Chapter 959: The Children of the Lu Family

Farming is busy work; tools like sickles for harvesting palm, hoes for tilling, and iron plows for yoking oxen and horses cannot be forged in time by the Yangshan Archipelago, so they must be purchased. The orders are large, thousands of pieces at a time, and ordinary merchants cannot supply them, so the stewards under Ding Zuodong have to search everywhere for merchant guilds to place orders and arrange transport. Unexpectedly, even these items have risen in price; the wholesale price of a single palm-harvesting sickle has actually reached one hundred copper coins!

It is just two pieces of broken wood for a handle with a blade sandwiched in between; under normal circumstances, it shouldn't cost forty. When the Yangshan people go to buy them, they haggle and haggle but cannot get it below eighty copper coins.

Enraged, Ding Zuodong ordered people to go door-to-door in Blade Harbor and the villages to collect old sickles. He didn't care how new they were, as long as they were usable.

Not to mention the other farm tools; no matter who they try to buy from, the price is dead expensive.

The problem is that the large merchant groups and trade associations in Bailie and Blade Harbor all sell at this price. Sometimes the Yangshan people find local blacksmith shops to place orders, but after agreeing on a price one day, the shopkeepers come back the next day to cancel the order, saying they won't sell.

There is no such thing as an airtight wall in this world. Ding Zuodong privately asked a merchant, and the other party stated clearly, "The higher-ups have demanded that we raise the selling price."

As for who the higher-ups are, he doesn't know either.

Furthermore, the Qing Kingdom and Bailie are currently transporting supplies to the Mou Kingdom, and oxen, horses, and mules are all means of transport. Strong livestock are already expensive, and with official procurement volumes surging, the price has naturally gone up.

Even now, the transport capacity of the Yangshan Archipelago remains in short supply.

Ding Zuodong added, "Following your instructions, I secretly contacted Lu Laosan, Lu Zhenlian, to buy livestock and boots, and contacted Lu Laoliu, Lu Zhenxian, to buy stone materials and grain. Sure enough, the prices were able to drop quite a bit."

These two are cousins of Lu Zhensheng and are also clan elders, though they are quite young.

The Lu family are the lords of Bailie, and they are not the only ones with special privileges besides Lu Zhensheng and his son.

Anyone surnamed Lu has some industries under their control, regardless of whether they make money or not.

When the lord demands that the merchant guild unify prices, how would ordinary merchants dare to refuse? The only ones capable of digging a hole in such a battle line are the Lu family's own people.

Speaking of this, Ding Zuodong went out for a moment and returned with a brocade box: "This is a gift from Lu Laosan for you."

Inside the box was a pair of dark brown quick-boots, with gilded threads and malachite inlaid along the slanted edges, possessing a low-key, luxurious aesthetic.

These boots are a magic treasure; not only are they resistant to water and fire, but they also come with the "Gliding Shadow" divine ability. The person who wears them runs like a gust of wind, feeling extremely light and agile.

He Lingchuan slipped them onto his feet, and the boots automatically adjusted to fit. He walked two steps; they were exceptionally comfortable.

"Good stuff." Not necessarily expensive, but very practical. "Lu Laosan is truly a thoughtful person."

"We canceled orders from other merchant guilds and bought four hundred head of livestock from him specifically, and ordered over a thousand pairs of combat boots. Lu Laosan might not have made such a big deal in half a year; he was grinning from ear to ear and came to receive me in person," Ding Zuodong laughed. "If you ask me, Lu Laosan is better at dealing with people than Lu Zhensheng; he’s just suppressed within the family and hasn't had any opportunities."

He Lingchuan remembered what Steward Feng had said about the "old, broken, and large" mansion of Lu Laosan's family, and the weasel that would jump over the wellhead to scare people for fun in the middle of the night...

As well as those few complaints from Lu Laosan and his wife.

Although they knew the head of the family might be dealing with the Yangshan Archipelago, no one could refuse the benefits delivered to their door, nor could they refuse the cold, hard silver, especially the Lu San family, who were so short of money.

