Chapter 53: A Massive Business Deal

Sun Quan handed the imperial handwritten decree of Emperor Yongkang to Jiang Yi, intending to speak with him in private.

"This is a personal edict from His Majesty, meant for your eyes alone. I have some words to impart to you, so I must ask her to step aside."

"She is my wife, and there is no need for her to leave. If you have anything to say, you may say it directly."

Jiang Yi took Shen Rong's hand as they entered the room, and shortly after, a servant came in to serve tea.

"His Majesty misses you dearly. He sent me to check on you and see how you have been faring recently."

Hearing this, Jiang Yi sneered; Emperor Yongkang's concern was merely a crocodile shedding tears.

"Since you have delivered His Majesty's message, let us discuss official business."

Jiang Yi did not miss Emperor Yongkang in the slightest; he felt nothing toward him but boundless hatred.

Whether he was living well or poorly was of no concern to Emperor Yongkang.

"I will never forgive him. He could not possibly have been unaware of the hardships I endured when I first arrived in Funiu Village." The hatred in Jiang Yi's heart for Emperor Yongkang grew even more intense.

Sun Quan waved his hand, and the attendants outside carried in five wooden chests.

"Inside these chests are one thousand taels of pure silver, sent to you by His Majesty."

Jiang Yi opened the wooden chest, revealing neat rows of silver ingots.

He picked up one of the ingots and weighed it in his hand; it was ten taels heavy.

"Is this truly a gift from His Majesty?"

"When His Majesty learned of the impoverished life you and your wife were living, he instructed me to bring these funds to you."

"We shall accept the silver then. We thank His Majesty for his profound grace."

Accepting money delivered to his doorstep did not mean Jiang Yi had forgiven Emperor Yongkang.

Sun Quan accepted a wooden box from an attendant and handed it to Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi took the box and opened it to find a dossier of legal case files inside.

"His Majesty ordered me to deliver the case files from that year directly into your hands. It is the case concerning your mother."

"What does His Majesty mean by this gesture?" Jiang Yi asked.

"This year, His Majesty dispatched investigators to reexamine the witchcraft calamity of the past. It appears your mother may have been wronged."

Jiang Yi did not believe Emperor Yongkang was capable of true remorse; the man was excessively proud and overly concerned with saving face.

Even if he had misjudged the situation, he would have stubbornly pressed on with his error.

"Very well, let us speak no more of this. Let us talk business instead. This time, you are procuring scented soaps and perfumes for the imperial household. How many do you require?"

"Ten thousand bars of soap and ten thousand bottles of perfume. Do you also make facial powder? Does it have the same qualities as the perfume?" Sun Quan asked.

"Producing facial powder takes time. If you have sufficient patience to wait, once it is finished, we shall exchange the goods for the payment upon delivery."

Making cosmetic powder was not overly difficult, and small-scale production had already begun.

Moments later, several more attendants carried in additional wooden chests.

"Here is ten thousand taels of silver as a deposit. The remaining balance will be paid upon completion and delivery of the goods."

Sun Quan paid the deposit without any fear that Jiang Yi might abscond with the funds.

With the deposit in hand, Jiang Yi would have ample capital to purchase raw materials and pay his workers' wages.

"Produce a batch of soaps and perfumes first, so that I may inspect the quality."

"That is not a problem."

Jiang Yi readily agreed, confident in the quality of his merchandise and responsible to his customers.

"Do you have any message or a letter you wish to send back to His Majesty?"

"Go back and tell His Majesty that I am living very well here. Tell him to take good care of his health, and furthermore, not to send anyone to disturb the peaceful life my wife and I share."

Jiang Yi had no desire to waste any more words, holding no fondness for the exhausted ruling elites.

Shen Rong sat quietly beside Jiang Yi, observing the subtle changes in his expression.

Seeing the slight frown on her husband's brow, she knew his heart was filled with anger and a deep yearning to avenge his mother sooner.

Yet, to successfully build his own sphere of influence, he had no choice but to endure in silence for now.

Shen Rong also felt a heavy ache in her heart, knowing their current strength was still insufficient to contend with the imperial court.

"Did His Majesty have anything else he wished for you to relay to me?"

"His Majesty said you bear a striking resemblance to him. When the time is right, he will send someone to escort you back to Jingcheng."

Jiang Yi had no intention of ever returning to Jingcheng; going back would surely mean imprisonment.

Being exiled to Hanyang offered a relative degree of freedom.

