Mo Sang – CH 217

Chapter 217. Borrowing Money

Huangmei County was only about 400 li from Ezhou. Li Sangrou, accompanied by Datou, set off in the middle of the night, changing horses along the way at the Shunfeng post station. By evening, while the sun was still high in the sky, they arrived outside Ezhou City.

Li Sangrou left the horses at the post station outside the city and, with Datou in tow, entered Ezhou City and headed straight for the back courtyard of the yamen.

Everyone in the Pan household, from top to bottom, was extremely familiar with Li Sangrou.

The two old women guarding the gate exclaimed with delight upon seeing the Boss. “Oh!” Without Li Sangrou needing to say a word, one grabbed a young maid and urged her to hurry and inform Third Madam!

The other old woman, with boundless enthusiasm, led Li Sangrou into Third Madam Pan née Qian’s main courtyard.

The little girl, only seven or eight years old, transformed the gatekeeper’s surprise into excitement. She ran all the way, and as soon as she saw Lady Qian, she shouted, “Lady Qian, Lady Qian, there’s a Boss Li! Sister Guo from the gatehouse said hurry, hurry! It is Boss Li!”

Lady Qian almost wanted to pick her ears from the little girl’s shouts. Before she could react, she saw the gatekeeper standing to the side, smiling, bowing every few steps, and behind her, Li Sangrou, who nodded and smiled in response to the gatekeeper’s bows. Looking at Li Sangrou, Lady Qian still could not quite believe it.

She had heard just a few days ago that she had gone to Nanyang; how could she suddenly be in Ezhou?

“It really is Boss Li! I thought it was some other Boss Li. How did you come here so suddenly? Look at me! You’ve truly appeared out of nowhere!” Lady Qian greeted Li Sangrou, bowed, and personally lifted the curtain to let her into the house.

“It was a bit urgent, so I rushed over.” Li Sangrou reached for the other side of the curtain, bowing and smiling as she let Lady Qian in first.

The two maids beside her, suppressing their laughter, hurried forward, one holding up the curtain for her.

Seeing Li Sangrou’s determined expression, insisting she went first, Lady Qian smiled, stepped inside, and bowed to let Li Sangrou in.

“What’s the urgent matter? You are covered in sweat, and you smell quite strong. Have you been traveling for days? Have you eaten? Would you like to wash up first?” Lady Qian took out a teapot from the warm bed, poured tea, and scrutinized Li Sangrou with every glance.

“Just one day; it has been too hot.” ​​Li Sangrou raised her arm and sniffed; the smell was a little strong, but not bad.

“I came from Huangmei County. It is a bit urgent. Is Prefect Pan in town?” Li Sangrou took the tea, drank it in one gulp, and gestured for Lady Qian to give her the teapot so she could pour her own.

“Yes, he’s in the front office. I will have someone call him over immediately.”

“Alright. Hurry up; I need to get out of town.”

Lady Qian responded, went to the door, and instructed the head maid to hurry. Then she ordered, “Cui-Mo, go to the kitchen and see what’s ready. Bring it over quickly, and have the kitchen prepare something to eat as soon as possible. Anything is fine; just make sure it is quick. Also, brew a pot of tea and bring it in.”

Pan Dingjiang followed the head maid, running and walking, and entered very quickly.

Li Sangrou was eating a mutton bun. Seeing Pan Dingjiang enter, she quickly put down the bun and stood up to greet him.

“Boss, do not be so polite. We are all family. Please sit down and eat first.” Pan Dingjiang hurriedly gestured for Li Sangrou to sit.

Li Sangrou did not stand on ceremony. She sat back down, took a mutton bun, ate it in a few bites, drank some tea, and smiled. “Is Master Wen still in Baling or here?”

“In Baling. He went there as soon as the General captured Baling.”

“I need to see him urgently. I will eat something and leave. How do I cross the river to Baling?” Li Sangrou continued to ask.

“The main army is on the opposite bank of Baling, stationed along the river near Dongtou Village. The army on the north bank is commanded by General Jiang. General Jiang knows the Boss. I will write another letter,” Pan Dingjiang replied quickly.

