Chapter 41: The Noble from the Capital

"Proceed as you just suggested. From now on, all imperial procurement shall be subject to a twenty-percent discount."

Meng Yuxi looked at the stack of papers—roughly forty in total. Meng Hongchang had just offloaded nine of them in one go; such boldness was staggering, akin to walking a tightrope with one's life on the line.

"But what about the capital?" Meng Yuxi mused. "We can't use the Meng family seal again, can we?"

"Correct. You must withdraw physical silver from the bank. Rest assured, the funds are accessible, and they are certainly not imperial assets." Meng Hongchang was quite confident in his own personal fortune; even if a few more such deals arose, he could easily afford them. He had no idea, however, that Meng Yuxi actually had other plans in mind.

"Old Meng, these are yours. How about you act as the silent partner for these textile estates?" Meng Yuxi asked, flipping through the ownership deeds of the nine state-run textile workshops.

Meng Yuxi had originally intended to use the wagers placed by others at the 'Heavenly Paradise' to buy out Valentino, but he hadn't expected Old Meng to be so much more ambitious and audacious, dumping nine textile workshops on the table at once. This was a scale Meng Yuxi could not possibly handle with his own funds. It felt like a capital shark had suddenly entered the pool, diluting his equity entirely.

Sensing Meng Yuxi's hesitation, Meng Hongchang spoke with genuine sincerity: "There is no need. You are the Fourth Young Master of the Meng Manor; it is perfectly reasonable and fitting for you to spend the family's money. I don't need any shares. Spending money for you gives me more joy than spending it on myself."

Investing half of the Meng family's wealth in a future prospect was a decision Meng Hongchang had pondered for a long time. Meng Yuxi was sharp and worth the gamble. Moreover, he was nearing retirement, and he felt deep resentment at the thought of the state-run textile business, which the Meng family had painstakingly operated for generations, simply being handed over to some newly appointed official for nothing.

"Good, Old Meng, you are truly insightful. We shall take these nine shops. If they turn a profit, I will pay you dividends annually; if they lose money, I will make up the costs later!" Meng Yuxi said earnestly, but Meng Hongchang shook his head.

"Yuxi, don't be so naive in the future. You have a long road ahead, and treachery is a daily occurrence. You must not make promises or offer guarantees so easily."

"Though this textile trade doesn't yield massive profits, it is a legitimate business recognized by the imperial court, and you will certainly need it."

"That boy, the Fifth, he doesn't understand this. He is just playing around with small fry now, so no one bothers him, but there is no telling what might happen later. He won't stand up to scrutiny, and he has no chance of striking it rich, does he?"

Meng Hongchang's meaning could not have been clearer.

"I understand now." Meng Yuxi nodded deeply, blushing slightly at being called naive for the first time.

It seemed that all his plans were still far too straightforward in the eyes of an old fox like Meng Hongchang, who had spent a lifetime in officialdom.

"Yuxi, don't worry too much. You needn't fret over trifles. Once you reach a certain position, others will naturally handle the worries for you. Your ultimate task will simply be to recognize and employ talent." Meng Hongchang spoke with heartfelt concern. Seeing that Meng Yuxi was listening intently, he stopped; he dared not overstep his bounds.

"The Emperor should arrive by tomorrow. How are your studies coming along? I heard your name the moment I entered Su City, ha ha ha."

"Was Master Zhenshan a good teacher? By the way, I didn't see him in the Meng Manor. Which scenic spot has that old fellow gone to hide in now?" Meng Hongchang stroked his beard and laughed.

"Zhenshan? Who is that? I haven't heard of him."

This involved the matter of Zhang Tiantai, and Meng Yuxi was a bit confused himself, so he could only laugh it off. Besides, he was already betting against people from Zhenshan's school, so mentioning apprenticeship was out of the question.

"I heard there is a martial arts component to this Imperial Examination? Is that news accurate?" Meng Yuxi asked. Meng Hongchang nodded.

"When the Emperor proposed this martial arts exam, the most pleased person was Cui Yufan, the Viceroy of Liangguang. His reaction makes me uneasy; I have never heard of any of his sons being skilled in both literature and combat."

"I have already sent men to investigate, and I should have a report today. Yuxi, go and study for now. Tomorrow, when the Emperor arrives, the manor will be locked down; without express permission, no one is to move about freely."

"Does that include both of you?"

Meng Hongchang smiled. "I must serve the Emperor at his side. As for the others, yes. The Empress was supposed to come as well, but the Emperor ordered the Crown Prince to oversee the state, so she remained in the capital."

"Accompanying the Emperor this time is Consort Yao. Aside from the Empress, she is the most favored in the palace, but it is a pity." Meng Hongchang's expression remained a thin smile.

Meng Yuxi loved palace gossip, so he asked without thinking, "Why is it a pity?"

Meng Hongchang walked over to Meng Yuxi and whispered in his ear, "Back when they were in the Prince's residence, Consort Yao bore the Emperor a son, but the child died young. The Consort suffered complications during childbirth and can no longer conceive."

"Because of this, although she is as favored by the Emperor as the Empress, she has never held real power in the capital. For a woman without children, every step she takes is fraught with difficulty."

After listening to Meng Hongchang, Meng Yuxi was already composing a seventy-six-episode epic of palace intrigue in his mind.

Meng Hongchang returned to his desk, pondered for a moment, and added, "Consort Yao is very easy to talk to and treats everyone with kindness. That is why she has people under her who are loyal and willing to work for her regardless of the future."

With that, Meng Hongchang drained his teacup.

*Knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.*

The door to Meng Hongchang's study was tapped in a rhythmic pattern.

"Enter."

"Yes!"

A thin man wearing a blue mask of a weeping ghost entered. He looked sickly, like a consumptive, and as soon as he was ordered to, he staggered in and knelt, coughing incessantly.

"Reporting to the Master, I have finished the investigation on Viceroy Cui Yufan of Liangguang, *cough, cough*..."

Meng Hongchang frowned. "What? Was there a master guard?"

"Reporting to the Master, it is a newly emerged young expert at the First Grade of the Qi-Refinement Realm." The blue-masked man was clearly struggling to speak, coughing violently between words.

"Who is it? Have you confirmed?" Meng Hongchang pressed urgently.

"Reporting to the Master, it is Cui Xiucheng!"

"Damn it! Didn't he have no martial ability? What is going on!"

Meng Yuxi had never heard Meng Hongchang curse before; he was clearly furious, for he must have known that Cui Xiucheng had also signed up for the Imperial Examination.