Chapter 00180: Wealth Without Power
# Wealth Without Power
Chapter 180
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 180: Wealth Without Power
The one surnamed Ke truly extorted a hefty sum from them.
But everyone had no choice but to comply; who knew if this was the will of the royal palace?
Ke Jihai's frown disappeared as he clasped his fists and bowed to the guests from all directions: "On behalf of the soldiers at the front lines, I, Ke, thank all the esteemed lords for your generous donations!"
Once the hundreds of thousands of shi of grain and military supplies arrived, the official army would be able to hold on for a while longer.
Of course, everyone exchanged polite remarks, but little did they know that Ke Jihai immediately turned to his subordinates behind him and said, "Make sure to record the donations of military grain from the esteemed lords! If there’s a mistake, you will be held accountable."
The He brothers exchanged glances, both seeing the amusement in each other's eyes.
Ke Jihai was clearly worried that the nobles present would casually promise donations and later back out, which showed his firm determination to acquire the grain.
He Chunhua also spoke up: "Coincidentally, my He family will also donate..."
At this point, he was interrupted by Ke Jihai: "What are you donating for! You’ll need to recruit soldiers and buy horses when you go to Xiazhou; how can you afford it? Don’t forget that your old rival, Nian Zanli, is still in the north! I see that the battles there are no easier than those in Wuzhou."
No matter what, he refused to accept his donated grain.
He Chunhua had no choice but to give up, taking his two sons back to their seats.
Next, the host smoothed things over, quickly brushing past this unexpected incident.
The sound of silk and bamboo music filled the air, and the singers and dancers took the stage, quickly drawing everyone's attention.
As expected beneath the emperor's feet, the figures of these performers were far more graceful than those in Heishui City, and their singing was even more melodious, with even their gazes filled with affection.
He Lingchuan watched intently, while He Yue nudged him with his elbow: "Hey, look over there at General Ke."
After having a few cups of wine, a young man approached from the back to pay his respects, and the two began to converse.
Though it was called "chatting," it was more like the young man was speaking non-stop, while Ke Jihai held up his wine cup, listening, occasionally frowning and asking a few questions.
After a cup of tea had passed, Ke Jihai ordered someone to bring a cup of wine for the young man.
The young man took a sip and immediately choked, coughing for a long time.
Since there were women present at the banquet, the wine served was soft and slightly sweet, suitable for everyone.
However, Ke Jihai was used to strong liquor and had long since had the attendants replace it.
Seeing the young man choke on the wine, Ke Jihai laughed and said a few words, which He Lingchuan discerned as "still wet behind the ears."
The young man was in his early twenties, with slightly dark skin, a square face, and a simple appearance, but his eyes were round and bright.
Unlike the finely dressed attendees at the banquet, his robe, though made of good material, had already faded in color.
He Lingchuan even noticed a small, inconspicuous patch on the hem of his robe.
This guy was completely out of place in Luming Garden.
Afterward, the young man handed a booklet to Ke Jihai, bowed, and then withdrew.
Ke Jihai didn’t even open it to look, casually handing it to the subordinate behind him.
After another half an hour, he stood up to toast Zhu Xiyan, then walked outside.
It seemed he was preparing to leave.
He Lingchuan was once again convinced that General Ke's main reason for attending the banquet at Luming Garden tonight was to gather funds and supplies for the official army at the front lines.
Now that his goal had been achieved, he was ready to slip away.
At that moment, Madam Ying quietly said to her husband while holding her stomach, "I have a bit of a stomach ache."
"Do you need to change clothes?"
"No need, it’s just a dull pain, it’s been a while."
Madam Ying felt embarrassed, "It’s probably because I’m not used to these delicacies."
This banquet was quite extravagant, with everything that flew in the sky, swam in the water, or ran on the ground served on the table.
But Madam He Hongchan was used to the simple home-cooked meals from the border, and now, after tasting such a mix of flavors, she felt it was too much for her.
"You..."
He Chunhua had no choice but to stand up and bid farewell to the Zhu family, taking his wife and children away first.
Upon reaching the outer room, Liu Bangban was sitting there with his feet up, drinking wine with two small dishes.
Such a minor character certainly had no right to enter the banquet hall.
Seeing the He family come out, he greeted them and hurriedly went out to arrange for the carriage.
The night was deep, and the countless lights in the valley had already dimmed significantly, while snow began to fall softly from the sky.
The wheels crunched over the fresh snow, making a squeaking sound.
When He Lingchuan looked at the scene below the mountain again, he no longer praised it; instead, he recalled the beautiful night view of Shihuan City he had seen earlier.
Although it was splendid, the surroundings of the city were pitch black, and the farther out one went, the sparser the lights became, completely unlike the area near the emperor's feet.
He asked Liu Bangban, "Aren't there many residents around Shihuan?"
"Many, why wouldn't there be?" Liu Bangban replied, "Five counties and thirteen townships; they either farm or rely on Shihuan City for their livelihood."
Shihuan City was such a prosperous place that most of the residents in the surrounding counties and townships relied on serving it diligently to make a living.
"Then why are the lights so sparse?"
"They're busy during the day, and when they return home at night, there's nothing to do, so they just fall asleep?" Liu Bangban laughed, "Besides, candles are expensive; why light them?"
He Lingchuan immediately recalled what Zhu Xiyan had just said.
He Yue whispered, "Compared to what we've seen along the way, the villagers around Shihuan are already living much better; at least they have food to eat and can survive."
Having walked from Heishui City to here, they had truly witnessed the hardships of the common people.
