Chapter 6: Money Cannot Be Spent Too Little

The father and son, along with Uncle Hao and the steward, searched intently, but finding nothing that caught their eye, they had no choice but to give up.

He Lingchuan lowered his head and took a quiet look at the necklace around his neck.

This object was strange and no longer the original version; he had repeatedly considered whether to present it, but a voice in his heart kept reminding him: Never show it to anyone! This premonition was so strong that even after struggling for a long time, he decided to follow his heart.

"Take these back, and keep those two guards under the custody of the Red and White Path. That’s right, I remember the Red and White Path has a farm in the southern suburbs. It’s the off-season now, so there shouldn't be anyone near the farm. Lingchuan, do you understand? ... Yes, good, go after dinner, and make it look clean." He Chunhua turned to Uncle Hao, "A-Hao, you stay behind."

He Lingchuan accepted the order and left, while Uncle Hao remained where he was.

Only after the figure of the eldest son of the He household disappeared behind the porch did He Chunhua say to Uncle Hao, "Tell me everything that happened today, exactly as it was."

Uncle Hao recounted it one by one, without adding or omitting anything.

He Chunhua nodded after hearing it and let him leave.

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

Steward Wu waited on the side until two incense sticks had burned down before speaking up to remind him: "Master, it is time for dinner."

The Prefect He gave an "hmm" and asked, "What do you think of this matter?"

"The eldest young master seemed reckless, but his response was actually quite good," Steward Wu smiled. "He shouldn't have let those two guards run around the city and pry for information."

"The little rascal has finally grown a heart; it seems his serious injury this time was a blessing in disguise," the Prefect He let out a soft breath.

"Master, you were originally worried that the eldest young master's temperament had suddenly improved, but now you can rest easy."

"Indeed," the Prefect He said softly, "Let's go, let's have dinner."

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No matter how much the Prefect He longed for his homeland, and no matter how much the He residence resembled the style of the capital, they still had to bow to reality for their three daily meals, eating much like the locals of Heishuicheng.

After all, those who live on the mountain eat from the mountain, those who live by the water eat from the water, and those who live on the land must eat from the land.

He Lingchuan was devouring half a boiled lamb leg in front of him. This was truly boiled in plain water, with at most a few ginger chunks and scallion knots added to remove the gamey smell.

Plain boiling brings out the original flavor. The lamb was naturally crisp and springy, and when dipped in some seasoned pepper and spicy salt, it was incredibly delicious—He Lingchuan did the carving himself, slicing a piece, dipping a piece, and eating a piece, sighing with satisfaction.

The cook hired by the Prefect's mansion only used big-horned sheep under a year and a half old. These sheep liked to roam the Gobi, often eating herbs like dandelions and skullcap, so the meat was rich and mellow, quite different from their counterparts elsewhere; it was a specialty of the Hongya Road.

Beside He Chunhua sat a beautiful woman in fine clothing, who scooped up some millet porridge and blew on it gently before drinking it slowly; that unhurried manner contrasted sharply with He Lingchuan’s hearty eating.

This was He Chunhua’s original wife, the mistress of the He household, Ying Hongchan. She occasionally tasted a piece of lamb, but it had to be carved for her by the steward and arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way.

She listened to the conversation between her husband and her younger son, her face full of smiles, occasionally glancing at He Lingchuan.

Their family of four was all here, complete and together.

He Chunhua was discussing this year’s tax revenue of Qiansong Prefecture with his younger son.

Yes, tax revenue. One of the topics the residents of Heishuicheng loved to talk about was that the Prefect He’s most capable assistant was not a seasoned accountant or a strategist under his command, but his younger son, who was not yet fourteen, He Yue.

This child learned to read at three, could recite three hundred poems by seven, and the following year, the He household sent two accountants to prison—He Yue had cleared the ledgers while bored and calculated several old bad debts, also digging out two fat, white parasites.

By the time He Yue was twelve, besides his accomplishments in chess, calligraphy, and painting, he began to point fingers at the Prefect He’s administrative affairs... oh no, that’s not right, he was offering strategies.

He Chunhua was not a pedantic old scholar; his younger son’s proposals were clear, logical, and effective, so he naturally encouraged him with both hands. He Yue became more confident as he worked, even able to share some of his father’s workload.

So, this kind of scene was very common.

He Lingchuan did not participate in their discussion, not even a single word; he just needed to quietly enjoy the food, as the original owner had done before.

He couldn't get a word in anyway.

Both He brothers inherited their father’s good looks; He Lingchuan had well-defined features, tall and handsome, while He Yue had delicate brows and eyes, looking more like Lady Ying.

But their characteristics were completely different.

He Yue had the ability to remember everything he saw, while He Lingchuan, as the eldest son, would surely fall asleep within fifteen minutes of reading a book—it was more effective than any sedative.

The only thing more annoying than "the child of someone else" is "my own younger brother is a top student."

That was truly an all-encompassing, no-blind-spot crushing.

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

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

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

Seeing Ying Hongchan personally pick up a soft-fried river shrimp for He Yue, He Lingchuan wiped his hands with a towel: "Second brother, send a customs clearance document to Liu Baobao’s merchant guild tomorrow. Their caravan is coming back soon, and I don't want them to be stuck at Baitong Pass."

"I told you not to call me second brother!" It sounded terrible, and He Yue truly hated this title, "I was just about to tell you, the Liu merchant guild has been in arrears for two years of carriage and horse taxes. Including the late fees, it’s about seven hundred taels. They can only get the clearance order after they pay it in full."

"If that caravan doesn't come back, they can't pay these seven hundred taels," He Lingchuan smiled, "We’re all old acquaintances, just make an exception this once. I’ll go help you keep an eye on it when the time comes."

He Yue wanted to say something else, but He Chunhua had already spoken first: "No matter, send the document."

With his final word, He Yue could only respond sullenly and glare at He Lingchuan again.

What "exception this once"? There had been eight or ten times like this already. His father never went to keep an eye on it himself; he always forgot after saying it! Yet, his father always favored the eldest brother.

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

Actually, after one or two times, he understood—this wasn't lining his own pockets, but doing work for his father. After all, the Prefect He was an official and sometimes it was inconvenient for him to show his face, so he let his son do it for him.

"Speaking of which, the eldest brother’s expenses this past month have indeed decreased, only drawing two hundred taels from the mansion; usually, nine hundred taels wouldn't even cover it," He Yue knew the details by heart, "But after you were injured, the medical visits, medicine, and tonics cost about three hundred taels of silver in total..."

He Lingchuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly feigned impatience: "Got it, got it. It’s just that I’ve been lying in bed for too long and haven't had the chance, right? I know I’ve spent too little, I’ll try harder next month!"

Flaws were truly everywhere; he hadn't expected that spending less money would make him even more suspicious.

Roughly calculating, one tael of silver could be exchanged for one thousand coins, so the eldest young master He’s usual monthly expenses were nine hundred thousand coins!

(End of chapter)