Chapter 71
Chapter 71
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Nothing Money Can't Buy
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There's nothing money can't buy.
This was a phrase Jegal Young had heard so often from her father since childhood that she was sick of it.
Not from anyone else, but her own father.
Her father, Jegal Un.
He was a kind father.
Family-oriented and considerate.
He always treated his children with warmth.
Except when it came to their education.
"Daughter. Remember this well. In this world, there's nothing money can't buy."
It was far too cynical a lesson for a girl of around ten years old.
But Jegal Young's mind was far too sharp to burst into tears without understanding her father's meaning.
She might not fully grasp the vast world yet.
But her father's teachings had never been wrong.
So Jegal Young engraved the words "There's nothing money can't buy" deep in her mind.
The Jegal Family's wealth was beyond imagination.
Blessed with brilliant ancestors, the people of the Jegal Family were born generation after generation with exceptional intellects.
They had no intention of letting their minds rot idle.
A view that encompassed the greater picture.
This was the reason Zhuge Liang had been able to revive Shu in the past.
That vision wasn't limited to battlefields or governance.
The talent for commerce.
Grasping the flow of money and squeezing out maximum efficiency.
For those who followed the Jegal name, it was no difficult task.
Money begets money.
The poor get poorer, the rich get richer.
The Jegal Family reached into everything except matters that could raise ethical issues.
The family's history was power itself.
Over long years.
The wealth accumulated thereby was far too vast for a single family to hold.
If they didn't conceal their information, the moment its outline was revealed, it would sow chaos across the Central Plains.
Enough to indulge in extravagant luxury for generations without end.
But they had no intention of stopping.
As if growing their already massive fortune was their lifelong calling, they strove only to expand it further.
"Daughter, there are people in the world who say 'You can't buy happiness with money.' What do you think of them?"
"Aren't they just trying to talk about values that can't be measured by money alone?"
"Wrong. That's just the grumbling of those who don't have it."
Jegal Un sat his daughter down and said this.
Wasn't it too provocative for a child?
Even Jegal Young, who harbored such doubts, could no longer be called a child.
"Of course, there are cases where you can't buy happiness with money. Do you know why?"
"Please teach me."
"Because there's not enough money."
"...?"
"More money would solve it. Misfortune comes precisely because one lacks the requisite wealth. You must realize that most of the world's problems start there."
Money is omnipotent.
This wasn't just a simple tale her father was sharing. Jegal Young could naturally guess his intent.
She had grown up without ever knowing want.
A grand house that put palaces to shame.
Silken garments piled so high they threatened to burst the wardrobe.
A life where she worried not about how to fill her belly, but what to eat.
This was what she had always felt amid such abundance.
"Now I understand why our family always strives to increase our wealth."
"Tell me why you think that."
"Because money holds that much power. Enough to even buy happiness. To avoid being swayed by it... we must first hold plenty ourselves, right?"
"Correct. As expected of my daughter."
Financial poverty breeds poverty of the spirit.
Those short on money devote all their energy to chasing it.
There's nothing money can't buy.
Jegal Young fully grasped the true meaning of those words.
To realize one's ambitions, one needs vast wealth.
Only then can one live according to their convictions.
'Don't be swayed by money—sway money instead.'
This was the teaching engraved in Jegal Young's heart since childhood.
What allowed her to gladly devote herself to the White Lotus Group?
To protect the powerless?
That was the goal, not the foundation.
Because she had money.
Money she could ignore to pursue her own will.
Thus, Jegal Young lived grateful for her family's fortune, yet wary of it all the same.
'But that doesn't mean hoard it blindly.'
Don't become intoxicated by money.
Her father's teachings weren't about being stingy.
"A sword left forever in its sheath will rust. When the time comes to use it, hesitate not."
Now was precisely the moment to put her father's teachings into action.
Like a high monk unleashing the commandment to kill upon facing a great evil.
Nothing could stop Jegal Young, resolved to open her purse strings.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "If you know anything about the Crimson Blood Pills, speak up."
"With just my word?"
"Of course not. If you provide worthwhile information, I'll pay the appropriate price."
Jegal Young dangled a handful of silver taels in front of the man with a jingle.
The literal sound of money moving.
Gulp. The man swallowed hard and answered.
"Oh dear! You're a customer, then. I'll tell you everything I know."
"And?"
"Honestly, I don't know much. I got this item from old Wang's apothecary over there. He said he got it by chance from a passing merchant..."
"That's enough. Here you go."
It was worthless information.
Yet Jegal Young promptly handed over two taels of silver.
Enough for a commoner to live on for two years.
The man bounded out in uncontainable joy.
"Junior, aren't you getting fleeced a bit?"
"Why do you say that?"
"It feels like you overpaid."
"Heh, senior. Have you heard of the 'horse bone' anecdote?"
"You mean the story with Guoyue? Ah, don't tell me..."
Hwangbo Seyul nodded as if finally understanding Jegal Young's intent.