He Yue had read countless books for seven or eight years, but nothing compared to the experiences of the past twenty or thirty days, filled with the bizarre and shocking realities.
This young boy finally understood what it meant that "the rise and fall of a nation rests on the shoulders of its people."
Once these words were spoken, even Liu Bangban could no longer maintain his smile.
He swallowed hard: "Ten days ago, the royal court issued an order to increase taxes again; this is the second time this year, so everything is expensive now."
Lacking money, lacking grain, lacking supplies, they had to extract it from the people.
If they extorted too harshly, there would be uprisings, and then there would be a second or third Hong Xiangqian.
Such a topic could not be discussed any further.
As the wheels rolled along, He Lingchuan lifted the curtain to look ahead: "In front is General Ke's carriage; it's not far from us."
It was only about five or six zhang away, still separated by the swirling snowflakes.
The snow seemed to be falling heavier.
He Yue said, "General Ke is here to collect supplies from the nobles of Shihuan City. Did Lord Zhu know in advance, or is he just cooperating on the spot?"
He Lingchuan scoffed: "These nobles in Shihuan City are so fat that they can donate tens of thousands of shi of grain without batting an eye."
He Chunhua nodded: "General Ke didn’t manage to get much grain from the royal court; I think someone advised him to seek funds from Shihuan City."
He Yue murmured, "Forcing the generals leading troops at the front to rush back to the capital to demand supplies is a rare spectacle."
His words inevitably carried some resentment.
He had long known that the state affairs were in disarray, but seeing it with his own eyes still left a bitter taste in his heart.
He Lingchuan patted his head: "You, you're still too young."
He Chunhua shook his head: "Demanding supplies is just a pretext; I think General Ke has another purpose for returning to the capital."
He Yue's expression changed: "You... you mean he has ulterior motives..."
The last word "heart" was not spoken, as He Chunhua cut him off sharply: "Nonsense!"
"I suspect he is rushing back to plead for Master Fu Ju."
"Fu Ju..."
He Lingchuan activated his clueless mode, "Which one is that?"
He Yue knew: "Master Fu, the Cavalry Commandant, originally served as the Cavalry General. I remember he fought a few battles in the south and west, but due to injuries and old age, he has been staying at home. His descendants are also officials in the court, but they haven’t achieved much."
He Lingchuan: "Is he already retired? What major offense did this old man commit that would require General Ke to rush back to plead for him?"
He Yue was also puzzled.
"I only heard upon arriving in Shihuan that someone had secretly reported, accusing Fu Ju of being close to the former Grand Marshal Dong Haoming and privately engaging in trade with Wuzhou."
He Chunhua had gathered a lot of information and gossip from dealing with various officials over the past few days.
The He brothers exchanged glances, a chill running down their spines.
At such a time, being accused of colluding with Dong Haoming meant only one path: death.
"Did the king believe it?"
"If he didn’t believe it, why would General Ke rush back in such a hurry? Fu Ju fought alongside him on the battlefield and saved his life more than once; their relationship is very good."
He Chunhua sighed as he looked at his two sons, "Do you know that although Fu's family is not high-ranking, their wealth is exceptionally substantial, ranking among the top six in the entire capital."
"The Fu family has produced famous generals who served alongside the founding emperor and received numerous rewards. Although their descendants may not be skilled in martial arts or outstanding in officialdom, they excel in business, running over a dozen industries and growing their wealth. When Fu Ju was the Cavalry General, he couldn’t engage in business directly, but he had the businesses registered under close relatives' names. It’s said that nearly thirty percent of the pharmacies in the capital belong to his family; the entire western part of the capital consists of six streets that are all Fu family land. In such a place where every inch of land is precious, hey! Just think about how wealthy the Fu family must be?"
He Lingchuan rested his head on his hand: "Can they be richer than the king?"
He Chunhua smiled without answering.
If you are richer than someone, they will envy you; if you are richer than the king, then...
He Yue's gaze flickered; why did his father suddenly bring up the wealth of the Fu family?
He Chunhua continued: "The late emperor once punished the Fu family for their children being arrogant and oppressing the common people, confiscating a large sum of their wealth. Everyone thought their family was severely weakened, but unexpectedly, they recovered in just a few years, though they have since acted low-key."
He Yue tilted his head: "With the Fu family's astonishing wealth, can they sustain a war until we defeat Dong Haoming?"
He Chunhua replied softly: "It’s hard to say."
This was his catchphrase, and both brothers knew the next line would be "Why not give it a try?"
Liu Bangban was still sitting in the carriage, and they couldn’t speak too plainly, but both brothers understood.
The Fu family was incredibly wealthy but had not produced any powerful officials in the current dynasty.
However, the country was desperately short of funds for war, so...
Thus, whether Fu Ju had indeed conspired against the state was not very important.
The Fu family thought that acting low-key would keep them safe, but the age-old truth that "possessing jade brings calamity" was undeniable.
He Lingchuan laughed: "Isn't there an old saying in Qiansong County: Wealth Without Power is like a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered?"
What if one is immensely wealthy? When the powerful sharpen their knives, won't they obediently offer their necks for slaughter?
He Chunhua whispered: "The Grand Marshal failed to usurp the throne and fled back to Wuzhou; he may be at ease, but how many officials and merchants in the court have been implicated?"
It was said that the guillotine at the vegetable market had become dull, and the confiscated wealth had nowhere to be stored, piling up in several large warehouses behind the Pinghe Temple.
It probably took over two months to process everything.
(End of Chapter)