Chapter 191
Chapter 191
Zhang Jin asked.
“Father, you see through Shen Lang's scheme. Why don't you expose it or stop him?”
“How could I stop him? On the contrary, I plan to coordinate with him and eliminate several noble families in one fell swoop. I intend to sweep away all obstacles to the King's new policies and achieve an unprecedented feat. If Shen Lang wants to kill Qiu Tianwei's pirates and the entire Count of Jinhai's family, I will play along! Shen Lang will weave a net to kill the pirate king and the Tang Clan, and I will weave a net to kill all the noble families! Oh, that reminds me, I have something to tell you. Xu Qianqian is not dead.”
Hearing this, Zhang Jin's expression changed completely. He asked in a hoarse voice,
“Where is she?”
“Chunhua just sent word. Xu Qianqian has successfully infiltrated Qiu Yao'er's side and become the person closest to her. If my guess is correct, that child has likely colluded with Shen Lang.”
“How can she be alive? I clearly heard her scream that night. She burned to death.”
“I sent someone to investigate the ruins of the Zhang estate. There was a secret chamber beneath Xu Qianqian's pavilion, with several water barrels inside. When the great fire broke out, she likely survived by hiding in that underground room.”
“Then I will devise a way to kill her now.”
“How do you plan to kill someone by Qiu Yao'er's side? Who could possibly defeat Qiu Yao'er? Zhong Chuke? Li Qianqiu? Or Yan Nanfei?”
“Shen Lang must have a terrible plot in mind for planting Xu Qianqian by Qiu Yao'er's side. We must shatter his scheme. We cannot let him get his way.”
“No, on the contrary, we must let him get his way. Otherwise, who could possibly take Raging Tide City while Qiu Yao'er is guarding it?”
* * *
News that the Count of Xuanwu's estate had repaid eight hundred thousand gold coins and made it rain gold spread through the world in an instant. The powerful figures of the realm were left speechless, unsure how to react. Moreover, not a sound was heard from the capital. A few censors submitted memorials accusing Shen Lang of arrogance and pleading with the King to punish him, but these memorials vanished without a trace, like stones sinking into the sea.
Subsequently, the fact that Vice Minister of Rites, Nie Qian, had cheated on the civil service examinations was exposed, causing an uproar in the capital. Countless people clamored for his death, and everyone's attention shifted to that matter. However, to the people of the world, Shen Lang's accomplishment was far more sensational than a single Vice Minister of Rites cheating on an exam.
After a brief period of quiet, public opinion erupted once more. Countless people talked about the affair of the Count of Xuanwu's estate, describing the scene of eight hundred thousand gold coins falling from the sky. They all described it with extreme exaggeration, as if they had seen it themselves. The phrases "rain of gold" and "waves of gold" echoed throughout the State of Yue.
Shen Lang's reputation was reversed in an instant. From a foolish live-in son-in-law who brought ruin to his family, he was now transformed into a god-like figure who had breathed life into a dying house. Shen Lang became an idol for countless young people. A divine being who could turn stone into gold—it was extraordinary.
Previously, when he became the live-in son-in-law of the Count of Xuanwu's estate, everyone spat on him. But now, after he performed the miracle of gold, everyone revered him. A man who could earn seven or eight hundred thousand gold coins in less than a month—it was frightening. Countless people began to discuss and debate how the Count of Xuanwu's estate had managed to earn seven or eight hundred thousand gold coins in just over a month.
It was an incredibly difficult feat. No business in the world could generate that much money in a month. In the past, even when Xu Guangyun monopolized most of the silk in Tiannan Province, his annual net profit was only a few tens of thousands of gold coins. The Count of Xuanwu's estate, despite collecting taxes from a hundred thousand people and owning mines and salt fields, also only earned a few tens of thousands of gold coins a year. But seven or eight hundred thousand gold coins in a month? Did gold really fall from the sky?
Someone said secretively,
“It didn't fall from the sky; it sprang from the ground. Did you know? The seven hundred thousand gold coins the Count of Xuanwu's estate produced were all hastily minted. The gold was new, and they only had time to shape it into coins without stamping any words or designs. I even heard there were many gold nuggets and unrefined gold that still had dirt on them mixed in with the rain of gold.”
“Do you know what that means? It means the gold was pulled from the ground not long ago. The Count of Xuanwu's estate has discovered a gold mine. And on Barren Love Island! What's more, it seems to be a mine with vast reserves. They say it has placer gold, unrefined nuggets weighing several taels, and even gold chunks over a catty that can be used right away.”
Public opinion about the gold mine instantly became a massive storm, spreading to every corner of the State of Yue. Even the talk about the extravagant lifestyle Shen Lang had boasted of fanned the flames of these rumors. Everyone was talking about the possibility of a gold mine on Barren Love Island. Gold stirs the human heart. What in the world could make money faster than mining gold? People now began to understand why the Count of Xuanwu's estate would rather give up Gold Mountain Island than Barren Love Island.
Soon, countless people tried to sail to Barren Love Island and land there, but no one could get close. The Count of Xuanwu's estate had completely blockaded the surrounding waters. Orders were given to kill anyone who dared to approach Barren Love Island without mercy.