He laughed: "It seems Tao Ran's information is very accurate. Lu Zhensheng and his son keep the best industries for themselves, only giving the scraps to their clan uncles and cousins. If the clansmen want to live better, they must rely on Lu Zhensheng's breath."

Tao Ran, a Rongshan man, was lurking in Lu Zhensheng's home to gather information and often sent word here.

He Lingchuan believed the Lu family must be doing the same thing to the Yangshan Archipelago; both sides were even.

"It just so happens that Lu Laosan and Lu Laoliu have their own industries, and sometimes when they touch Lu Zhensheng's interests, things get unpleasant." He Lingchuan's gaze flickered. "Since that's the case, I'll add fuel to the fire. Old Ding, you deliver two invitations for me; I invite these two old deer to dine at the Qianbin Tower."

He was looking for these two Lu clan elders not just to save some money on purchases. "It's also time to make contact with other Lu family members. By the way, I heard Lu Laoliu's son and daughter are very promising?"

"That's right, though they weren't trained by Lu Laoliu, but brought up personally by his father-in-law, Miao An. It is said their cultivation and martial arts are both quite good."

He Lingchuan nodded. To consolidate one's territory and strength, marriage is one of the best paths. As an ancient family with a long heritage, the Lu family is well-versed in this.

"Miao An has led troops to guard the eastern part of Bailie for years. Last year, he was severely wounded in a battle against the Ya Kingdom, and Bailie's defensive line was crushed, forcing them to pay reparations to sue for peace. However, Lu Laoliu's daughter, who is Miao An's granddaughter, Lu Feiyan, went to the front lines to kill the enemy at fifteen, and her performance in several battles was quite good. Lu Laoliu bragged to me that last year, Lu Feiyan served as the left vanguard in Miao An's army. After Miao An was wounded, her cover for the main force's retreat was quite outstanding, but since the army didn't win the battle, there was no way to hype it up."

"Then she has some ability." He Lingchuan also leads troops in battle and knows well that a retreat is harder to control than an advance. At that time, one's own side has suffered a setback and morale is wavering; no one has the heart to fight, and if one is not careful, a rout becomes the norm—what is called 'the army collapsing like a mountain'."

In such a situation, those who cover the main force and stay behind to guard the rear must have some real skills.

"It is said that the name 'Feiyan' was something she changed herself," Ding Zuodong continued. "As for Lu Laoliu's son, Lu Qingbin, he previously studied in Lingxu City and only returned to Bailie this year."

"I knew the name sounded familiar," He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "As if I had seen or heard it before."

The mirror in his bosom immediately reminded him: "Lingxu City! You saw him in Lingxu City!"

Where else could He Lingchuan have seen Lu Qingbin? Naturally, in Lingxu City.

During that time, he spent his days drinking with students from various countries at the Lingxu Imperial Academy—no, that's wrong, he was engaging in high-minded discussions and made quite a few friends. Although Lu Qingbin was not among those he befriended, he remembered the name, and he also remembered Lu Qingbin, along with other students, toasting him. Once Ding Zuodong mentioned it, he made the connection.

He Lingchuan could even guess the reason why Lu Qingbin finished his studies and returned to Bailie: like the other students, he was affected by the Lingxu Incident triggered by Fang Canran.

An individual's fate is not worth mentioning in the face of the era.

"There are still a few talents in this generation of the Lu family; they are not as weak as I imagined. Not bad, not bad."

"It's just a pity they are all overshadowed by the brilliance of Lu Qinglin, losing their luster," Ding Zuodong laughed. "Lu Laoliu is proud of his children on one hand, but on the other, he feels a bit unconvinced. Although he hasn't expressed it, I can sense it."

It was his father-in-law who defended the country in Bailie, and his son and daughter who risked their lives, but Lu Zhensheng is the head of the family now, and all the best resources and prestige of the clan have been given to Lu Zhensheng's second son, while Lu Qinglin is in the Mou Kingdom.

(End of chapter)