Temporary Return (1)

"Now that things have come to an end with Li Kai's side..."

"Following this up, we can simply monitor the situation."

"It's time for me to leave."

At dawn.

Watching Li Kai, disguised as Liu Yi, enter Liu Yi's residence to begin his long life of infiltration, Ye Qingcang spoke to Zi Nu and Startled Salamander beside him, his tone slightly regretful.

It didn't seem like a joke, which startled both Zi Nu and Startled Salamander.

However, Zi Nu was only somewhat surprised, while Startled Salamander's heart stirred.

Although Startled Salamander usually had a Bingbing and aloof demeanor, when something stirred in her heart, it was impossible to tell from her expression, and it did not attract the attention of Zi Nu and Ye Qingcang.

But compared to the taciturn Startled Salamander.

Zi Nu is undoubtedly much more adept at social maneuvering.

He sighed and chatted with a touch of melancholy, "Although you mentioned before that you couldn't stay long because you had your own things to take care of, I really didn't expect that this short stay would be so short... At most, it's only a month, but what happened in this month, I have to say, is more and more exciting than what happened in the past year... Of course, I don't mean to stop you from leaving. We both know each other's personalities. Since you've decided to leave, it must be because something has happened on your end that you have to deal with. So, what I'm suggesting is: should we tell Han Fei, Hong Lian, and Wei Zhuang... The bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow, and they certainly won't be able to see me off, and neither will I. But saying goodbye in advance shouldn't be difficult, so that we can avoid regrets later."

There's no need for an early farewell.

"It's not like I'm never coming back."

"I come here to take a look occasionally."

"It just means that I can't stay here permanently anymore."

"Whether it can help you... well, don't count on it."

"If I have time, I'll definitely help."

"But if I'm too busy, please forgive me for being unable to help."

Ye Qingcang's relaxed tone quickly dispelled Zi Nu's lingering gloom. He then changed the subject, bringing up the upcoming matters. "Of course, my control over this area will definitely decrease after I leave. To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, we'll need your assistance with some measures. It's too complicated to explain in a few words, so why don't we discuss it further when we get back?"

"Alright."

"Perfect timing, I can ask Han Fei about their progress."

"We're essentially fighting on two fronts."

"The two of them will deal with Ji Wuye."

"We'll pull off a switcheroo."

"Many of the Zilan Pavilion staff were drawn away, and the main force was the Seven Absolutes Hall. But after a busy night, we should have an answer as to whether we won or lost. Let's check the accounts and treat it as a post-battle review."

"I guess... right now, they're also eagerly awaiting our results."

"Want to make a bet with me?"

"Let's bet... they can bluff their way out of Ji Wuye?"

Zi Nu's tone was not smiling, but her eyebrows and eyes were curved.

He took over Ye Qingcang's words.

I've summarized what I need to do next.

It means to get it done in one trip.

Then, he made a rare joke to lighten the mood.

Although the current atmosphere is already very good.

Don't be too active.

However, Ye Qingcang didn't let the atmosphere cool down. He picked up on Zi Nu's topic and jokingly complained, "Since you've put it that way, if I were to bet, I could only bet that they'd lose, and that's obviously impossible... With Han Fei Fei's intelligence and Wei Zhuang's martial prowess, unless Ji Wuye personally intervenes, he's definitely going to suffer this loss; there's no other possibility... How about we bet something more interesting: how much military pay do you think they'll manage to recoup this time?"

"Good question!"

"Let me think about it... Anyway, 100,000 taels of gold is a certainty, because this military pay isn't for profit, but for fulfilling our obligations!"

"Ji Wuye couldn't possibly build a warehouse on his own."

"Moreover, 100,000 taels of gold takes up quite a lot of space."

"If we pack it in boxes... about ten boxes."

"But that would be too heavy to carry."

"Most people can't lift it."

"So, considering the loading issue, it should be twenty to thirty boxes. If stacked up, it will still be a tall layer. Even if they are just piled up randomly, they can still take up an entire normal room."

