[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful":3,"chapter-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-42":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Even a Gentleman Must Be Careful",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2268662,4429,"Chapter 42: Forty-Two: Am I Not One Who Shares in Prosperity?","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-42",42,"\u003Cp>Forty-Two: Am I not one who shares in prosperity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little sister knows I’m not that kind of person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now I don’t know anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does little sister not believe me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young woman who daily wandered foolishly to the rice shop to check prices, and who would rejoice for days whenever the price dropped slightly, shook her head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I hadn’t heard this in the Eastern Market, I wouldn’t have known you lifted the grain rationing order.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong said seriously: “I didn’t embezzle funds. Money means nothing to me. Justice is what matters to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your justice means letting grain prices rise freely?” Xie Lingjiang took a deep breath. “You’re worse than the Liu family, who run porridge stalls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong frowned. “That porridge stall the Liu family runs… little sister, are you truly unaware, or pretending to be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget whether I know or not—I believe only what I see now.” Xie Lingjiang turned her head away, pursed her lips, then added after a moment: “At least they put on a show. What about you, Ouyang Lianghan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong blinked, stared at the seemingly petulant little sister for a moment, then asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little sister knows my actions are ultimately for the good of Longcheng’s people… so why say these angry, hurtful words?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who said I’m angry? Leaving aside what you’re trying to achieve by lifting grain prices—I’m just not as clever as you, I can’t figure it out right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang turned back, glaring at him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Ouyang Lianghan, whenever you have a plan, you never consult anyone beforehand—you act like you’re too lazy to explain. Are we even… companions? Am I even your strategist?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong had vaguely begun to grasp some of women’s logic, but only a little—like seven apertures open, six of them flowing, one still blocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let me consult you now,” he said awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, if little sister hadn’t mentioned it, the man had truly forgotten he had a strategist. What? Little sister was a strategist? But wasn’t she the one who handled martial strength? Strategists handle intellect…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang lifted her clean, delicate chin and refused firmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t need you to tell me. I’m not that foolish—I’ll figure it out myself. But Ouyang Lianghan, have you considered how many Longcheng civilians will be briefly affected by this grain price surge? It might be the final straw that breaks some household.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong fell silent. This was the question he had quietly avoided these past days—which was why he’d pushed himself to act fast and harsh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said seriously: “The relief camps outside the city have been supplying grain at subsistence levels.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang watched silently for a moment the young county magistrate who suddenly seemed weary. She sniffed, then turned and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today she wore red. She came quickly, and left quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like her nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong suddenly called out to that fiery back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sometimes, justice comes at a cost,” he said, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang halted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I… disagree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman stubbornly walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Xie has something on her mind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Su family’s evening banquet, on the flower-lined path back to their quarters, Su Guoer held a small lantern and asked without turning around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang glanced at the elegant, trailing silhouette of her long skirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little sister Su isn’t eating properly—why stare at me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Xie’s mood is written all over her face—it’s obvious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang asked: “Little sister Su, do you know sometimes your words are quite annoying?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Guoer wasn’t offended. Facing away, her cloud-like hair nodded slightly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I speak the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Guoer pressed: “Is it about your senior brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang had never gotten along well with this young lady of the Su family—perhaps because outstanding women naturally repel each other’s pride. They’d often clashed over ideals, then simply stopped arguing, since they lived under the same roof and preferred to discuss topics they could agree on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Su’s mother was warm and hospitable, treating Xie Lingjiang as if she were her own daughter, bringing comfort to Xie Lingjiang, whose mother had died early. Just now at dinner, Su’s mother had urged her to spend more time talking with Su Guoer, who had few peers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang walked quietly for a while, then, still resentful, briefly recounted how her senior brother had lifted grain price controls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to her utter shock, Su Guoer nodded immediately and declared:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This young man possesses extraordinary talent and profound insight. Sister Xie need not worry about the grain prices.