A few changes were made to past translations:

1 . Chapter 37: Said Bao Cunxin implicated the Yao family . This is wrong; he was implicated with them .

2 . Yao Ganjin > Yao Qianjin . 乾 (qian) is the Traditional form of 幹 (gan), hence the mix-up .

3 . Mispellings of Waiqi were all fixed . I have no idea why I kept spelling it Weiqi . Muscle memory? Mixed-up neurons? A chronic brain fart?]

The next day, I went to the Ministry of Revenue to take a closer look at how reclaiming the deficit of money was going . As I expected, only 237,000 liang was received, the overwhelming majority of it being from mine and the Zhongli faction; among it is naturally Old Gao’s 80,000 liang .

My brows scrunched, I ask Liu Chunxi, “Was there a recent s.h.i.+pment of provisions sent over to w.a.n.g Hejing?”

“Not yet . The current estimation for provisions to be sent to the Southwest is 300,000 liang, which General w.a.n.g has been prompting for half a month . Lower officials had suggested to transfer food from Liangguang and Jiangnan at the beginning of the year, but there are large discrepancies in the amount of supplies actually in the Changping and several governmental storehouses versus what their accounts say – it’s virtually the same as the country’s treasury, and nothing can be taken out of them now . General w.a.n.g’s urgent report states that the army is about to run out of food . There isn’t enough food and money in storage, as it was all previously sent to the Northwest as a priority . I’ve been waiting for the funds to come in from the East and West, but coupled with the flooding disaster, we’re backed into a corner on dealing with this . ”

Ah, money . The issue of money is eternal . Those notes could force a hero into death . Without money, what are the soldiers in the frontlines to eat? What are they to wear? Are they to be made to go to war with bare feet and empty stomachs?

Could they even last half a month in a battle? They’d starve to death before everyone got around to it .

While he was talking, a Qingliu mid-level official from the Ministry of Works came to pay his dues . The amount he borrowed was a mere 60 liang . Seeing this, I give my fairly awkward regards .

The Qingliu are an absolute minority in the great debtor army . First of all, they like to boast that they’re honest officials, naturally showing contempt for coinage and would not go for usury; second of all, they are frequently born wealthy with a very rich home life, as that’s what qualifies them to be an honest official .

The Ministry of Works’ official still gives his coin and leaves . Both of these major areas that need money are related to the Qingliu, so it’s natural that they’re worried about them . Seems my current operations’ chance of being ‘a just cause garnering abundant support’ is very high .

“Sir, should I allocate the funds to fuel the army or provide relief aid?” Liu Chunxi asks me .

“How long has that w.a.n.g Hejing been fighting? Can’t he slow it down?” I can’t keep myself from privately grumbling about it to Liu Chunxi .

This is a real pain . Making a choice here is extremely difficult . If funding for the army is a day late, they could make a mistake in some major event . Could I really tell the soldiers to go into battle hungry? And if funding the relief aid is a day late, countless citizens would be starving to death .

Both sides would have people dead . Both sides would have tragedies befall them .

Were my ordinary heart a bit darker, I shouldn’t care about feeding w.a.n.g Hejing’s troops, and allot all the silver to the victims . It would be just and honorable and would win me a favorable reputation amongst the citizenry . When the Qingliu lose the battle, I would lose nothing and gain everything; Tufan isn’t strong, and wouldn’t dare to counterattack .

That’s something I really can’t do, though . I can only feel dejected and give a few words to vent my complaints .

“The terrain in the Southwest is strange and our army is ill-adapted to it . It’s little wonder that General w.a.n.g can’t,” Liu Chunxi spoke fairly .

