Chapter 824
Chapter 824
For the past month and a half, Zhang Chunhua had been so exhausted she felt like she could cough up blood. Her lord, Shen Lang, did nothing but issue one order after another, leaving all the arrangements to her and the scholars she had brought from the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. Just managing the affairs of five thousand people was a headache, and she couldn't sleep for more than six hours each day. Starting everything from scratch was incredibly difficult. Fortunately, the framework was now in place, so she no longer had to personally oversee every single matter.
“Shen Lang, we're out of money.”
Zhang Chunhua walked in, sat down directly in front of him, and drained a cup of tea. Shen Lang asked in astonishment.
“Out of money? Didn't we bring over three hundred thousand gold coins when we left the Queen's City?”
“We've already spent it all.”
Shen Lang was stunned.
*'How could we have spent it all so quickly?'*
“We purchased food for over a hundred thousand people, as well as large quantities of cotton and pig iron. We bought a large number of blacksmiths, purchased vast amounts of seeds, and bought three thousand slaves, with the remaining twenty thousand still at sea. Half a month ago, you wanted to spend a fortune to purchase thirteen sea vessels. Even if you sold me, you wouldn't get that much money. Besides that, Lord Shen Lang, may I ask why you purchased these items?”
“What items?”
“You bought one hundred and fifty bolts of silk in various colors, at thirty gold coins a bolt. Why? And you bought ten belts decorated with gold and white jade. What for? The most expensive sturgeon roe paste, one hundred and fifty live deer, three hundred dairy cows, two hundred and seventy bulls, and five hundred and thirty barrels of fifteen-year-old red and white wine—sweet, semi-sweet, dry red, and dry white.
And a total of three hundred and fifty-six bottles of perfume made from various flowers. Furthermore, over a hundred combs in total—combs made of ox horn, combs of ivory, and combs of jade. And you bought over three hundred pounds of assorted gemstones. I've never seen anyone buy gemstones by the pound before. Your Majesty, forgive me, but what do you intend to do with all these things?”
“I bought them to use. To eat and to drink.”
Zhang Chunhua wanted to cry. She wanted to grab the chair she was sitting on and beat the future emperor to death with it.
*'Do you have any idea what kind of situation we're in? I can overlook the fact that you, our lord, lie around reading books leisurely every day, but must you live like a queen at a time like this? We're in the middle of a difficult struggle to build our great enterprise! The things you bought for your own luxury cost tens of thousands of gold coins. Are you really preparing to invade the Great Yan Empire? Why does following a lord like you feel so precarious?'*
Instantly, Zhang Chunhua spoke with a solemn expression.
“Shen Lang, you are my lord, but I must advise you. How can you be so extravagant and wasteful at the very start of our difficult endeavor? We are a government in exile, adrift overseas. We should be wearing rags and pulling shabby carts, and even that wouldn't be enough. Do we even have the right to be wasteful? Living so lavishly, do you not feel ashamed before your ancestors? Do you not feel sorry for the people who have pledged their loyalty to you...?”
Before Zhang Chunhua could finish, her mouth was sealed. Because Shen Lang had brought a semi-sweet wine to her lips and was pouring it for her. Then, he cut a piece of medium-rare steak and fed it to her. Finally, he fastened a jeweled necklace around her neck and brought out an exquisitely beautiful skirt.
“It smells wonderful. This skirt is so lovely. All it's missing now is a brooch. The jewelry from Mengluo City is the most beautiful, so next time, we'll go buy a brooch and a hair ornament.”
And so, Zhang Chunhua, dazed and laden with gifts, departed, only to return a short while later. This time, she didn't sternly rebuke Shen Lang for squandering their fortune, but spoke with a bitter tone.
“Shen Lang, we really are out of money. Last time, we ordered thirteen sea vessels from the pirates. They've brought the ships, and they'll be arriving on the coast soon. We have to exchange the money for the ships then. Without them, we can't transport enough volcanic ash. And if that happens, our cement production will drop drastically.”
“How much money do we need this time?”
“One hundred and fifty thousand gold coins.”
Shen Lang asked, aghast.
“Why didn't they just steal the ships? Why does one vessel cost over ten thousand gold coins?”
“They did steal the ships. They stole them from ten thousand li away, so the price is very high. But they traded their lives for them. The profits at sea can't be compared to business on land. A life of blood on the blade has always been more lucrative. Besides, each ship comes with its own crew, so the price isn't expensive at all.”
Some might ask why the Black Pearl's crew, being pirates themselves, don't just steal the ships directly. But that is absolutely not an option. Just as a rabbit doesn't eat the grass around its own burrow, if Shen Lang wanted to develop his city, he had to engage in legitimate trade. Only if others could make a profit here would pirates and merchants continuously bring their goods to sell. It was the most effective way to acquire resources. Once that trust was broken, no one would do business with them.