* * *
After Shen Lang's ostentatious performance, the Count of Xuanwu's estate entered its busiest and most crucial period. As soon as the Hidden Yuan Society's members left, the Count of Xuanwu stopped feigning illness and appeared before everyone, full of vigor. He had lost a great deal of weight but seemed energetic. In the end, the Count had only lost weight, and the Countess was very pleased to see it. She even asked Shen Lang if she could take the medicine, saying she wanted to lose weight too. For a moment, Shen Lang looked astonished and replied,
“Mother-in-law, surely... you want to lose weight? Good heavens. Is there any woman in the world with a better figure than you? You don't need to gain or lose a single ounce; your current form is as beautiful as if sculpted by the heavens. If a woman with your figure tries to lose weight, wouldn't other women feel they should just die?”
The mother-in-law was instantly delighted and didn't mention losing weight again. Then, Shen Lang and his mother-in-law began to chat at length about beauty: the eye cream Shen Lang had invented, the deep-sea water masks, and so on. Their conversation grew so long and joyous that the Count of Xuanwu finally couldn't stand it anymore. He coughed, declared they were off-topic, and cut their chatter short. And so, they finally returned to the main subject.
The three of them resumed their discussion of important matters.
“Father-in-law, a great war is about to begin. We must openly recruit soldiers and expand our private army by two thousand men.”
“Should we recruit from outside the estate, or from within?”
Recruiting from outside meant they could enlist wandering warriors with high martial skills, but their loyalty would likely be low.
“We should recruit from our fief. We have a militia organization in our domain, don't we? We can select the elites from there.”
“Their combat strength might be weak.”
“That's fine. I said it would be a great war and many would die, but our army will mostly be for show. There will be few opportunities for hand-to-hand combat. Instead, we will kill with plots and schemes, with poison, and by luring the enemy into traps!”
“Expanding the army to five thousand men will be a significant show of force. Wouldn't it risk incurring the King's wrath? Hmm... no, forget I said that.”
The largest the Count of Xuanwu's private army had ever been was five thousand men. This number did not violate the system established by the King's ancestors. But would it not incur the King's wrath? Of course, it certainly would. But when the enemy has a knife to your throat, do you worry about making them angry?
“We must expand the army quickly and organize it into five thousand men within three days. We already have the equipment and the warriors, after all.”
The Count of Xuanwu asked Mulan,
“Mulan, can you expand the force by two thousand men in three days?”
“It's urgent, but it shouldn't be a problem.”
Shen Lang continued,
“In the coming days, countless people will come to spy on Barren Love Island. To make our act look realistic, we must establish Barren Love Island as a true golden island and make the world covet it. I intend to use four hundred thousand gold coins to lavishly decorate this golden island.”
Why four hundred thousand gold coins? After returning seven hundred thousand to the Hidden Yuan Society, a calculation of the remaining gold in the Count of Xuanwu's estate showed they had less than three hundred and twenty thousand. But yesterday, Huang Tong had brought another hundred thousand taels' worth of gold. This later batch of gold looked even more primitive, like it had just been pulled from a mine. Some of it was nuggets mixed with sand, and most of it was placer gold. Shen Lang hadn't asked for this money; the Heavenly Dao Society had sent it voluntarily.
Huang Tong had lent the gold without interest and with no set repayment date. He even said they could deduct it from future payments the Heavenly Dao Society would make to the estate for glass products. As soon as the elders of the Heavenly Dao Society saw through Shen Lang's astonishing strategy, they decided to support him fully and help make his performance even more realistic.
Huang Tong and the Grand Elder surmised that Shen Lang's ultimate goal was Raging Tide City. That place was the center of maritime trade in the eastern part of the State of Yue. Seizing Raging Tide City would be immensely significant. When the time came, the Heavenly Dao Society, as Shen Lang's strategic ally, could establish a foothold in Raging Tide City and gain absolute dominance in maritime trade. That was something that could not be bought, no matter the price.
Huang Tong had told Shen Lang that although they had brought all the gold the Heavenly Dao Society could mobilize within the State of Yue, if Shen Lang needed more, they could bring it from branches in other countries or from their headquarters. And that money would also be lent without interest, without a set repayment date, and without any promissory notes or contracts. Shen Lang was thrilled by the generosity of Huang Tong and the Heavenly Dao Society. Such was the resolve and power of an organization that had dominated the commercial world of the East for hundreds of years. Shen Lang was genuinely impressed.
Of course, there was no gold mine on Barren Love Island, but with the four hundred thousand gold coins provided by the Heavenly Dao Society, Shen Lang began to create one. He transformed all the mines on Barren Love Island to look like gold mining sites. There were not only newly minted gold coins but also gold nuggets and placer gold. There was even freshly dug earth, leaving no flaw to be found.
“Father-in-law, once the army is expanded, you must take personal command. Lead four thousand troops and station them on Barren Love Island. Then, mobilize ten thousand laborers to build fortifications.”
Building fortifications now was pointless, but everything was for the sake of the performance to come.
“We must make it clear to the world that our family's entire strategic focus is on Barren Love Island. We should leave only a thousand private soldiers in the fief and station four thousand on Barren Love Island. We must show our determination to not lose Barren Love Island, even if it means losing our fief and its fortress. We must make the world believe that Barren Love Island holds a gold reserve of astronomical value, and that this gold is the last and only bastion for our family's prosperity.”