Chapter 188: Someone to Talk To
When Li Xiaonan arrived at the wharf of the villa, Gu Yan was sitting on a platform in a curved corner, casting his fishing rod.
Seeing Li Xiaonan, Gu Yan straightened up slightly and pointed to a chair beside him, signaling Li Xiaonan to sit.
Li Xiaonan sat down, glanced at an indigo cloth bundle beside Gu Yan’s chair, bowed forward, and carefully examined Gu Yan.
“What are you looking at?” Gu Yan flicked his fishing hook and asked in a level tone.
“Are you in a bad mood?” Li Xiaonan looked at Gu Yan, whose expression was calm.
His face showed nothing, but the feeling he exuded was wrong, very wrong!
“Mm,” Gu Yan responded with extreme brevity.
Gu Yan’s directness surprised Li Xiaonan, who paused before asking, “What happened?”
Gu Yan lifted his fishing hook and cast it out again, not answering.
Li Xiaonan turned her head to look at him, then leaned back against the chair back after a moment, also falling silent.
“Do you know how to fish?” Gu Yan asked.
“No, I don’t like fishing.”
“Why?” Gu Yan reeled in his hook and cast it out again.
“You don’t like fishing either, do you?” Li Xiaonan watched the hook fly out over the lake and then splash into the water.
Gu Yan said nothing, reeled in his hook, and cast it out again.
Li Xiaonan frowned slightly as she looked at Gu Yan.
He was in a very bad mood.
“Have you heard of the He family of Linhai?” Gu Yan suddenly asked.
“Mm,” Li Xiaonan affirmed with a sound.
“Have you met the He father and son?” Gu Yan continued to ask.
“When my third sister got married, the He family’s elder went to Li Family Market once,” Li Xiaonan said, looking at Gu Yan.
“The He family are subordinates of Prince Rui’s Mansion. The He family’s warehouses and properties in Linhai Town all belong to Prince Rui’s Mansion,” Gu Yan propped up his fishing rod and leaned back against the chair.
Li Xiaonan looked at Gu Yan, waiting for him to continue.
“I used to wonder why, if it was Prince Rui’s Mansion’s property, it was called the He Family Old Shop,” Gu Yan paused.
“Are the He Ji Old Brand and two other shops the only ones whose properties are under the Prince’s Mansion but named with other surnames?” Li Xiaonan asked.
“There are two others,” Gu Yan turned to look at Li Xiaonan. A hint of a smile appeared but vanished before he fell silent for a moment, then Gu Yan gave a wry smile, “These three shops…”
Gu Yan’s words trailed off, and he fell silent again.
Li Xiaonan looked back at the Prince’s Estate behind them.
Did something happen to the He Family Old Shop? Or did something happen in Linhai Town?
“In the ancestral hall of Prince Rui’s Mansion, there are pairs of ancestor portraits. Only the portrait of the great-grandfather and great-grandmother, only the great-grandfather, the great-grandmother’s portrait is blank.”
Gu Yan paused and lowered his eyes.
The great-grandmother’s portrait wasn’t entirely blank; it depicted a flag with a giant character for “mulberry” on it, fluttering in the wind.
“My great-grandmother was an extraordinary woman. The Hangcheng Villa and Pingjiang Villa were properties left by my great-grandmother. The He Family Old Shop and the other two properties were also left by my great-grandmother. Linhai Town was also built under my great-grandmother’s watch,” Gu Yan said in a low voice.
Li Xiaonan’s eyebrows rose as she listened.
“I always felt that the He family was quite distant from the Prince’s Mansion,” Gu Yan said slowly after a moment of silence.
“Did something happen to the He Ji Old Brand?” Li Xiaonan asked.
“There are a few account books in the bundle. Take a look,” Gu Yan looked down at the indigo cloth bundle by the chair.
Li Xiaonan bent down, picked up the cloth bundle, untied it, took out an account book, and after looking for a while, looked at Gu Yan in astonishment.
“He Chengzhe gave them to me, the father of that Elder He, the head of the He Ji Old Brand,” Gu Yan’s expression turned slightly cold.
“If the silk sea tax is collected as recorded, it would be no different from when your grandfather changed the weaving workshop tax system,” Li Xiaonan flipped through a few more pages and sighed.
According to the records in this account book, at least half of the sea tax intercepted by the Silk Guild was used in the Jiangnan region, although their intention was not for the people’s livelihood but for their achievements.
Gu Yan’s expression was somber. After a long while, he gave a low hum.
“Were you in Linhai Town today?” Li Xiaonan closed the account book.
“Mm, we cast the net today,” Gu Yan glanced at the old account books. “He Chengzhe said it was like lifting the curtain.”
“Mm, looking at these account books, it seems the trouble is just beginning,” Li Xiaonan sighed.
Gu Yan kicked the fishing rod into the lake.
“Wan Jing said you’re very good at fighting?” Li Xiaonan asked after a moment of thought.
Gu Yan glanced at Li Xiaonan and said nothing.
“When fighting, when is it most terrifying?” Li Xiaonan asked.
Gu Yan ignored her.
“I’m asking you, when you’re fighting, what kind of situation do you fear the most?” Li Xiaonan picked up an account book and patted Gu Yan on the shoulder.
“You understand fighting?” Gu Yan reached out and slapped the account book away.
“Armchair strategy, I can do that,” Li Xiaonan said unceremoniously.
Gu Yan glanced sideways at Li Xiaonan and said nothing.
“I think, the most terrifying situation is when you know there are definitely enemies, and they are definitely powerful, but you don’t know where they are, what they look like, how many there are, what their equipment is like, or what their fighting style is. You are surrounded by enemies, but you know nothing about them,” Li Xiaonan had to answer her own question.
Gu Yan turned his head and glanced sideways at Li Xiaonan.
“Now you clearly know where the enemies are, what they look like, how many there are, how many horses, weapons, and provisions you have, all known. Then you just fight them one by one. The hardest part is over,” Li Xiaonan patted the account books.
“You’re quite good at persuading people,” Gu Yan snorted.
“Is Mr. Niu alright?” Li Xiaonan asked.
“Mm, he should be recuperating at the villa by now.”
“Should this be given to the Crown Prince to see?” Li Xiaonan patted the account books.
“What do you think?” Gu Yan looked sideways at Li Xiaonan.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what kind of person the Crown Prince is. I haven’t even clearly seen what he looks like,” Li Xiaonan sighed with some regret.
“If you don’t show it to him, just tell him. After all, he is the Lord,” Gu Yan sighed deeply.
“I think he’ll really grow horns on his head in the future,” Li Xiaonan raised her hand and gestured at her head.
“If the Lord were like ordinary people, he would surely be a foolish ruler,” Gu Yan reached out, took the bundle from Li Xiaonan’s lap, tied it up, and placed it on the ground.
“I originally thought this operation would yield a sum for military expenses,” Gu Yan sighed again.
“You can get some silver, but you’d better keep it. There will definitely be a lot of trouble,” Li Xiaonan sighed along with him.
After a while, Gu Yan gave a low hum.
“I’m so sad!” Li Xiaonan leaned back against the chair back and let out a long sigh.
“What are you sad about?” Gu Yan was somewhat speechless.
“Sad for you.”
“Thank you, I’m not sad,” Gu Yan kicked the cloth bundle with his foot. “Just as you said, since we know clearly, the rest is just fighting it out one by one.”
He was indeed very sad, not because of this operation or this bundle, but because he had died once. He thought everything was under control this time, but now he realized he had only just begun to understand what he truly had to face. As He Chengzhe said, he had only lifted the curtain.