"Based on my understanding of Wei Zhuang."

"Not to mention, he can take back 200,000 taels of gold."

Zi Nu calculated for a moment and provided the data.

Then, he looked at Ye Qingcang.

He countered with, "What do you think?"

Two hundred thousand taels of gold.

It's neither a lot nor a little.

Based on the weight comparison between ancient and modern times, 100,000 taels of gold is roughly equivalent to 130 million to 150 million in modern terms, and 200,000 taels is about 300 million. For an individual, this is definitely a sum of money that one could never spend in a lifetime, or even for three generations of descendants to spend as they please, living on lavish meals every day without ever running out of money.

But for someone of Ji Wuye's level...

Two hundred thousand taels of gold? A piece of cake!

Even for Zi Nu, 200,000 taels of gold was not an amount she couldn't afford; it's just that she might have to squeeze it out a bit.

Zilan Pavilion is the optimal choice as a place of pleasure and entertainment.

At least within the Han Kingdom, it is the most upscale place for extravagant spending.

Even the phrase "making a fortune every day" is insufficient to describe its grandeur.

Although the expenses at the Zilan Pavilion were equally high, the Rouge and Powder used by the girls, the silk and satin they wore, and the delicacies they ate were things that ordinary people could not afford. This is because most beauties in the world rely on nurturing. Even the most naturally beautiful women will be worn down and aged prematurely if they work in the countryside all day long. Their beauty will fade, and their vitality will be completely worn away.

Therefore, every beauty in the Zilan Pavilion is made with gold; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are worth a fortune every day.

Anyway, Ye Qingcang got to see the food served to the girls at the Zilan Pavilion.

Take Nong Yu as an example.

Every morning, I must have a bowl of Rock Sugar Blood Swallow soup to nourish myself.

To be honest, Ye Qingcang wasn't sure if this dish still existed in this era.

But this stuff is really delicious.

Although the process is extremely complicated, it first requires selecting the best blood bird's nest, soaking and cleaning it, and then stewing it with rock sugar. During the stewing process, it is also necessary to strictly control the heat and time to ensure that the taste and nutrients of the blood bird's nest are not lost.

Even if it's not gold.

Its value must also be measured in silver.

Moreover, this was just Nong Yu's personal preference; other women also had their own favorite morning supplements, which didn't even qualify as breakfast.

In a proper breakfast.

Four dishes and one soup is the standard.

Two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes are also the standard combination.

As for Nong Yu, the meal consisted of eight dishes and one soup.

Further down, there's a six-dish-and-one-soup option, somewhere in between the two.

And in Nong Yu's recipe.

What impressed Ye Qingcang the most was a soup called Taishi Five Snake Soup. This soup required famous ingredients such as golden ring snake, silver ring snake, cobra, water snake, and raven snake as the main ingredients, and chicken, abalone, wood ear fungus, and shiitake mushrooms as auxiliary ingredients to be cooked into a soup before it could be served.

It's uncertain whether it has any nutritional value.

But in terms of freshness, it is truly incomparable.

Therefore, ten thousand taels of gold is really nothing.

According to Zi Nu's casual conversation, the money Zilan Pavilion spent on these girls, just considering their food, clothing, and daily necessities, was over three thousand taels of gold per month. This doesn't even include the girls' talent and etiquette training. Because of Nong Yu's presence, Zilan Pavilion did save a lot of money on the zither, as Nong Yu's zither skills were among the best in the Seven Kingdoms, consistently ranking third or even first. However, the other three arts—zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—also cost a considerable amount, not to mention etiquette training.

If you calculate it piecemeal...

One month.

It will take about five thousand taels of gold to invest.

That's 60,000 taels a year.

Two hundred thousand taels of gold is only enough for three years, and that's just the expenditure.

If income is taken into account.

Zi Nu held the accounts from the past year.

There were over 100,000 taels of gold.

The unit of measurement is ten thousand taels.

Make a bet with Ye Qingcang.

Honestly, nothing to be surprised about!