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang was speechless. “Little sister Su, didn’t you say just a few days ago that my senior brother is arrogant?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shou, trailing behind the two girls, also looked startled, confusedly glancing at her mistress… Miss, weren’t you the one who called the new county magistrate a hypocrite last time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xie family’s young lady was new here, perhaps unaware—but Cai Shou knew well that her mistress always privately assessed people, and always judged them accurately. Whenever the Su family interacted with someone or had an event, Master Su and the eldest son would consult the mistress’s opinions at dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So while outsiders only knew the mistress as the doted-upon youngest daughter of the Su family, few realized she held real influence—even decision-making power—over many of the Su family’s affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was strange, yet it happened: Master Su and the eldest son never seemed to think a woman interfering in family matters was wrong—they actually trusted her deeply…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Xie Lingjiang’s silent doubt behind her, Su Guoer’s expression remained calm: “He can afford to be arrogant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the waterside pavilion, the two girls exchanged goodnights and parted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Guoer returned to her chamber but didn’t immediately bathe. Instead, she turned to her desk, ground ink, spread paper, swept back her long sleeves, and revealed a slender, luminous hand—pink nails, delicate fingers—reaching for a fine goat-hair brush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tilted her head, gazing at the plum grove beyond the window, the brush’s end tapping gently against her pale, oval chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cai Shou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She called.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, what is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Carry a message to Father and Elder Brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Guoer lowered her eyes and began writing, her pink lips parting: “Don’t send servants. These two days, go to the county office yourself…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the study, the writing girl gave careful instructions; the bun-haired maid nodded, straining to remember, then scratched her head with two braids and went to deliver the message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The study fell silent again. The lady with plum blossoms painted on her brow had long since put down her brush and returned to her chamber for spring slumber. On the desk, the ink on the rice paper she’d idly scribbled on was still wet: Nine Four: May leap from the abyss—no blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Nine Four line of the Qian hexagram from the Book of Changes. If Ouyang Rong, who “understood a little of everything,” happened to be here, he’d grasp its meaning:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon may be trapped in the abyss, but its strength has gathered. As long as it advances or retreats according to circumstances, it will not err—it may now attempt… to move forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no one knew whether this was written for the young county magistrate, or for the Su family itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Guoer had never believed in fate—until she came to believe, and even studied metaphysics and the Book of Changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight, she dreamed again of the Daoist fortune-teller’s warning after his divination:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness has dragon eyes and phoenix neck—peak nobility. Yet you still lack one destined noble who will make you soar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is this noble? How do I find him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He is a coiled dragon in the abyss, emerging with the bright moon. He will serve as official in this county, then resign. He will write a farewell essay of retirement, and the bright moon and the essay will both be given to Your Highness. At that moment, you will soar to the nine heavens. But remember: besides sharing hardship, he must also share prosperity—only then can your destiny be stabilized.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She frowned coldly: “Am I not one who shares in prosperity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fortune-teller lowered his eyes: “I do not know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rumor spread through every merchant street and rice shop in Longcheng County:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The county office is out of grain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some claimed Jiangzhou was short on grain, and the new county magistrate, Ouyang, had borrowed much of the relief camp’s reserves to send to Jiangzhou to please the censor, Shen. The troops who recently left Longcheng were transporting the grain back to fulfill their duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, townsfolk noticed a group suspected to be from the county office buying grain at high prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew if this was true—but the county office never denied it. That was suspicious: if false, they’d deny it; if true, they’d deny it even more. Not denying it? That was tacit admission of negligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it really be intentional price inflation? Even if it was, grain merchants would take advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either way, the next day, rice prices in Longcheng’s Eastern Market shot up like fireworks. At its peak, one rice shop changed its price tag three times in a single day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The news of soaring grain prices brought joy to some, sorrow to others—but hadn’t yet sparked major unrest. Yet another event now stirred the entire city’s enthusiasm: the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Peng Lang Pier, long neglected, had been renovated and expanded by over half, with help from the county office and several major water-transport merchants. The new county magistrate personally came to celebrate its completion and cut the ribbon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the expanded pier welcomed a constant stream of incoming