“Then I will trouble you,” Li Sangrou said with a bow and a smile.

Pan Dingjiang stood up and went to the study in the east wing to write a letter.

Lady Qian urged the kitchen to send over some side dishes and a pot of pheasant soup.

After Li Sangrou finished eating and drinking, Pan Dingjiang came over with the letter and handed it to her.

Outside, it was almost dark. Li Sangrou bid farewell to Pan Dingjiang and his wife. Datou, carrying a rather large white burlap sack in one hand, was already waiting at the side door.

“Their mutton buns are delicious! Even better than Brother Chang’s! They just steamed out, and I ate ten in one go! I’ve got thirty more left; we will eat them on the way!” Seeing Li Sangrou, Datou hurriedly waved the burlap sack back and forth, looking quite pleased with himself.

“Thank you.” Li Sangrou turned around, pointed to the buns, and thanked Lady Qian and Pan Dingjiang again.

Lady Qian could not help but laugh, while Pan Dingjiang managed to restrain himself, bowing slightly. “It’s nothing.”

Lady Qian and Pan Dingjiang stood inside the side door, watching Datou, carrying the buns, follow Li Sangrou quickly towards the east gate.

……………………

The next day, before everyone had gone to sleep, Li Sangrou, accompanied by Datou, arrived at the camp across the river of Baling. They spent the night in General Jiang’s camp, and early the following morning, they crossed the river by boat and entered Baling City.

General Jiang’s personal guards led Li Sangrou and Datou directly into the Qi Army camp. Seeing Bai-Cheng rushing out to greet them, the guards stopped, greeted Bai-Cheng, and then withdrew to report back to General Jiang.

“Why are you here? Why are you in such a hurry? What happened?” Wen Cheng greeted them from the main room, his brow furrowed and his voice urgent.

Li Sangrou walked quickly, but after taking two more steps, Wen Cheng was overwhelmed by the strong stench of sweat around her. He did not even bother with a greeting, staring directly at Li Sangrou in astonishment, asking, “What happened?”

Li Sangrou stopped, her brows slightly furrowed. She raised her hand, lowered her head, and buried her mouth and nose in her elbow, sniffing carefully.

“Sweating too much? Hmm, a bit too much; look at all this sweat.”

“Nothing urgent, just rushed around a bit; it is so hot. I came from Huangmei County, passed through Ezhou, and had a meal at Prefect Pan’s place.

I’d better go wash up first; this smell is not pleasant. I had not noticed before.”

Li Sangrou said, turning to leave.

Wen Cheng took two steps forward, wanting to call her back, but the overwhelming smell of sweat choked him.

Oh well, let her wash up first. Her sweat-soaked clothes must be uncomfortable against her skin.

Since they’d had to buy new clothes anyway, Bai-Cheng, along with several servants, even bought a new bathtub, choosing two main rooms next to the commander’s, and filled them with large tubs of hot and cold water.

Datou’s situation was much simpler. He went directly to the well where the guards bathed and had several guards pour water over his head; it was incredibly hot.

Li Sangrou washed herself thoroughly from head to toe, changed into clean clothes newly bought by Bai-Cheng, dried her hair until it was no longer dripping wet, casually tied it up, and headed towards Wen Cheng’s small courtyard.

“The Shizi went to inspect outside the city, saying he’d be back for lunch. Why are you in such a hurry?” Wen Cheng looked closely at Li Sangrou.

She seemed to have lost some weight.

“Time waits for no one.” Li Sangrou picked up the cup of tea that had been placed beside her and drank it in a few gulps.

Wen Cheng was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, “What’s making the Boss so sentimental? What happened to you?”

Li Sangrou looked around, leaned forward, and said in a low voice, “I’ve come to borrow money.”

“Uh!” Wen Cheng almost choked. “You? What do you want?”

“To borrow money.” Li Sangrou rubbed her fingers together.

“Borrow money from me?” Wen Cheng pointed to himself, his face filled with disbelief.

“You have money?” Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow, sizing up Wen Cheng, and asked in surprise.

“Of course, I do not have money. Since you know I do not have money, what are you planning to borrow?” Wen Cheng was somewhat speechless.