Recalling the three years he had been locked away in Zongcheng, every single day had been an agonizing trial where death could come at any moment.

Those three years of confinement had severely damaged Jiang Yi's physical and spiritual well-being, until the soul of the twenty-first century Jiang Yi crossed over into this body, miraculously healing both his physical and mental wounds.

"Go back and tell His Majesty that I hope he might one day visit Hanyang on an inspection tour. When that time comes, I shall prepare the finest wines and delicacies to host him."

He only wondered if Emperor Yongkang would dare to come to Hanyang, located so close to the northern border of the Liao state.

The emperor would surely fear that the ruler of Liao might learn of it and dispatch a massive army to capture Hanyang, taking Emperor Yongkang alive back to Liao.

Each generation of Great Liang emperors grew weaker than the last. From the founding emperor down to the third, rulers still possessed the courage to inspect the borders of Great Liang.

Subsequent generations of emperors would only deign to tour relatively secure prefectures and counties.

"Given His Majesty's myriad affairs of state, it is unlikely he will ever visit Hanyang."

Sun Quan understood Emperor Yongkang well; the emperor would not dare set foot in Hanyang for fear of being surrounded by the Liao armies.

He would only ever send an imperial commissioner or one of his own sons.

Though far away in Jingcheng, Emperor Yongkang kept himself well-informed of the situation in Hanyang.

"His Majesty was greatly pleased to hear that you led the villagers of Funiu Village to resist the bandits of the Fiery Lotus Cult."

"Funiu Village is my home, and defending my homeland is my responsibility."

Jiang Yi regarded Funiu Village as his second home, and leading the villagers to fight the Fiery Lotus Cult was primarily to safeguard his own interests.

He had built several workshops in Funiu Village, and he could not allow the Fiery Lotus Cult to destroy them.

"I shall not delay your time any further. Over the next few days, priority must be given to producing the soap and perfume for the imperial household. Any orders from other merchants must be postponed."

Sun Quan stood up to leave, having said all that needed to be said.

"Why doesn't the Junior Supervisor stay for a cup of wine and taste some of our local delicacies?"

"Another time; I must make a trip into Hanyang City."

With business to attend to in Hanyang City, Sun Quan departed with his entourage.

"My husband grows more remarkable by the day; today you've earned over ten thousand taels of silver in a single stroke."

Shen Rong gazed at the silver inside the chests with mounting excitement, marveling at how swiftly they had amassed such a fortune.

"The money from those people in the palace is not so easily earned. While they certainly do not lack funds, they will never spend their money on substandard goods."

If defective goods were sold to ordinary customers, a simple refund usually sufficed to settle the matter.

Should the merchandise purchased by palace residents prove faulty, however, the seller would face severe punishment.

"If my husband does not wish to engage in business with the palace, we can simply return their money."

While Shen Rong naturally desired great wealth, she had no wish to risk her life in pursuit of it.

"Since people from the palace have come to do business with us, this money is mine to take, and I shall personally oversee the quality of the goods."

The imperial concubines were lavish spenders, and Jiang Yi intended to profit handsomely from them.

If he refused this business, the Li family of Hanzhou would surely snap it up instead.

"Will my husband ever return to Jingcheng in the future?"

Shen Rong knew all too well that once they went back, returning would be nearly impossible.

"I will never go back. We must seize the time to make a great fortune and expand our sphere of influence."

Jiang Yi whispered softly into Shen Rong's ear, explaining that raising an army and recruiting soldiers required vast sums of money, and the funds currently in their possession were still not quite enough.

Manufacturing firearms would also demand a massive financial outlay, and there were still many plans waiting to be executed.

Together, the husband and wife weighed the silver ingots. Once every piece had been tallied, they confirmed the total weight was entirely accurate down to the last ounce.

Shen Rong beamed with irrepressible joy; barely three months had passed, and they had already accumulated such wealth.

"With just another thousand taels, we will have twenty thousand taels in our hands. I am truly so excited."

Once all the goods were delivered to Sun Quan, she estimated they would secure yet another ten thousand taels.

"The wealth we earn in the future will be even greater. Record these funds in the ledger and store the silver securely in the treasury."

Now, the couple resided in a sprawling walled courtyard with three compounds, guarded day and night by sentries.

They no longer needed to worry about thieves breaking in to steal their money, and assassins would find it all the more difficult to approach them.

After months of rigorous training, the guards at their estate were exceptionally vigilant, and the firearms they carried made it virtually impossible for assassins to draw near.