Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 540 Status
While Xie Yuyan and Zhang were talking, Liu Erlang entered the room with two accountants.

Recently, Xie Yuyan opened a perfume shop and purchased porcelain with someone. He also had Xie Qi buy five small kilns. These small kilns are not valuable, but the cost of repairing the coal kilns and paying the craftsmen's wages is a considerable expense.

With the addition of the boats bought from the Third Manager, if the dyeing workshop of Ciyun Temple hadn't already been almost completely repaired and didn't require much more investment, the money in hand would definitely not have been enough.

This was only possible because Xie Qi brought a large surplus from Daming Prefecture.

They earned a lot of money, but spent even more.

Liu Erlang handed the accounts to Xie Yuyan: "It seems that only if the trade at the border market goes smoothly can we recoup the money spent on the coal kiln."

If the market trade is successful, more porcelain will be needed, which will be able to support the coal kiln that the old lady is repairing.

Coal kilns are larger than ordinary wood-fired kilns and have lower firing costs, making them a valuable tool during the golden age of porcelain. Conversely, if things go wrong at the market, all these efforts are wasted.

Xie Yuyan nodded.

The accountant handed over the accounts before leaving the room.

Xie Yuyan then looked at Liu Erlang: "The palace examination is tomorrow. Are you really not going to participate?"

The imperial examination could not be missed unless there were special circumstances, and no one wanted to miss this opportunity. However, Liu Erlang was implicated in the case of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and Liu Hui could use illness as an excuse to make Liu Erlang miss the imperial examination.

Liu Erlang nodded: "I've discussed it with my father, and we plan to take the imperial examination again in a few years. In the next few years, I want to work by Madam's side and broaden my horizons."

Whenever Liu Erlang recalled the look in Wang Yan's eyes, he felt that if he were to step into officialdom, he would surely bring disaster upon his family. However, since Madam Xie had saved his life by having her sister deliver a message, he was naturally willing to help Madam Xie.

Xie Yuyan asked, "What about Zuo Shangying? How is he?"

Liu Erlang laughed and said, "Brother Zuo is well prepared. He might even become the top scholar." Having faced life and death, Liu Erlang understood many things and realized that the difference between him and Zuo Shangying was not in literary talent, but in experience.

As long as he gains experience, he doesn't necessarily have to become an official; he can achieve good results no matter what he does. Just like Madam Xie, she even forgot her own background, yet she was still able to come to Bianjing as a merchant and dominate the market.

After saying this, Liu Erlang said, "There must be something strange about Chen Yixiu. I just don't know if he's from Han Si's side or if he's related to Guan Fenglin and the others."

“I’m more inclined to believe Guan Fenglin,” Xie Yuyan said. “Han Si and the third manager are both on trial, so the people behind them will probably keep a low profile for now. Even if they do take action, it will be done secretly. Chen Yixiu is similar to Guan Fenglin; they both want to take this opportunity to gain a foothold in the porcelain business.”

Both Guan Fenglin and Chen Yixiu had already won over some merchants. If they didn't want to replace Han Si, they wouldn't need to make these preparations.

Furthermore, their methods of doing things are different from those of the Third Manager and his ilk.

The third manager used money to win over his assistants to work for him. Guan Fenglin, on the other hand, gained more trust and followers through patient persuasion.

Xie Yuyan said, "The more people we use, the easier it is to expose our true colors, and we'll be able to figure it out quickly."

Liu Erlang stayed in the courtyard for a while before leaving. Before returning to the Liu family, he went to the prison to inquire about the progress of the case and also to deliver some food to Zhao Zhongliang.

Liu Erlang and Zhao Zhongliang weren't familiar with each other, but they shared some similarities: both had been framed by Xia Mengxian's men, though their fates differed. One escaped death, while the other watched helplessly as his family perished. In comparison, Liu Erlang was far luckier than Zhao Zhongliang. Liu Erlang recounted the events outside to Zhao Zhongliang: "Sun Changchun and the others are now with Madam. I've relayed your words to them, instructing them to practice twice a day..."

Zhao Zhongliang nodded, popped a piece of pig's head meat into his mouth, and after swallowing the food, he looked at Liu Erlang: "What do you want to ask?"

Liu Erlang then asked, "What are your plans after you get out of prison?"

Zhao Zhongliang did not hesitate: "Take the militia back to the village. This time I came to Bianjing with only a small number of people. Most of them stayed at home."

Liu Erlang greatly admired Zhao Zhongliang, and wondered how he could have built such a force in just a few years.

“Life on the border is tough,” Zhao Zhongliang saw through Liu Erlang’s thoughts. “It’s not easy to survive. Some people have to support their families. They’ll do anything to earn money.”

At this point, he glanced at Liu Erlang: "Of course I won't do anything that violates the law."

Liu Erlang knew that these words were just for show; it was impossible to be completely without making any mistakes. Even if the militia dealt with local bandits and robbed them of their money, it was still against the law; at most, they were just avoiding harming innocent people.

“Actually, even if you don’t go back, you can stay by Madam’s side and she can make arrangements,” Liu Erlang said. “It’s just that it’s a bit troublesome to bring all the members of the militia to Bianjing, as we need to re-establish their households.”

Zhao Zhongliang took a bite of the meat pie: "What can we do here? We don't have the skills to be craftsmen. Let me go into business... porcelain making. There are plenty of people like that around Madam."

"Even with my own team of bodyguards, I'm no match for the lady's attendant."

When Liu Erlang realized that Zhao Zhongliang was referring to Su Man, he was somewhat surprised: "Him? Isn't he just a manager? I think he's far inferior to you."

“I’m not as good as ten of them,” Zhao Zhongliang said in a low voice. “You don’t know martial arts, so you naturally can’t tell.” He saw the guard when he met Madam Xie on the boat, and although it was only a glance, it was enough.

Liu Erlang was somewhat surprised. Su Man's quiet demeanor seemed quite ordinary, yet he hadn't expected Zhao Zhongliang to praise him so highly.

Zhao Zhongliang said, "In short, I will not stay in Bianjing. Without the brothers of the militia, I wouldn't have gotten this far. If I were to avenge my family and then leave the village to abandon them, how would that be any different from using them?"

"It would be better for him to stay in the village. Not only could he take care of the villagers, but he could also protect the old lady's caravan and ensure their safe passage along the trade route." This was where he was most useful and where he was best suited.

Following Zhao Zhongliang's words, Liu Erlang pondered further. The trade route from Bianjing to the border market must be extremely important, and Madam Zhao would likely invest a great deal of manpower and resources in it. This indicated that Zhao Zhongliang's militia would expand rapidly; with more men at his disposal, he could accomplish even greater things.

No matter how far Madam Zhang goes in the future, Zhao Zhongliang will always be one of her most capable assistants.

Liu Erlang was somewhat envious of Zhao Zhongliang, who had secured a place for himself so quickly, while he himself seemed to lack a clear direction.

After packing up the food box, Liu Erlang left the prison and ran into Wang Yan in the courtyard.

Wang Yan led his men past Liu Erlang quickly, instantly bringing with him a chilling aura.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Liu Erlang felt that Wang Yan's expression was even colder, as if... he was more dissatisfied with him. Liu Erlang frowned; he really couldn't understand what he had done to offend this Lord Wang.