“I did a business deal, very profitable, extremely profitable, but the capital was huge.

Right now, I am a bit broke; I do not have that much money on hand. I want to borrow some from you, just for one month; I will give you thirty percent interest,” Li Sangrou said, waving three fingers at Wen Cheng, smiling.

Wen Cheng’s eyes widened. “Thirty percent? What kind of business is this? Thirty percent interest for a month? And that’s just the interest on a loan? This is unbelievable! How much do you want to borrow?”

“At least five hundred thousand taels. Any less and I will not borrow it; it is not worth it. A little more would be fine, but no more than a million. Any more and I will not need it,” Li Sangrou said with a smile.

Wen Cheng choked on his words. “What’s going on? Is this business? You need to explain yourself clearly. Five hundred thousand taels, thirty percent interest a month, thirty percent! Not thirty percent? Are you planning to rob the entire city of Baling? Even robbing it once might not be enough!”

“Robbing it once would definitely cost more than five hundred thousand taels.”

Li Sangrou smiled at Wen Cheng, paused, listened intently, leaned forward, beckoned Wen Cheng closer, and lowered her voice, saying, “I have an excellent seller in Hangzhou who has plenty of the finest silk, the newest and best in Hangzhou. She will deliver it across the river.”

Wen Cheng froze for a moment, then raised his hand to his face and rubbed it vigorously several times.

“Yesterday, the Shizi was still talking about you. He said you’ve been missing since the third month, and he’s very worried. He wondered what important business you were up to. And you really were up to something important! Where did you find such an excellent seller? Are there really sellers like that? Silk from Hangzhou?”

“I cannot tell you that.

Give me the money here, and I will return it to you in Jianle City. Just designate someone there, and I will handle the handover.” Li Sangrou smiled.

“This is something I cannot decide. You have to discuss it with the Shizi.” Wen Cheng’s mind raced, shifting from astonishment to suspicion.

What was she up to? It seemed to be more than just borrowing money and more than just smuggling silk.

“We cannot tell him. This is between the two of us, between you and me.

If I were to discuss this with him, neither of us has the silver, right? Then he’d definitely have to write a report or something, and that would cause trouble,” Li Sangrou said earnestly.

Wen Cheng remained silent.

He did indeed have such a sum of silver. It was not his, nor the Shizi’s; it was the portion of Jingzhou’s spring tax to be escorted to the capital this year.

That was the silver she had discussed with him. To use this silver, the Shizi’s approval was essential, but by going through this roundabout way by adding a layer of secrecy, the young master could feign ignorance.

She was using the silver to smuggle silk; the Shizi had to pretend not to know, and so did the Emperor.

She was offering thirty percent interest—that was for the silk tax!

It was not just that simple; she definitely had other motives for wanting this tax money. This Boss was not just clever; she was riddled with flaws!

“In the past, silk from Jiangnan was taxed at least half its weight in silver, and the same applied to raw materials from the south,” Wen Cheng said, glancing at Li Sangrou tentatively, thinking about the silk tax.

“Then fifty percent, no more. I am still taking a risk,” Li Sangrou readily agreed.

“Where will your silk cross the river from? That excellent seller, you trust him so much?” Wen Cheng frowned deeply.

The Shizi had been worried about her; these past few months of silence suggested something big was about to happen. Ah, indeed, this matter was no small thing!

Moreover, this was probably just the surface; who knew what lay beneath!

“From Jiangzhou. I’ve already transported the first batch of silk across the river, a total of five hundred carts. In a few days, these five hundred carts of silk will arrive in Jianle City. These five hundred carts of silk are enough to cover the loan I’ve made,” Li Sangrou answered directly.

Upon hearing the name Jiangzhou, Wen Cheng’s eyes widened again. “Jiangzhou! Then you…”

“Do not get any useless ideas! Business is business!” Before Wen Cheng could finish, Li Sangrou decisively refused.

“I did not ask you to do anything! What are you thinking? Fine, I will not ask anymore.”

Li Sangrou’s straightforward refusal felt like a slap in Wen Cheng’s face, almost suffocating him.