I sigh . “First give 200,000 in supplies for w.a.n.g Hejing, and move 100,000 over to Guo Zhengtong in Lingyang today . Tell w.a.n.g Hejing that the remainder will come in seven days . Take out all the food in the government storehouse and split it in half for each place . ”

Liu Chunxi’s face betrays his struggle . “For the capital to have a critical shortage of grain would be disastrous . Because of the flood nowadays, grain merchants are bound to h.o.a.rd and profiteer their goods, raising the price of it exponentially . When that happens and the governmental warehouse cannot get food at its market value, the situation will be hopeless . ”

I mumble, grit my teeth, and say firmly, “a.s.sisting people is like a.s.sisting fire . You do this first; when the time comes, I’ll deal with it myself . ”

Liu Chunxi agreed to fill out the forms for it . I ask him whether Li Minguo had said when he would hand over his share . Chunxi lets me know that he himself did not appear, but his eldest son dropped by to notify that they didn’t have the money to pay it back and had sent people to collect money from their properties outside of the capital, which would take three months .

Three months?

I laugh grimly .

No one will be alive after three months, and then there’d be no one left to pay for! What a fantastic scheme!

I don’t care how it’d look anymore, and this foe put himself under the tree a long time ago anyways; today, I’m going to make him the sacrificial chicken to scare the rest of these monkeys!

Speaking of debts, if this were modern times, gathering them would be simple . Sense an urgent email first, more gentle than firm, then get more firm than gentle in the ones after that . Following ten messages comes a written notice, after s.h.i.+rking off payments three times comes a letter from a lawyer, and if that all doesn’t work, go to court and apply for its enforcement . If the opposing party’s boss takes the money and runs, then you can find a debt-collection company of good reputation and solid strength .

Now you’d have to visit them in person, wait for the other party to cry and then fuss and then whine, stubbornly making an unsightly scene, doing whatever it takes to reach their goal; it can drive someone to anxiety, and to get anything done, it seems force has to be used . Li Minguo still has tens of thousands in the Yulin Army [2], and the others in the Waiqi faction are an alliance of the capital’s aristocrats and landowners, so it’s hard to say that there wouldn’t be a big mess in the capital . It’s fortunate that I’ve obtained Shao Qing’s backing beforehand .

In a world that works like this, it’s unclear who the ones in charge are . Whoever has the greatest infantry under them is the one whose words are gospel .

Liu Chunxi stepped forwards once more, whispering to me, “A lot of the upper-tier debtors are eunuchs in the Palace . Eunuch w.a.n.g owes 140,000 liang . Looking at this matter, Sir…”

That’s really inconvenient . In clearing up the major debtors, even if I did the Li family first, if I didn’t go for w.a.n.g Fugui afterwards, everyone could go on a bank run without paying it back . w.a.n.g Fugui is Zhang Qinglian’s internal agent in the Palace and takes care of things at the Emperor’s side . The importance of his status isn’t minor, and he cannot be offended by even half a thread .

I glanced at Liu Chunxi and said indifferently, “I’ll handle that . You don’t need go after it, Chunxi . ”

Returning to the Residence, I was expectedly informed by Hong Feng that Shao Qing’s a.s.sistant general, General Luo Meng, who had been sitting guard at the large encampment at the outskirts, had been here for a while and was waiting for me in the receiving hall . I rush over .

General Luo Meng was somewhere in his forties, and of poor origins . His military beginning was of a minor soldier, pus.h.i.+ng his way to the top through sword and spear, but he looks flimsy to me . A little yellowish with a slight mustache, he doesn’t seem much like a rough military man .

Seeing me, Luo Meng promptly scrambled to step forward and salute me . I quickly motioned for him not to . He is completely polite, a smile across his whole face, as he says, “Sir Zhang, this lower general was told by General Shao to relay that your instructions have been heard . ”

I had seen this person in the Court once before, and met him face-to-face at Shao Qing’s birthday feast . We’d never spoken, but I a.s.sumed Zhang Qinglian was acquainted with him . Shao Qing reportedly once saved him from a desperate life-or-death situation on the battlefield, and his loyalty to him has since reached the extent where he would go ice-fis.h.i.+ng with his bare hands for him, dressing up and clowning about to entertain his ‘father’, and other such outrageous actions .

