Chapter 90: First Volume, Chapter 90: Begin Action

First Volume, Chapter 90: Begin Action

Since witnessing Qin Feng's sugar-making process and his unexpected propaganda strategy at Ji Wang Fu, Liu Hongyan had been utterly awed by his business acumen.

But hearing these words from Qin Feng, she couldn't help muttering: "Short on money? Qin Feng, aren't you being a bit too greedy? Even just selling this white sugar brings in tens of thousands of li silver—add to that the money you've swindled from the Noble Youth these past days—and it still isn't enough? What do you need so much money for?"

This time, Qin Feng didn't play coy—he became unusually serious: "Sis, do you really want to know?"

Liu Hongyan shrugged, playing hard to get: "It depends on whether you want to tell me."

Qin Feng took a deep breath; if he couldn't trust Liu Hongyan, then no one in this world was worth trusting—he blurted out: "Buy the golden sash!"

Hearing this, Liu Hongyan was stunned—and even more confused: "The golden sash was bestowed upon you by the Sage Emperor—why would you need to pay for it? Besides, it's an imperial artifact; how can you put a price on it?"

Qin Feng waved his hand and sighed deeply: "Anyone in this world can pretend to be refined—but the Sage Emperor cannot. Only by embracing utter vulgarity can he govern such a vast nation. This golden sash wasn't given by the Sage Emperor—it was bought with money. Now that the northern Di war is imminent, this is precisely when money is most needed—and yet, at this critical moment, the Sage Emperor has placed me in the most visible position. Isn't the intent obvious? He wants me to pay."

Hearing Qin Feng's insight, Liu Hongyan was speechless.

She had never imagined that the usually erratic Qin Feng had pondered court politics so deeply.

Over the years, to help her father ease his burdens, Liu Hongyan had devoted great effort to studying court affairs—but compared to Qin Feng, she now felt childish.

Astonished yet relieved, she felt reassured: at least these words proved Qin Feng's capability—this was how a Qin Family son ought to be.

Liu Hongyan bit her lower lip; her gaze at Qin Feng was no longer that of a mere annoying younger brother, but carried a trace of reliance on the men of the Qin Family: "How much money do you think you'll need?"

Qin Feng didn't answer immediately—he counted on his fingers: "Eighty thousand li silver from white sugar, plus the money I extorted from Li Rui and others, plus Gao Song's upcoming twenty thousand li silver, minus the expenses of Wuhu Da Jiu Lou—after all calculations, I've got fifty thousand li silver left…"

"What?! You have that much money?!" Liu Hongyan blurted out in shock.

Though her father's annual salary was over three hundred thousand li silver, maintaining such a large household and covering carriage and horse expenses left him with barely ten thousand li silver per year.

After Liu Hongyan's careful accounting, the Qin Family's entire account balance totaled less than forty thousand li silver.

Yet after Qin Feng's few days of antics in Jingdu's circles, he now had ten thousand li silver more than the entire Qin Family's assets…

Good heavens!

This brat—was he born to hoard wealth? His fortune grows too fast.

Seeing Liu Hongyan's reaction, Qin Feng merely shrugged, insisting he was still broke: "Only fifty thousand li silver—why are you so excited, sis?"

Liu Hongyan laughed bitterly: "Only fifty thousand li silver?!"

Qin Feng spread his hands and listed each item for her: "Launching a foreign war—predictably a high-intensity one—even if we estimate only half a year's duration, the battlefield alone will consume fifty million li silver, and that's the most conservative estimate."

"Moreover, the northern Di battlefield is remote; transporting grain and forage incurs massive losses—every jin of grain delivered loses five to ten jin en route. Then there's mobilization across regions, troop organization, pre-war training, weapon production, and strategic materials stockpiling."

"Conservatively, this war will require a hundred million li of white silver."

"My fifty thousand li silver? It won't even make a sound when thrown in."

Liu Hongyan covered her mouth—she knew war meant death, but never imagined its financial drain was this terrifying; this wasn't war—it was burning money.

Yet one thing puzzled her: "The northern Di war is a state matter—if money is needed, the National Treasury should cover it—why should you pay out of your own pocket?"

If he didn't have to pay, why would Qin Feng pretend to be rich?

He'd already blown his own trumpet—if he now backed down, the Sage Emperor wouldn't let him off.

Thinking back to his first Imperial Audience, when he'd let his mouth run wild, boasting wildly and promising two battalions, his head throbbed.

Qin Feng couldn't fully explain all the stakes to Liu Hongyan—he could only highlight the essentials.

"From now on, we must start pouring money in. The Sage Emperor will soon reach out to me—if I can't produce cash, the consequences will be severe. White sugar is one of my key income sources—I must get it operational as soon as possible."

Seeing Qin Feng shed his usual laziness and appear so serious, Liu Hongyan understood the gravity—she said no more: "How much sugarcane raw material do you need?"

Qin Feng did a quick calculation and replied: "Ten thousand jin."

Liu Hongyan knew Qin Feng had a big appetite—but she hadn't expected him to drop a bomb like this: "Ten thousand jin? Are you joking? Sugarcane plantations are already hit by disaster—output has plummeted. Where am I supposed to find so much raw material? And… the main sugarcane channels in Jingzhong are monopolized by big sugar merchants, especially the Jiang Family."

"Trying to steal food from the Jiang Family's mouth is like chasing a fantasy. Behind the Jiang Family stands the Second Prince."

Long before Qin Feng planned to enter the sugar trade, he'd already confirmed: the Jiang Family indeed monopolized Jingdu's sugarcane channels with the Second Prince's backing.

Moreover, this Second Prince seemed desperately short of money—his shadow loomed over nearly every profitable business in Jingzhong.

Being short on money meant needing vast sums—and nothing consumed money faster than building one's own power. Clearly, this Second Prince had no intention of remaining merely a Prince.

Qin Feng didn't care whether he was a Prince or not—if he blocked Qin Feng's path to profit, he'd be kicked aside.

"Don't worry about the Jiang Family—I'll handle them myself. Sis, just send people to intercept the sugarcane raw material on the Official Road—by any means necessary, bring it back to our estate."

Seeing Qin Feng's firm resolve, Liu Hongyan no longer hesitated—she turned and left to act.

As for the Second Prince, Qin Feng knew clearly—he would eventually have to confront him.

Whether that confrontation would leave him bloodied or spark something else—now wasn't the time to worry.

The only priority right now? One word—money.