far too large.” Yan Lao’er patted the bundle beside him, which contained fifty taels of silver his wife had sent with their daughter.

“Teacher, how much did the Prince give you?” he asked.

Magistrate Tian shook his head with a smile. “You rascal, did you guess just by looking at the wooden box?”

“Didn’t you mention raising silver earlier, Teacher…” Yan Lao’er chuckled. “I just didn’t expect you to come to the Prince’s Manor to scrounge for it.”

“Your teacher played the role of an unwelcome guest looking for handouts^[1] today,” Magistrate Tian sighed softly. “The Prince does not have it easy either. Look at this box…”

A hint of sentimentality appeared in his eyes. “Compared to three years ago, it is much smaller.”

Yan Lao’er was speechless.

So this wasn’t your first time doing this.

“Teacher, may I open it and see?”

“Open it.”

Yan Lao’er slowly opened the wooden box. Yan Yu leaned in as well, her eyes wide and unblinking.

One banknote^[2] for five hundred taels, and four for fifty taels each.

“Seven hundred taels!” Yan Lao’er was somewhat excited. Hey, here was the silver for the grain purchase.

“This is what the Prefect gave… no, he said he was lending it to me.” Magistrate Tian pulled a banknote from his sleeve.

A banknote for two hundred taels.

“Teacher, you are truly amazing!” Yan Lao’er praised.

“Mm. Since I have already thrown away my pride, I might as well visit a few more places. Tianyou, we shall stay for two more days.”

“Still at the inn?”

“Yes.”

“Teacher, why is that? Is it because your home cannot accommodate us? If so, Yan Yu and I can just return to the village. Coming early and leaving late won’t delay anything.”

“If I stay at home, once your Mistress learns that I am shamelessly visiting houses one by one, she will surely insist on coming with me. It would be fine if I were back in Crouching Tiger, but your Mistress lives here in the city. For the sake of her reputation…”

“By staying at the inn, I let people know that I am seeking for the public good, not for private gain.”

“Then Teacher, let me go change our room,” Yan Lao’er said.

He found the price of the superior room too expensive and wanted to downgrade.

Magistrate Tian said, “You must not. Whose property do you think this inn is?”

Yan Lao’er blinked. “It couldn’t be… the Princess’s?”

Magistrate Tian only looked at him and did not speak.

“Teacher, you serve as an official in Crouching Tiger. How do you know so much about the situation here in the Prefectural City?” Yan Lao’er asked in surprise.

“Naturally, someone informed me,” Magistrate Tian said. “It is inconvenient these few days. When there is an opportunity in the future, I will take you to meet them.”

…

Upon returning to the inn, after a simple meal, Magistrate Tian began visiting his colleagues.

He did not want his elderly wife to follow, nor was he willing to bring his disciple Yan Lao’er. He went out alone, returning only after dark. After washing up and sleeping, he would head out again at dawn.

All Yan Lao’er could do was work hard to handle the grain purchase.

He went nowhere today, waiting inside the inn the entire time.

Near noon, a waiter brought him a message saying someone invited him to a teahouse two streets away for tea.

When Yan Lao’er arrived, a grain merchant calling himself Merchant Mi was waiting there.

This surname was truly simple and direct.

Merchant Mi said he had heard on the streets that Yan Lao’er wanted to buy grain. He claimed to have grain on hand and, due to a family emergency requiring urgent funds, could sell at a low price.

One wanted to sell, the other wanted to buy.

Both parties understood the situation perfectly.

Yan Lao’er did not waste a single word. He first asked how much the man had, then discussed the price.

The other party wanted to sell for more, but Yan Lao’er was too difficult to deal with. In the end, they settled on a figure that was higher than their usual selling price in previous years, but not by too much. Both sides were satisfied.

They agreed on a time and place for the exchange of money and goods. The deal was considered struck.

The man did not ask for a deposit or a signed contract, and Yan Lao’er did not mention it either. They left the teahouse one after the other in a tacit understanding.

Yan Lao’er took the lead, walking quickly all the way back to the inn.

Yan Yu had been looking down from the window. Seeing her father walking this way, she waited in the room.

“Dad, why are you walking so fast? Is someone chasing you?” Yan Yu was slightly excited.

“No, I was afraid if I walked too slowly, I’d have to pay for the tea,” Yan Lao’er said casually.

Yan Yu was speechless.

“Dad, you did the right thing. We must squeeze every penny out of them!” Yan Yu clenched her small fist.

“Is the deal settled?”

“Mm. Three days from now, at Dashi Bridge. A midnight transaction. Money in one hand, grain in the other,” Yan Lao’er said, drinking a cup of water.

“Whoa! It really feels like we’re doing something sneaky and bad.” Yan Yu laughed. “Don’t be depressed, Dad. Let’s get through this immediate hurdle first and not think about anything else.”

Yan Lao’er turned his teacup. “Your Grandmaster is a man who can shout ‘defend the city to the death,’ yet now he is going door to door to raise silver. I feel… uneasy in my heart.”

Yan Yu fell silent for a moment.

“This batch of grain probably won’t be enough. In a few days, I’ll take some people toward Longxing and Fengming. As for the Guiyuan side, I took them on a trip last time. This time, let them go on their own. Once they’ve gained experience, we’ll go our separate ways in the future and let many lines blossom at once.”

(End of Chapter)