I beam at him . “Thank you for your trouble, General Luo . ”

Luo Meng says, “What General Shao commands, even if it’s for my head, this a.s.sisting general will not knit his brows, to say nothing of how it’s for the benefit of the country . ”

Ah, it’s to place Shao Qing at the top of the nation, as I expected . Only for the positive effect it would have, of course .

I nod a bit . “This official has always found General Luo to be reliable in his work . How many people have you brought into the city with you now?”

“More cannot be brought in as it would cause people to talk, but this general picked out 5,000 elite troops . In addition to the 1,000 armed guards General Shao left stationed in the city out of the original 3,000, there are 6,000 men in total . ”

This will do, when I think about it . It would be impossible for Li Minguo to call all the 20,000-strong royal guard to encircle the Li’s home; to have so many people there would be so excessive, it would be the big and exciting talk of the whole town tomorrow .

“As that’s so, General Luo, move your people accordingly . This official will rendezvous with you in one s.h.i.+chen at Redcloth Lane outside of Sir Li’s home . ”

Again beseeching Luo Meng to be careful and act low-key so as to not have our opposition be quick on the draw, I let him go .

Hehe, a debt collection visit… I don’t know why, but I’m a tiny bit excited . Could this be the innate vice of a businessperson?

I changed my clothes, washed my face, gathered my energy, eagerly brought Old Tian with me, and as soon as I went out the door, I unexpectedly ran into the one I hadn’t seen for a long time; Jinzi . I immediately stop and stand there, feeling every bit uncomfortable .

Jinzi was leaning up against a wall, the shortsword Hanzhang in his arms . The fortuitously blowing wind causes several strands of his black hair to float at the sides of his elegant jadeite face and the hems of his clothes to lightly raise, which I can see are unlined robes made of grayish-purple summery gauze, the edges of its sleeves embroidered with a dark gold cloud pattern .

I’ve suddenly found… that what this guy wears is actually satisfyingly tasteful .

“You’re going to the Li’s?” His cold and indifferent voice isn’t facing me, and he doesn’t spare me a glance . Such a cool veneer!

Yet because of my own guilt about that one matter, I’m feeling rather sorry looking at him . I don’t have anything to be sorry about though, really; he’s not my wife or my husband, I didn’t pledge my undying faithfulness to him, nor did I even say the word ‘love’ . I really don’t know what I’m feeling guilty about .

Even if I was secretly reproaching my own uselessness, my confidence was still lacking . I’m half-surprised, half-smiling apologetically as I say, “How did you know, Jinzi?”

He huffed . “Looking at how Luo Meng is here and thinking about what’s going on these days, it’s not hard to guess at what you want to do . ”

He suddenly turns around, giving me a profound look . “Since you’re doing this, I’ll a.s.sume you’ve already thought it over very carefully and know what the consequences, good or bad, will be . I won’t stop you . ”

I understand what he means, heart cooling . I nod slowly . “I know them well . ”

This is going to be tearing away all veils of cordiality with no room for mediation, set to incite harsh winds and stormy seas in the future .

He huffs again, apparently getting impatient upon seeing my face, and turns back around, exhibiting the cool-looking Ximen Chuixue-esque pose he did before . [1]

I paused . Seeing that he had no intention of paying me any further attention, I picked up my feet and walked past him .

After I walked a dozen steps forward, his voice unexpectedly came from behind me . “Do you want me to go with you?”

A baseless burst of joy came from my heart when he said that, and I don’t know why . I turned my head and smiled lightly . “There wouldn’t be anything better . ”

[-] 紅衣 = Red Clothes = Redcloth . Doesn’t exist in real life . The less important and more fictional a place is, the more likely I am to not leave it in pinyin…

[1] Ximen Chuixue is a character from the Lu Xiaofeng series, known for being one of those ruthless, bloodthirsty cool-guy types .

[2] lit . Imperial Forest Army . It’s actually another name for the imperial guard, but it’s called Yulin when Li Minguo uses it, so I’m going to keep it as-is to differentiate it .

