Chapter 15

"Father! Mother! We have visitors!" Another young boy ran into the house shouting.

A moment later, a middle-aged man in coarse brown linen stepped outside. Upon seeing Liu He, he forced a weathered smile.

"Elder Liu." He glanced at Rong Xi and paused slightly. "This must be Young Master Rong."

Rong Xi smiled. "Master Zhang, pleased to meet you."

"Please, come inside." Master Zhang had an honest-looking face. Smiling, he led the three men indoors and instructed his wife to serve tea.

"No need for such courtesy, Master Zhang. I came today regarding the land exchange." Rong Xi's tone was unhurried. "Good land or poor, I am willing to make the deal. How much silver and cloth do you ask?"

Master Zhang exchanged a glance with his wife, then held up several fingers. "What does Young Master think of this amount?"

By market standards, the price was fair. Rong Xi did not hesitate. "Agreed. If Master Zhang has time today, how about we go consult the village head together?"

Only after the land transfer would it truly belong to Rong Xi.

Caught off guard by his decisiveness, Master Zhang stood frozen for several breaths. Only when his wife tugged at his sleeve did he come back to himself and rise blankly. "I have time, I have time. Let's go now."

With sufficient payment, the matter was smoothly settled.

On their way back, Rong Xi saw Master Zhang looking dazed and lost, and could not help asking, "Forgive my presumption, but what are your plans for the future?"

"I do not know either." The middle-aged man sighed heavily.

He had exchanged his land because his father was gravely ill and needed money to sustain his treatment. Otherwise, he would never have given up the foundation of his livelihood.

As for the road ahead, he could only take things one step at a time.

"I happen to need tenant farmers to tend my fields. If you do not mind, would you be willing to help me?" Rong Xi suddenly asked.

Master Zhang was dumbfounded. Young Master Rong was clearly helping him! There was nothing special about his family except that they had plenty of hands to work!

"Young Master, you are truly kind!"

He abruptly bowed deeply, lowering himself in a long salute until it nearly touched the ground.

Rumors truly could not be fully trusted! Such a benevolent young master had been painted by the streets as a villainous wretch.

Although buying the land had cost a great deal of money and cloth, Rong Xi did not feel the slightest regret. Coal stoves were now all the rage, Gourmet Pavilion was thriving, and his monthly profits would only continue to grow.

Upon returning to Rong Residence, he was about to write Hu Yulin a letter when he suddenly saw a white bird swoop through the sky and land upon the eaves.

Man and bird stared at each other for a long while.

Rong Xi helplessly spoke first. "White Frost?" He then spread his arm in invitation.

Proud as White Frost was, it only then flew onto his arm and shook out its long feathers.

Seeing a paper tube tied to its left leg, Rong Xi removed it. White Frost then flew to the windowsill to rest.

After telling Liu Zishi to feed it, Rong Xi went to the study. He unfolded the letter and saw the signature: Chen Chuangu of the Chen Clan.

After reading the letter, he thought briefly before swiftly writing a reply and sending it back with White Frost.

"Zishi, later I will go to the county seat with you."

He had already had Brother Shouyuan submit the ironmaking method to the authorities. Why, then, had Chen Chuangu written that he missed stir-fried dishes and wished to obtain the method for making Thin Cauldrons?

The three members of the Chen Clan were certainly no ordinary merchants. If they were connected to the powerful and influential, they should know about the authorities. Or was he merely trying to verify something?

No matter what, he needed to meet Jiang Weiping.

Chapter 15

Shengjing.

White Frost crossed the bustling streets and landed like lightning atop a flying eave. The glazed tiles were lush green, beautifully complementing its long white feathers.

With a clear cry, it immediately drew someone in the courtyard to toss out chunks of meat.

White Frost spread its wings and dived, swiftly catching a piece of meat in its beak and swallowing it in great mouthfuls. Only after seeming utterly satisfied did it settle upon the windowsill.

Chen Chuangu approached helplessly, intending to remove the message tube. White Frost disdainfully dodged aside, its wing striking the back of his hand.

"White Frost." A man's clear, cool voice sounded, and White Frost immediately flapped toward him.

Chen Chuangu turned around. "I just fed it meat, yet it did not spare me even a shred of courtesy."

After removing the letter, the man cast him an indifferent glance, released White Frost, and returned to the room alone.

Chen Chuangu sighed and followed him inside.

"What did Eldest Brother write?" Chen Chuangu leaned closer, then raised his brows. "The handwriting is quite refined. Was it not said that the Rong Clan's son was an idle good-for-nothing?"

After returning to Shengjing, he had made inquiries into Rong Xi from many sources. Yet he had not heard a single favorable comment, only malicious words.

"The Jiang Clan has already handed the ironmaking method to the authorities."

The man folded the letter and placed it in a hidden box beneath the writing desk. He added, "The Jiang Clan's ironmaking skill was originally ordinary, yet they suddenly obtained an extraordinary method. This is truly suspicious."

"You suspect Young Master Rong as well?" Chen Chuangu asked with a smile.

The man gave a light laugh. "Honeycomb coal briquettes, coal stoves, Thin Cauldrons, stir-frying—none of these had ever been heard of before, without the slightest sign beforehand. Yet after he arrived in Linxi, they emerged one after another. Moreover, Feng Shan wrote that Rong Dalang possessed remarkably ingenious ideas in carpentry."

Chen Chuangu fell silent for a moment before saying, "But now that the Jiang Clan has submitted the ironmaking method, the Ministry of Works has shown no reaction at all. Could it be...?"

"This matter must be investigated further."

Once the new emperor ascended the throne, corruption would surely be purged and greed cleansed. Those who concealed ironmaking methods in an attempt to seize private profit would serve as chickens to warn the monkeys.

Mengshan County.

Rong Xi arrived at Jiang Family Ironworks. After he and Jiang Weiping sat down, he got straight to the point. "Brother Shouyuan, when you previously reported the ironmaking method to the county office, what response did you receive?"

"They told me to wait for a reward from the imperial court," Jiang Weiping answered truthfully.

After he submitted it to the county office, the county office still had to report it to the prefectural office, which would then send it to the Ministry of Works. If the Ministry of Works determined that the ironmaking method was indeed exceptional, it would report to the Ministry of Revenue and request funds as a reward.

Generally speaking, these procedures could just barely be completed within a month.

Yet the ironmaking method was of utmost importance to both the state and the people. Unless the authorities were fools, they would surely be eager to report it to the imperial court rather than delay and obstruct matters.

It had been nearly a month since Jiang Weiping reported it to the county office, yet there had not been the slightest movement. It was truly strange.

Rong Xi frowned in thought.

"Eldest Brother, is something wrong?" Seeing his displeased expression, Jiang Weiping asked uneasily.

"Nothing is wrong." Rong Xi nodded with a smile.

Even if something truly was amiss, it had nothing to do with commoners like them.

They chatted idly at the ironworks for half a day. Only after Liu Zishi finished practicing martial arts did the two return home together.