Money Can't Be Spent Too Little

For monsters and certain humans, these dried meat strips were delicious little snacks.

The father, son, and Uncle Hao, along with the steward, searched intently, but finding nothing that caught their eye, they had no choice but to give up.

He Lingchuan lowered his head and took a quiet look at the necklace around his neck.

This object was strange; it was no longer the original version. He had repeatedly considered whether to hand it over, but a voice in the depths of his heart always warned him: Never show it to anyone!

This premonition was so intense that after much inner conflict, he decided to follow his instincts.

"Take these back, and keep those two guards under the custody of the Red and White Path. Right, I recall the Red and White Path has a farm in the southern suburbs. It's the slack season now, so there shouldn't be anyone near the estate. Lingchuan, do you understand? ...Yes, good. Go after dinner, and handle it cleanly." He Chunhua turned to Uncle Hao. "A-Hao, stay behind."

He Lingchuan took his orders and left, while Uncle Hao remained where he was.

Once the eldest son of the He Residence disappeared behind the porch, He Chunhua said to Uncle Hao, "Tell me everything that happened today, from beginning to end."

Uncle Hao recounted the events one by one, without adding or omitting a single detail.

He Chunhua nodded after listening and let him leave.

The room fell silent, and He Chunhua stared at the leopard corpse on the table, lost in thought for a long while.

Steward Wu waited nearby, and it wasn't until two incense sticks had burned down that he spoke up to remind him: "Master, it is time for dinner."

Governor He gave an "mm" and asked, "What do you make of this?"

"The eldest young master may seem reckless, but his response was actually quite sound," Steward Wu said with a smile. "Those two guards shouldn't have been left running around the city, prying into things."

"The little rascal has finally grown a bit of sense. It seems his serious injury this time was a blessing in disguise." Governor He let out a soft breath.

"Master, you were worried that the eldest young master's temperament had changed too suddenly, but now you can rest easy."

"Indeed," Governor He said softly. "Let's go, time for dinner."

No matter how much Governor He longed for his homeland, and no matter how much the He Residence resembled the style of the capital, they still had to bow to reality for their three daily meals, eating much like the locals of Blackwater City.

After all, one lives off the mountains if one lives in the mountains, off the water if one lives by the water, and off the soil if one lives on the land.

He Lingchuan was tucking into half a boiled lamb leg. This was truly boiled in clear water, with at most a few ginger chunks and scallion knots added to remove the gamey smell.

Clear boiling brought out the original flavor. The lamb was crisp and bouncy, and when dipped in spiced pepper and spicy salt, it was incredibly fresh—He Lingchuan wielded the knife himself, slicing a piece, dipping it, and eating it, sighing with satisfaction.

The chef hired by the Governor's Mansion only used Big-Horn Sheep under a year and a half old. These sheep liked to wander the Gobi, often grazing on medicinal herbs like Dandelion and Scutellaria, resulting in a rich, mellow meat flavor that was quite different from their counterparts elsewhere; it was a specialty of Red Cliff Road.

Beside He Chunhua sat a beautiful woman in fine robes, scooping millet porridge and blowing on it gently before sipping it slowly. Her unhurried pace contrasted sharply with He Lingchuan's hearty eating.

This was He Chunhua's first wife, the mistress of the He Residence, Madam Ying. She occasionally tasted a piece of lamb, but it had to be trimmed for her by the steward and arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way.

She listened to the conversation between her husband and her younger son, smiling, occasionally glancing at He Lingchuan.

Their family of four was all here, complete and together.

He Chunhua was discussing this year's tax revenue for Qiansong Prefecture with his younger son.

Yes, tax revenue. One of the favorite topics of the residents of Blackwater City was that Governor He's most capable assistant was not a veteran accountant or a strategist under his command, but his younger son, He Yue, who was not yet fourteen.

This child learned to read at three, could recite three hundred poems by seven, and the following year, the He Residence sent two accountants to jail—He Yue, bored, had audited the ledgers, uncovering several long-standing bad debts and exposing two fat, greedy parasites.

By the time He Yue was twelve, in addition to his accomplishments in chess and painting, he began to point fingers at Governor He's administration... oh, wait, that was "offering strategic advice."

He Chunhua was no pedantic old scholar; his younger son's proposals were logical and effective, so he naturally encouraged him with both hands. He Yue grew more confident the more he did, even taking on some of his father's workload.

So, this scene was quite common.

He Lingchuan did not participate in their discussion, not saying a single word, content to simply enjoy the food; after all, the original owner of his body had done the same.

He couldn't get a word in anyway.

The He brothers had both inherited their father's good looks. He Lingchuan had sharp features, tall and handsome, while He Yue had delicate features, looking more like Madam Ying.

But the two had completely different traits.

He Yue had a photographic memory, while He Lingchuan, as the eldest son, would inevitably fall asleep within fifteen minutes of reading a book—it was more effective than any sedative.

The only thing more annoying than "the neighbor's kid" was "my own younger brother is a straight-A student."

It was a comprehensive, no-blind-spot crushing.

"Alright, let's eat!" Madam Ying interrupted the conversation between the big and small. "If you don't pick up your chopsticks, the food will get cold."

In reality, if they didn't pick up their chopsticks, the food would soon be eaten up by He Lingchuan.

He practiced martial arts, and his appetite was more than double that of an ordinary person.

Seeing Madam Ying personally pick up a soft-fried river shrimp for He Yue, He Lingchuan wiped his hands with a cloth: "Second brother, send a customs clearance document to Liu Baobao's merchant guild tomorrow. Their caravan is coming back soon, and I don't want them stuck at Baitong Pass."

"I told you not to call me second brother!" It sounded terrible, and He Yue truly hated that title. "I was just about to tell you, the Liu merchant guild is two years behind on their carriage and horse taxes. Including the late fees, it's about seven hundred taels. They only get the clearance order once they pay it in full."

"If that caravan doesn't come back, they can't pay those seven hundred taels," He Lingchuan laughed. "They're old acquaintances, just make an exception this time. I'll go and keep an eye on it for you when the time comes."

He Yue wanted to say more, but He Chunhua had already spoken: "No matter, send the document."

With his final word, He Yue could only respond with resentment and glare at He Lingchuan once more.

What "make an exception this time"? There had been ten or eight times like this already, and the old man had never once gone to keep an eye on it himself; he always forgot as soon as he said it!

Yet Father always favored his eldest brother.

He Lingchuan raised his sea-buckthorn juice toward him and flashed a grin.

In truth, after a time or two, he had seen it for what it was: this wasn't lining his own pockets, but rather doing the legwork for his father. Governor He was, after all, a public official; there were times when it was inconvenient for him to step forward, so he let his son handle the chores instead.

"Come to think of it, Eldest Brother's expenses have indeed dropped this past month. You only drew two hundred taels from the estate, whereas nine hundred wouldn't have even covered it in the past," He Yue rattled off the figures like a pro. "But after you were injured, the medical bills, medicine, and tonics added up to over three hundred taels..."

He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly feigned impatience. "I know, I know! It's just that I've been bedridden for so long, I haven't had the chance, have I? I know I've spent too little; I'll put in more effort next month!"

The slip-ups were truly everywhere. He hadn't expected that spending less money would make him even more suspicious.

A rough calculation showed that one tael of silver could be exchanged for a thousand copper coins; the eldest young master's usual monthly allowance was nine hundred thousand coins!