A few changes were made to past translations:. 1 . Chapter 37: Said Bao Cunxin implicated the Yao family . This is wrong; he was implicated with them 2 . Yao Ganjin > Yao Qianjin . 乾 (qian) is the Traditional form of 幹 (gan), hence the mix-up 3 . Mispellings of Waiqi were all fixed . I have no idea why I kept spelling it Weiqi . Muscle memory? Mixed-up neurons? A chronic brain fart?].

The next day, I went to the Ministry of Revenue to take a closer look at how reclaiming the deficit of money was going . As I expected, only 237,000 liang was received, the overwhelming majority of it being from mine and the Zhongli faction; among it is naturally Old Gao’s 80,000 liang

My brows scrunched, I ask Liu Chunxi, “Was there a recent s.h.i.+pment of provisions sent over to w.a.n.g Hejing?”.

“Not yet . The current estimation for provisions to be sent to the Southwest is 300,000 liang, which General w.a.n.g has been prompting for half a month . Lower officials had suggested to transfer food from Liangguang and Jiangnan at the beginning of the year, but there are large discrepancies in the amount of supplies actually in the Changping and several governmental storehouses versus what their accounts say – it’s virtually the same as the country’s treasury, and nothing can be taken out of them now . General w.a.n.g’s urgent report states that the army is about to run out of food . There isn’t enough food and money in storage, as it was all previously sent to the Northwest as a priority . I’ve been waiting for the funds to come in from the East and West, but coupled with the flooding disaster, we’re backed into a corner on dealing with this . ”.

Ah, money . The issue of money is eternal . Those notes could force a hero into death . Without money, what are the soldiers in the frontlines to eat? What are they to wear? Are they to be made to go to war with bare feet and empty stomachs?.

Could they even last half a month in a battle? They’d starve to death before everyone got around to it

While he was talking, a Qingliu mid-level official from the Ministry of Works came to pay his dues . The amount he borrowed was a mere 60 liang . Seeing this, I give my fairly awkward regards

The Qingliu are an absolute minority in the great debtor army . First of all, they like to boast that they’re honest officials, naturally showing contempt for coinage and would not go for usury; second of all, they are frequently born wealthy with a very rich home life, as that’s what qualifies them to be an honest official

The Ministry of Works’ official still gives his coin and leaves . Both of these major areas that need money are related to the Qingliu, so it’s natural that they’re worried about them . Seems my current operations’ chance of being ‘a just cause garnering abundant support’ is very high

“Sir, should I allocate the funds to fuel the army or provide relief aid?” Liu Chunxi asks me

“How long has that w.a.n.g Hejing been fighting? Can’t he slow it down?” I can’t keep myself from privately grumbling about it to Liu Chunxi

This is a real pain . Making a choice here is extremely difficult . If funding for the army is a day late, they could make a mistake in some major event . Could I really tell the soldiers to go into battle hungry? And if funding the relief aid is a day late, countless citizens would be starving to death

Both sides would have people dead . Both sides would have tragedies befall them

Were my ordinary heart a bit darker, I shouldn’t care about feeding w.a.n.g Hejing’s troops, and allot all the silver to the victims . It would be just and honorable and would win me a favorable reputation amongst the citizenry . When the Qingliu lose the battle, I would lose nothing and gain everything; Tufan isn’t strong, and wouldn’t dare to counterattack

That’s something I really can’t do, though . I can only feel dejected and give a few words to vent my complaints

“The terrain in the Southwest is strange and our army is ill-adapted to it . It’s little wonder that General w.a.n.g can’t,” Liu Chunxi spoke fairly

I sigh . “First give 200,000 in supplies for w.a.n.g Hejing, and move 100,000 over to Guo Zhengtong in Lingyang today . Tell w.a.n.g Hejing that the remainder will come in seven days . Take out all the food in the government storehouse and split it in half for each place . ”.