“Let me tell you first, several hundred thousand taels of silver is not that much.” Li Sangrou yawned, one hand on the armrest of her chair, and stood up. “Coming from Huangmei County, traveling day and night, I am so tired my mind is a mess. Fifty percent interest seems too much.

I am going to take a nap. You think it over carefully. Do not wake me at noon; I need a good sleep.”

“Alright.” Wen Cheng quickly stood up and escorted Li Sangrou to the courtyard gate, watching as Bai-Cheng led her to the empty upper rooms next door.

Around noon, Gu Xi returned, and Wen Cheng rushed to greet him. “The Boss is here.”

“Hmm?” Gu Xi was quite surprised. “When did she arrive? Why did she not send anyone to look for me? Where is she?”

“She traveled day and night from Huangmei County and has not slept for several nights; she said she wanted to get some sleep and did not want to be disturbed; she’s asleep,” Wen Cheng said, quickly pointing to the two upper rooms next door.

“Is she alright?” Hearing Wen Cheng say that Li Sangrou had traveled day and night, Gu Xi frowned.

“She’s definitely not alright.” Wen Cheng smiled wryly, first letting Gu Xi into the house, then lowering his voice to explain that Li Sangrou wanted to borrow money and about smuggling silk.

“Is she here to find a fixer?” Gu Xi raised his eyebrows high.

“I am afraid it is not just about finding fixers,” Wen Cheng said with a wry smile, spreading his hands.

“Who is this person who can transport five hundred cartloads of silk across the river from Jiangzhou City?” Gu Xi asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Wen Cheng.

“I was just thinking about that too. And how did she find this person? Five hundred cartloads of silk in one go—does that person trust her that much?” Wen Cheng’s voice lowered.

“How much silver can we come up with?” Gu Xi asked Wen Cheng after thinking for a moment.

“We just collected the spring tax from Jingzhou. The spring tax is all in coins. We cannot touch our military funds. We also have eight hundred thousand taels, all in Ezhou City. We received a letter from Prefect Pan the day before yesterday saying that it has been recast and can be transported to Jianle City at any time,” Wen Cheng replied.

“Give it all to her.” Gu Xi raised his fingers.

“What if she transports this silver to Jiangzhou City?” Wen Cheng frowned at Gu Xi.

“Jiangzhou City…” Gu Xi drawled, then chuckled. “If she wants to transport it there, let her. I will write a secret report and tell my Elder Brother later.

That Yang Wen in Jiangzhou City is just a reckless brute. He rose from a minor general to a first-rank general, stationed in Jiangzhou City, purely by luck and also because there had not been a war for over twenty years!

I wonder who she’s hooking up with. I do not think it is this Yang Wen. Heh.” Gu Xi smiled maliciously, seemingly lost in thought.

“Yang Wen is renowned for his excellent military leadership. Wherever he’s stationed, the city walls and fortifications are always extremely sturdy, the soldiers’ armor is always gleaming, and everything else is definitely better than elsewhere,” Wen Cheng chimed in.

He was very familiar with the garrison commanders throughout Southern Liang.

“When I went to Southern Liang, I heard a lot of people teasing him, saying that other soldiers fight to support their families, but he fights because he has too much money and needs to spend it all.

The person she’s involved with might be Yang Wen’s wife. I heard she comes from a merchant family and is extremely good at business, but everyone says that she only cares about money and has a bad reputation.”

“Do not overthink it. I trust her.” Gu Xi’s furrowed brows relaxed.

“This eight hundred thousand taels is all coins. It is not light. It is enough to support about four hundred people. Do you want it?” Wen Cheng looked at Gu Xi and asked softly.

“No need.” Gu Xi was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. “If our army gets close, the enemy will definitely retreat. This ship cannot get close.

In a dangerous place like Jiangzhou City, what use are four or five hundred men? No matter how skilled they are, they are just throwing their lives away.

Whether Yang Wen’s wife is a true merchant, we do not know, but Lady Li is definitely not. She only does business occasionally.

She’s very shrewd.

Give her all the gold we have. It will be easier for her and less trouble. She needs boats and men; arrange everything for her. Do not do anything unnecessary.”

Wen Cheng nodded, “Alright.”