The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 15 Setting the Grand Plan
Having received Wu's advice, Commander He felt as if a lamp had been lit in his heart. He disregarded his official decorum and immediately ordered, "Prepare the horses! Be quick!"

He changed into a set of casual clothes that were neither new nor old, and only took two trusted followers with him. His horse's hooves clattered on the bluestone road, and he arrived at the Ximen Mansion in no time, raising dust along the way.

The gatekeeper, seeing that it was Commander He himself, dared not be negligent. He ran in to announce his arrival while welcoming Commander He into the front hall with a beaming smile.

Ximen Da Guanren was already sitting upright in the hall, with several plates of exquisite fruit and a pot of freshly brewed fragrant tea in front of him. He was leisurely waving a gold-flecked fan, as if he had known that Ximen Da Guanren was coming.

"Oh dear! I had no idea that Lord He would grace us with his presence. Please forgive my lack of hospitality!" Ximen Qing greeted him from afar with a bow, his voice booming and full of warmth.

Commander He also stood up to return the greeting, forcing a smile on his face, but unable to hide the anxiety between his brows: "You are too kind, sir! It was my abrupt arrival that has disturbed you."

The two took their seats as host and guest, and a maidservant served them fragrant tea.

Ximen Qing only talked about romantic matters and asked about interesting stories about the military training, but never mentioned anything about the granaries.

With something on his mind, Commander He was restless and uneasy, and even the fragrant tea tasted bland to him.

After hesitating several times, he finally couldn't hold back any longer, put down his teacup, cleared his throat, and said seriously:

"My lord, to be honest, I have come here today with a thorny official matter that I would like to ask for your assistance."

Ximen Qing feigned surprise: "Oh? Lord He holds a high position and wields great power, in charge of the Qinghe Guard. What could possibly require my assistance? Please speak freely. As long as it is within my power, I, Ximen Qing, will not refuse!"

He patted his chest, looking every bit the righteous and chivalrous man.

Seeing that he agreed readily, Commander He felt a little relieved and continued, "To my shame, it is about the military granary in the garrison. There are 800 shi of old, damp rice stored in the granary. Last year, it got damp and was piled up at the bottom of the granary, where ventilation is poor."

"The autumn heat is unbearable, and the mold is getting worse every day. It looks like it will rot in the granary and be completely wasted! This is the imperial grain. If it rots away, I will not be able to explain it to my superiors, and I will be ashamed of the imperial salary I have been paid!"

Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing nodded slightly, a look of "understanding" on his face: "I see. It is indeed a pity that eight hundred bushels of old rice have rotted. Lord He works hard for the country and cherishes grain, which is admirable."

Commander He sighed, “I hope you can help me, sir, and take this 800 shi of old rice. I dare not ask for a price; I will only accept your reward.”

Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing slowly picked up his teacup, gently skimmed off the foam with the lid, took a sip, and then looked up at Commander He.

With a half-smile, he said, "I'll buy the eight hundred bushels of old rice at market price. Lord He can use the silver to buy new rice to make up the difference, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Commander He was overjoyed and stood up, bowing deeply: "That's perfect!"

Ximen Qing nodded and said, "Lord He, you came in such a hurry today, just for these eight hundred bushels of moldy rice?"

He Qianhu's heart skipped a beat when he heard this casual question.

He stole a glance at Ximen Qing's expression and saw that the other man's eyes were deep and held a knowing and amused look.

Commander He immediately realized that this high-ranking official probably knew everything about the company's deficit!

After all, he was Wu's brother-in-law, so how could his subordinate not tell him the truth?

I might as well steel myself and take the plunge.

"To be honest, Master Ximen, the actual deficit in the granary is far more than this! To tell you the truth, we are also short a thousand shi of new rice!"

"We usually rob Peter to pay Paul, hoping to appease our superiors with these eight hundred bushels of rice. Who would have thought that these eight hundred bushels of rice would actually get moldy?"

Ximen Da Guanren pondered, "Eight hundred shi of moldy rice, a deficit of one thousand shi... that's quite a lot."

“Who says otherwise!” Commander He sighed. “After much thought, I believe that in Qinghe County, no one but you, sir, possesses the ability to manage and turn the impossible into reality. That is why I have come to seek your help.”

"The most important thing is to ask you, sir, to find a way to get rid of those eight hundred bushels of moldy rice that are about to rot as soon as possible! As long as I replace it with new rice, we can cover it up and get away with it."