vessels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>News of Longcheng’s Dragon Boat Festival had spread throughout the upstream Yunmeng Marsh and downstream Yangtze River counties. Many wealthy merchants and officials arrived with their families to enjoy this—the only Dragon Boat Festival in Jiangzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the tourists disembarking from these grand, luxurious boats weren’t all Jiangzhou residents displaced by floods. Among them were also wealthy merchants from other provinces…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the midday sun, a merchant vessel bearing the character “Wang” slowly docked at Peng Lang Pier. But strangely, it only stayed briefly, unloaded a few people, then sailed away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among those who disembarked, the foremost was a short young man, followed by several servants who seemed like bodyguards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I like this place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short young man wore a soft-cornered futou, a narrow-sleeved round-collar robe, a black leather belt, and black long boots. Standing amid the bustling, prosperous pier, he placed his hands on his hips, took a deep breath, and smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The pier is convenient, water transport is thriving, market taxes are low… smell it—pure silver.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of his followers couldn’t help asking: “Young Master, aren’t we going to Hongzhou? Why stop here in Jiangzhou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wang young master laughed: “Wherever I can make money—that’s where I go. Come, let’s walk the streets and see if the rumors are true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The followers didn’t understand, but after the Wang young master personally toured all the rice shops in the Eastern Market and returned, none could suppress their gasps:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, what kind of heaven is this Longcheng County? Grain is this expensive? Nineteen cash per dou? Do people here have so much money? More rich folks than in Hongzhou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Normal. Jiangzhou’s flood crisis has been huge across the Jiangnan Circuit. Haven’t you heard? Grain prices rise during disasters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rise a little, sure—but not this much! Compared to our shop’s prices, it’s doubled. Compared to these local merchants, our shop is practically giving grain away—losing money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shaoguzhang smiled as he listened to his attendants’ chatter, saying nothing, but he did agree with the saying: “Not making much profit is a loss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a collateral branch youth of his family, though he struggled with his studies at the private school, he had always loved wandering outside from a young age, possessing a natural talent for commerce; later, he traveled south and north with the family firm’s shopkeepers, honing a sharp instinct for news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His decision to disembark in Longcheng today stemmed from certain rumors he’d picked up yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After strolling another circuit, the Wang Shaoguzhang said slowly: “Besides, look how lively this county is—it doesn’t seem like a place just recovering from flooding. There are no refugees on the streets, barely a beggar to be seen, and it looks like they’re even planning a Dragon Boat Festival in a few days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One attendant eagerly asked: “Shaoguzhang, should we head back right away and bring grain here to sell?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something feels off… no rush, let’s wait and watch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shaoguzhang pondered for a moment, then shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After circling a few more times and gathering information on local officials and wealthy merchants, the group prepared to find an inn for rest and meals, arriving before a bustling tavern in the busy district.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shaoguzhang’s sharp eyes caught a familiar profile, and he paused, blurting out: “Xie-jie?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the entrance of Yuanming Tower, Xie Lingjiang, about to step inside, froze, turned, and saw the short young man and his group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know me? Wait—you’re…” She frowned, trying to recall; faintly, she remembered a brief encounter at a Wang-Xie gathering in Wuyixiang, Jinling, but couldn’t recall his name—there were simply too many youths from both families, and only a few stood out, like herself. By rank, she should be called Xie Shiqi Niang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang, apologetic, politely asked: “Sorry, younger cousin, what’s your name again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shaoguzhang stepped forward with easy familiarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xie-jie, I’m Wang Caozhi. You probably don’t remember me, but I know you well—my elders mention you daily. They always say none of our Wang men can match the scholarly prowess of a Xie lady, leaving us boys utterly ashamed. I don’t mind, but I love watching those scholarly older brothers’ sour faces—hahaha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lingjiang’s face remained expressionless; she seemed in poor spirits and didn’t laugh. Wang Caozhi coughed twice, suddenly embarrassed, but his thick skin let him shift topics smoothly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xie-jie, what are you doing here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes… why am I here?” Xie Lingjiang nodded, asking herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since that “argument,” her senior brother hadn’t sought her out in seven days. She didn’t go to him, and he didn’t come to her. She had no idea what he was up to lately—it looked as if he’d truly forgotten her as his advisor… Well done, Ouyang Lianghan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister thought to herself.\u003C\u002Fp>",2414,"2026-06-19T21:28:25.445Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","eb441f6778091451539b8efe690af34f1f94de79e04212354a87b5365a036a1e","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-43","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-41",864,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feven-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-cover.jpg"]