“How many gold coins do we have left?”
“Twenty thousand.”
Shen Lang felt a little ashamed. He had burned through their fortune at a frightening pace; if he had money, he couldn't help but spend it, and spend it, and spend it. These thirteen sea vessels were too important. They were needed not only to transport volcanic ash but also to ship large quantities of saltpeter. You could say those ships were Shen Lang's lifeline. A price of over ten thousand gold coins per ship seemed exorbitant, but it would save Shen Lang a great deal of time.
“When do the ships arrive on the coast?”
“In less than ten days, probably.”
“Alright then. I'll go out for a bit.”
“Where are you going?”
“I'm going to the City of Jade and Gold to make some money.”
“You... you're not planning to sell your body, are you?”
Shen Lang snorted.
“Of course not. How could you think such a thing? I am destined to be an emperor. How could I possibly sell my body? That kind of thinking is very dangerous. To think of such things just because we're short on money. It reminds me of that saying: when a woman goes bad, she gets rich. I'll say it again. I am a man who will be emperor. I am the noblest person under heaven, and I must remain as flawless as white jade. Me, sell my body? That would be an insult to the emperorship itself.”
Zhang Chunhua bowed at the waist and said,
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
***
Two and a half days later.
Shen Lang appeared in the City of Jade and Gold, in disguise. From the outside, it was an ordinary mansion, but the interior was opulent and magnificent. It seemed the owner was extremely wealthy but of poor lineage, and thus could not decorate the exterior of their mansion lavishly. This was the sorrow of the Veda people. No matter how much money they had, they were confined to the middle and lower classes of the Seirun Dynasty and forced to live at the foot of the mountain in the City of Jade and Gold. But the white people, no matter how poor, could live halfway up the mountain; no matter how little money they had, they could still stand on the heads of the Veda.
“Darling, you... you really came to see me? I missed you so much.”
A beautiful woman rushed forward and kissed Shen Lang passionately. A moment later, they had thrown off all their clothes and were tumbling together. Outside, Meng Lanan, who was protecting Shen Lang, heard their voices, and her hair stood on end.
*'Is... is this the lord to whom we must pledge our loyalty?'*
She had clearly heard Shen Lang declare that he was a noble emperor who must remain as flawless as white jade. Yet here he was, sleeping with a beautiful merchant just to ask for money.
*'Isn't... isn't this selling his body?'*
Shen Lang's actions were completely without principle, not at all befitting a lord. How noble and supreme was Queen Medusa, the ruler Meng Lanan had once served? They were both rulers, so how could there be such a vast difference?
***
An hour later.
“My love, weren't you in the Queen's City a few months ago? Weren't you Queen Medusa's husband? Why have you come back to poor, humble Hill?”
Black Widow Hill asked in a coquettish voice. Had she truly missed Shen Lang these past few months? Of course. Every time she thought of him, she felt as if she were intoxicated. But did that mean she was lovesick to the point of madness, unable to live without him? Not at all. Hill was a very independent woman. When she was with a man she loved, she poured out all her passion. But when they parted, she returned to her own life, a woman who lived perfectly well without a man.
“Darling, I want to do some business with you.”
Hill's beautiful eyes trembled. She didn't want to hear that word. When she had told Shen Lang she wanted to marry him and share all her wealth, she had been sincere. Once married with children, they would be one family, and everything would be their shared property. But the Shen Lang before her clearly had no intention of marrying her. She could give Shen Lang many gifts, even rare and precious ones, to show her love. But to ask for money directly? That was not acceptable. It went against her principles as a sea merchant. Hill pulled away from Shen Lang's embrace, changed into a silk nightgown, and said with a serious expression,
“Darling, I love you very much. I'm utterly captivated by you. But love is love, and business is business. If you want to do business with me, I have to follow the rules of a merchant.”
“That's only natural.”
“So, what business do you want to do with me? My beloved man, are you going to sell your body to me? That's fine too. I'll give you ten gold coins for each time. And that's the highest price I can offer.”
Feeling she had been too solemn just now, Black Widow Hill added the words in a teasing, intimate tone. Shen Lang said tenderly,
“Hill, when I'm with you, it's priceless. Every time we're together, I feel like I'm in heaven. I would give up everything just to trade it for one night of pleasure with you.”
As Shen Lang spoke, he carefully opened a box and took out a bowl and a cup. Hill's eyes instantly lit up, and she asked in a trembling voice,
“Is that... porcelain?”