Ximen Da Guanren laughed and said, "Lord He, if I may be so bold as to ask a question, if I help you deal with the moldy rice today, fill the deficit, and get rid of your current predicament, what about in the future?"

"Managing the military granary involves countless issues, from losses to profits and losses. If we lose 800 bushels of grain today, what will we do if we lose another 1,000 bushels tomorrow?"

"Do you always come to me for help in times of emergency?"

He Qianhu's hand, holding the water cup, trembled: "Sir, do you have any advice for me?"

Master Ximen shook the gold-flecked fan in his hand: "My lord, I have a plan. If you are willing to listen to me and follow my plan, I can wipe away this moldy rice and deficit for you, cleanly and without leaving a trace..."

"I usually have some income! I can keep a few coins on hand!"

He Qianhu felt a surge of heat rush to his head, the immense temptation making him tremble: "M-Master! Is this true? I wonder...I wonder what brilliant plan this is? Not to mention the additional income, as long as we can get through this calamity, I will obey your every command!"

Master Ximen laughed and said, "Let me tell you."

Now, after sending Commander He away, Master Ximen had finally settled his important matter, but his stomach was growling with hunger. He had been busy all day, only managing to grab a quick snack when Commander He arrived, and now he felt as if his stomach was sticking to his back.

Just as I was wondering what to eat, I suddenly smelled the aroma of soup wafting over.

Looking up, it was the cook, Sun Xue'e, who walked in timidly, carrying a lacquered tray with a steaming bowl of shredded chicken and white fungus soup and two small dishes of delicate side dishes.

“Father…” Sun Xue’e called out timidly, gently placing the tray on the small sandalwood table beside Ximen Qing: “I saw that Father has been busy all day and must be hungry, so I hastily made some soup. Father should at least have some to fill his stomach.”

Ximen Da Guanren glanced at her, hummed in agreement, and without caring about anything else, picked up the spoon and began to eat heartily.

in memory.

The deceased wife's maid was extremely skilled, and since there were few relatives in their hometown, they kept her.

Unexpectedly, his cooking skills were excellent.

The soup was scalding hot, but he didn't care at all. He slurped it down like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, and in no time, he had devoured the bowl of soup and side dishes.

Sun Xue'e stood by with her hands at her sides, not daring to utter a sound.

Ximen Qing put down his bowl, let out a long sigh of relief, and felt better now that he had eaten.

Seeing that he had finished eating, Sun Xue'e hurriedly stepped forward to clear the dishes, and asked cautiously, "Father, would you like some more? I'll go get some more..."

"Enough!" Ximen Qing waved his hand, interrupting her, and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief: "I have a dinner appointment at Lichun Courtyard tonight, save your appetite."

Sun Xue'e didn't dare to say anything more. She cleared away the dishes, lowered her head, and left.

Ximen Qing leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest for a while.

Sun Xue'e has excellent cooking skills.

It seems I can teach her some of the dishes she likes, which will make things easier for her in the future.

No wonder Ximen took her as a concubine before.

But he wasn't a lecherous devil, and his standards were too high; how could he possibly be interested in a woman of average looks and figure?

There are many servants in the Ximen household now, but there are not many good people among them.

There are plenty of people who are dishonest on a daily basis.

Many of them later betrayed their masters.

Now that I'm here, I should naturally clean up properly.

While we're at it, let's give them a good talking-to and let them know who the real masters are in the Ximen household!
At this thought, a fierce glint flashed in Ximen Qing's eyes. He sat up straight and called out in a deep voice, "Dai'an!"

"Yes, sir!" Dai'an, who had been waiting outside the door, immediately ran in upon hearing the voice and stood respectfully with his hands at his sides.

Ximen Qing looked at Dai An and nodded.

This fellow in the manor is truly thinking of me.

"Go! Summon all the night watchmen, servants, and stewards of the manor, regardless of rank, to the front hall! Not a single one will be missing!"

Dai'an felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that something important must have happened. He dared not delay, replied "Yes," and ran out quickly.

Before long, the front hall was packed with people.

Three personal servants—a pageboy, a painter, and a chess player—stood at the front, followed by a cook, a groom, a doorman, a maidservant, a laundry maid, and other servants.

Everyone held their breath, hands at their sides, heads bowed.

Ximen Da Guanren sat upright in the main seat, his gaze sharp as lightning, slowly sweeping over everyone.

The image of what those guys did later betraying their master flashed through my mind.

The hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop. The atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

His gaze finally fell on the pageboy.

(End of this chapter)