Liu Chunxi’s face betrays his struggle . “For the capital to have a critical shortage of grain would be disastrous . Because of the flood nowadays, grain merchants are bound to h.o.a.rd and profiteer their goods, raising the price of it exponentially . When that happens and the governmental warehouse cannot get food at its market value, the situation will be hopeless . ”.

I mumble, grit my teeth, and say firmly, “a.s.sisting people is like a.s.sisting fire . You do this first; when the time comes, I’ll deal with it myself . ”.

Liu Chunxi agreed to fill out the forms for it . I ask him whether Li Minguo had said when he would hand over his share . Chunxi lets me know that he himself did not appear, but his eldest son dropped by to notify that they didn’t have the money to pay it back and had sent people to collect money from their properties outside of the capital, which would take three months

Three months?.

I laugh grimly

No one will be alive after three months, and then there’d be no one left to pay for! What a fantastic scheme!.

I don’t care how it’d look anymore, and this foe put himself under the tree a long time ago anyways; today, I’m going to make him the sacrificial chicken to scare the rest of these monkeys!.

Speaking of debts, if this were modern times, gathering them would be simple . Sense an urgent email first, more gentle than firm, then get more firm than gentle in the ones after that . Following ten messages comes a written notice, after s.h.i.+rking off payments three times comes a letter from a lawyer, and if that all doesn’t work, go to court and apply for its enforcement . If the opposing party’s boss takes the money and runs, then you can find a debt-collection company of good reputation and solid strength

Now you’d have to visit them in person, wait for the other party to cry and then fuss and then whine, stubbornly making an unsightly scene, doing whatever it takes to reach their goal; it can drive someone to anxiety, and to get anything done, it seems force has to be used . Li Minguo still has tens of thousands in the Yulin Army [2], and the others in the Waiqi faction are an alliance of the capital’s aristocrats and landowners, so it’s hard to say that there wouldn’t be a big mess in the capital . It’s fortunate that I’ve obtained Shao Qing’s backing beforehand

In a world that works like this, it’s unclear who the ones in charge are . Whoever has the greatest infantry under them is the one whose words are gospel

Liu Chunxi stepped forwards once more, whispering to me, “A lot of the upper-tier debtors are eunuchs in the Palace . Eunuch w.a.n.g owes 140,000 liang . Looking at this matter, Sir…”.

That’s really inconvenient . In clearing up the major debtors, even if I did the Li family first, if I didn’t go for w.a.n.g Fugui afterwards, everyone could go on a bank run without paying it back . w.a.n.g Fugui is Zhang Qinglian’s internal agent in the Palace and takes care of things at the Emperor’s side . The importance of his status isn’t minor, and he cannot be offended by even half a thread

I glanced at Liu Chunxi and said indifferently, “I’ll handle that . You don’t need go after it, Chunxi . ”.

Returning to the Residence, I was expectedly informed by Hong Feng that Shao Qing’s a.s.sistant general, General Luo Meng, who had been sitting guard at the large encampment at the outskirts, had been here for a while and was waiting for me in the receiving hall . I rush over

General Luo Meng was somewhere in his forties, and of poor origins . His military beginning was of a minor soldier, pus.h.i.+ng his way to the top through sword and spear, but he looks flimsy to me . A little yellowish with a slight mustache, he doesn’t seem much like a rough military man

Seeing me, Luo Meng promptly scrambled to step forward and salute me . I quickly motioned for him not to . He is completely polite, a smile across his whole face, as he says, “Sir Zhang, this lower general was told by General Shao to relay that your instructions have been heard . ”.

I had seen this person in the Court once before, and met him face-to-face at Shao Qing’s birthday feast . We’d never spoken, but I a.s.sumed Zhang Qinglian was acquainted with him . Shao Qing reportedly once saved him from a desperate life-or-death situation on the battlefield, and his loyalty to him has since reached the extent where he would go ice-fis.h.i.+ng with his bare hands for him, dressing up and clowning about to entertain his ‘father’, and other such outrageous actions

I beam at him . “Thank you for your trouble, General Luo . ”.

