Chapter Thirty-One: An Unexpected Buyer

The arrival of Cheng Yaojin was like a crack opening in Pandora’s box, letting loose a wild torrent of golden light that instantly illuminated all of Chang’an. Especially when Li Kong ostentatiously had people deliver tables and chairs to Cheng Yaojin, making sure everyone knew about it—so much so that he proceeded to receive several waves of guests in quick succession, and by evening, nearly twenty sets of tables and benches had been sold.

Inside the room, Li Yue’e gripped the hem of her garment tightly. Some time ago, Li Kong had taken away all the household’s monthly allowance. Out of maternal affection, she hadn’t asked questions—after all, Li Ji would never let them go hungry—so she let Li Kong do as he pleased.

But she never expected that, in just a few days, Li Kong would turn the two strings of coins he’d spent into two hundred. Heaven bear witness—though she had always followed Li Ji and, while not his principal wife, had always been the dearest to him—even so, she had never seen so much money in her life.

For a moment, she was so flustered she didn’t know what to do with it all.

Even Cuizhu was stunned. She recalled how that very morning she’d accused Li Kong of boasting, yet before nightfall, her pretty cheeks had been metaphorically slapped red by a string of surprises.

Watching Li Kong, who sat there idly toying with a copper coin, Cuizhu suddenly thought this young master looked rather handsome. If only she could… No, she mustn’t let her thoughts wander—she was only a humble maid, so what right did she have to dream so far?

With a flick of his fingers, Li Kong tossed the coin onto the table, stood up, stretched his waist, and declared, “Let’s put the money aside for now; I’ve got big plans for it in a few days. Tomorrow, I won’t show myself. Cuizhu, you and Laifu will see to selling the rest of the stock—same rules as before: no matter who comes, payment first, then the goods!”

“Yes, sir!” Laifu and Cuizhu answered in unison. Most of today’s buyers had been high-ranking officials—tomorrow, at most, there’d be some minor figures, so neither of them was worried.

After saying a few words to Li Yue’e, Li Kong left the main hall and headed for his bedroom. But to his surprise, he found Li Ji waiting at his door.

Li Ji had set a brand-new chair across the threshold, sitting there with a lazy air, hands caressing the armrests, his gaze distant as though lost in thought.

“I heard you made nearly two hundred strings of coins today?”

“Yes,” Li Kong admitted, coming over. “It’s late—why aren’t you resting? What brings you here?”

“I am your father,” Li Ji replied, his tone darkening as he fixed his gaze on Li Kong.

Li Kong shrugged. “Yes, Father. Three strings of coins a month to support nine people—truly the mark of a good father.”

There was no venom in his words, but the chilly undertone instantly stripped Li Ji of all his bluster.

Had it been one of the sons born to Lady Wang, Li Ji would have slapped him outright. But Li Kong had started with him from nothing, growing up amidst blood and fire, surviving countless brushes with death. Li Ji’s feelings for this eldest son were unlike any other.

If not for that, the incident half a year ago would have been enough for Li Ji to beat him to death outright—after all, in this era, a father was not held accountable for killing his own son.

After a long silence, Li Ji took a deep breath. “I approved thirty strings of coins. I’ll give you and your mother an explanation for this.”

“No, don’t bother. Now isn’t the time. I just want you to know that even without your support, I can still live well. If not for my mother’s attachment to you, do you think I’d stay in this courtyard? Go on—let’s pretend none of this ever happened. At least for now... it hasn’t.”

With that, Li Kong brushed past Li Ji, opened the door, and went inside.

Li Ji opened his mouth, then looked toward the bedroom, his face more solemn than ever.

As a distinguished statesman of his era, Li Ji’s mind outstripped Cheng Yaojin’s by a wide margin. Though Li Kong had said little, he had instantly grasped the underlying message: Li Shimin was preparing to move against the aristocratic clans, and his usually understated eldest son was involved—possibly even the mastermind behind it.

There was no concrete evidence, but Li Ji was convinced—and felt it was absolutely correct.

Being a man who’d risen from humble origins, Li Ji harbored no affection for the old aristocracy. He had no fear of becoming their adversary. What worried him was the immense, deep-rooted power of the clans, who controlled nearly seventy percent of the imperial court. A strike against them—success would bring Li Kong eternal fame, but failure would brand him a traitor for the ages.

Should he support this, or oppose it?

Li Ji hesitated. He knew Li Shimin despised the aristocratic clans, even though the Li family itself was among them. He also knew that if Li Shimin made his move, not even their own Guanlong Li clan would be spared.

A strong-willed emperor, and a son who appeared brash yet was astonishingly clever and resourceful—would either of them start a fight they weren’t sure to win?

The answer was obvious. In a flash, Li Ji made up his mind. He left the side courtyard, bypassed Lady Wang, and personally approved a grant of thirty strings of coins for the side courtyard. Within an hour, the money was in Li Yue’e’s hands.

As for what happened in the main residence, Li Kong had no interest in finding out. So when he learned of Li Ji’s actions the next day, he said nothing, devoting himself to locking his door and making the final revisions to his planning document.

He had only been a king of soldiers in his previous life, and didn’t really understand business operations. His sole advantage lay in the technologies he controlled—whether it was salt production or steelmaking, which would revolutionize this era, or the art of glassmaking for daily refinement, or even gunpowder, which could change the face of war. Any one of these could make him the greatest merchant of his age.

He was deep in concentration when suddenly Cuizhu’s voice came from outside: “Young master, the Crown Prince and Princess Changle have arrived, they…”

What? Startled, Li Kong jumped to his feet and rushed out.

With others, he could be tough, Li Ji included, but not with Changle. After all, she was his chosen bride-to-be. Only a fool would lower his emotional intelligence to zero and offend her.

As for Li Chengqian, it would depend on the situation. If he came alone, Li Kong would still hold his ground—friendship was one thing, business another, and the two must not be mixed, or there’d be no business left to do.

But for now, there was nothing for it—he’d have to grit his teeth and give away a set for free.

As Li Kong, face clouded with reluctance, approached, Li Lizhi’s eyes lit up. She ran over and said, “Brother Kong, I heard you have stools you don’t need to kneel on—can I buy a set from you?”