Indeed.
That was the purpose.
The horse bone anecdote.
It means buying a dead horse's bones.
The old tale from Yen involving it.
The King of Yen, King Xiaoyang, asked Guoyue:
-How should one gather talented people?
Guoyue replied:
-In the past, a certain king desired a thousand-li horse and gave a minister a thousand gold to procure one. But the minister bought the bones of a dead thousand-li horse for five hundred gold. When the king raged, what do you think the minister said?
-Tell me.
-'If even dead horse bones cost five hundred gold, how much would a live one fetch? Doesn't it make your mouth water?' As he said, those wishing to sell thousand-li horses flocked to the king.
-Oh ho. Then who is the horse bone in this tale?
-It refers to me.
-Haha, I understand your intent.
King Xiaoyang heeded Guoyue's words and appointed him to high office, drawing talents who believed themselves superior to Guoyue to Yen—including the general Yue Yi, who nearly destroyed their enemy Qi.
"We don't even need to hunt for clues ourselves, do we?"
"Our junior had it all planned out!"
"Naturally. Now they'll come flocking on their own."
Jegal Young's boast soon became reality.
She gave two taels just for saying where he bought it.
Emboldened by the promise of money, countless ronin came running.
A flood of information poured in.
-Bought it from the apothecary by the north gate.
-South gate was completely dry.
-East gate has plenty in stock.
Most of it was worthless.
Still, Jegal Young bought it all indiscriminately.
Based on the ronins' info, they could map the entirety of Fujian Castle.
The apothecaries mostly mumbled about sourcing from "unknown channels."
"I'll hire you all."
From then on, Jegal Young took it a step further.
She decided to outright employ the ronin.
Three taels upfront per person.
One more tael per solid lead.
-Boss!
-What are you lot doing? Move it!
-Big score? Let me in on it!
At the generous terms, the ronin vied to become her hands and feet.
Gloomy Fujian Castle began to buzz with life.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'Is this really okay?'
What to call it.
Grand vision, perhaps.
Or reckless abandon.
Jegal Young's bold moves showed no hesitation.
'Inefficient, yet efficient.'
Extreme insularity.
Ronin were a group that distrusted everyone but their own.
They barely cared for each other, let alone outsiders.
Yet Jegal Young was manipulating them with money.
"Unexpected."
"What is?"
"I never imagined you'd choose this method, senior."
"..."
It was sincere.
Caution allows calm assessment, but hesitation can ruin things.
He had worried it might be her weakness...
But for her to attempt something so daring.
"Using money to ram through barriers."
"You don't approve of my way?"
"Of course not. The info we've gathered already rivals combing every inch of Fujian Castle."
"Then why the strange look?"
"Misunderstanding. I was just imagining the division head's face when we submit the report."
"Budget's been exceeded ages ago. The rest comes from my personal funds."
"Huh? Is that allowed?"
"Who can stop me from spending my own money?"
What was this.
Suddenly, Jegal Young seemed larger than life.
This is the power of gold...!
"I'll chip in some too."
"No need. White Lotus salary won't cover much. Just stock up on your strength."
"Senior..."
Right now, she felt like an older sister.
'Hey, sis has got it all handled.'
As if saying that.
A strength from an elder he'd never felt before...
An indescribable reliability!
A pretty big sis who treats you to meals.
For some reason, that image came to mind.
"Who knew the Jegal Family's wealth ran this deep."
"What? Think I seem like a wasteful woman?"
"No. The man who marries you won't starve, that's for sure. Lucky guy."
"Ugh... What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said."
Pure admiration.
It wasn't about having money.
It was the boldness to spend it freely!
The man who married her would never be nagged over finances.
"D-don't say useless things! Focus on the work."
"Yes, ma'am."
Getting embarrassed like that.
Jegal Young blushing at every compliment.
It was like pressing a button that triggered shyness.
Press—bam!—reaction every time. How could he resist?
'More importantly, things are starting to take shape...'
Money-grubbers who'd lick shoes.
Derogatory for ronin.
But it also meant their professional spirit.
Diligence, hard work, courtesy.
Words distant from ronin usually.
But their prime virtues the moment they got paid.
The result of the ronin running themselves ragged.
They fully mapped the Crimson Blood Pill distribution routes.
Finally.
They found a merchant close to the source.
"Even if you torture me, I won't talk!"
"Oh?"
"Trust is a merchant's life. If you want my mouth open, torture away!"
The man, dragged in bound by ronin.
Unlike his prosperous belly, he clung to his principles.
Not the money-mad merchant one might expect of a ronin level.
"Can you stand by those words?"
"Of course!"
"Even after this?"
Jegal Young proffered a promissory note.
"Trying to buy me with money? Insulting me!"
The man flew into a rage instead.
But.
He couldn't help looking.
At the center of the note.
At that glaringly blank space.
"You wouldn't doubt the Jegal Family's wealth, would you?"
It was an offer too weighty to refuse.