Luo Meng says, “What General Shao commands, even if it’s for my head, this a.s.sisting general will not knit his brows, to say nothing of how it’s for the benefit of the country . ”.

Ah, it’s to place Shao Qing at the top of the nation, as I expected . Only for the positive effect it would have, of course

I nod a bit . “This official has always found General Luo to be reliable in his work . How many people have you brought into the city with you now?”.

“More cannot be brought in as it would cause people to talk, but this general picked out 5,000 elite troops . In addition to the 1,000 armed guards General Shao left stationed in the city out of the original 3,000, there are 6,000 men in total . ”.

This will do, when I think about it . It would be impossible for Li Minguo to call all the 20,000-strong royal guard to encircle the Li’s home; to have so many people there would be so excessive, it would be the big and exciting talk of the whole town tomorrow

“As that’s so, General Luo, move your people accordingly . This official will rendezvous with you in one s.h.i.+chen at Redcloth Lane outside of Sir Li’s home . ”.

Again beseeching Luo Meng to be careful and act low-key so as to not have our opposition be quick on the draw, I let him go

Hehe, a debt collection visit… I don’t know why, but I’m a tiny bit excited . Could this be the innate vice of a businessperson?.

I changed my clothes, washed my face, gathered my energy, eagerly brought Old Tian with me, and as soon as I went out the door, I unexpectedly ran into the one I hadn’t seen for a long time; Jinzi . I immediately stop and stand there, feeling every bit uncomfortable

Jinzi was leaning up against a wall, the shortsword Hanzhang in his arms . The fortuitously blowing wind causes several strands of his black hair to float at the sides of his elegant jadeite face and the hems of his clothes to lightly raise, which I can see are unlined robes made of grayish-purple summery gauze, the edges of its sleeves embroidered with a dark gold cloud pattern

I’ve suddenly found… that what this guy wears is actually satisfyingly tasteful

“You’re going to the Li’s?” His cold and indifferent voice isn’t facing me, and he doesn’t spare me a glance . Such a cool veneer!.

Yet because of my own guilt about that one matter, I’m feeling rather sorry looking at him . I don’t have anything to be sorry about though, really; he’s not my wife or my husband, I didn’t pledge my undying faithfulness to him, nor did I even say the word ‘love’ . I really don’t know what I’m feeling guilty about

Even if I was secretly reproaching my own uselessness, my confidence was still lacking . I’m half-surprised, half-smiling apologetically as I say, “How did you know, Jinzi?”.

He huffed . “Looking at how Luo Meng is here and thinking about what’s going on these days, it’s not hard to guess at what you want to do . ”.

He suddenly turns around, giving me a profound look . “Since you’re doing this, I’ll a.s.sume you’ve already thought it over very carefully and know what the consequences, good or bad, will be . I won’t stop you . ”.

I understand what he means, heart cooling . I nod slowly . “I know them well . ”.

This is going to be tearing away all veils of cordiality with no room for mediation, set to incite harsh winds and stormy seas in the future

He huffs again, apparently getting impatient upon seeing my face, and turns back around, exhibiting the cool-looking Ximen Chuixue-esque pose he did before . [1].

I paused . Seeing that he had no intention of paying me any further attention, I picked up my feet and walked past him

After I walked a dozen steps forward, his voice unexpectedly came from behind me . “Do you want me to go with you?”.

A baseless burst of joy came from my heart when he said that, and I don’t know why . I turned my head and smiled lightly . “There wouldn’t be anything better . ”.

[-] 紅衣 = Red Clothes = Redcloth . Doesn’t exist in real life . The less important and more fictional a place is, the more likely I am to not leave it in pinyin…. [1] Ximen Chuixue is a character from the Lu Xiaofeng series, known for being one of those ruthless, bloodthirsty cool-guy types [2] lit . Imperial Forest Army . It’s actually another name for the imperial guard, but it’s called Yulin when Li Minguo uses it, so I’m going to keep it as-is to differentiate it