bloodnovel Chapter 1185 - 1174: Wealthy Merchant
Chapter 1185 - 1174: Wealthy Merchant
"Brother, why didn’t you ask the City Lord to help us?" Once they left the City Lord Mansion, Ye Cheng, who had been holding back his words, finally couldn’t help but ask.
"Didn’t he already agree to help us?" Ye Qiu was unperturbed.
Ye Cheng frowned, "But the City Lord only promised not to assist either side. If he doesn’t send troops, how can our family withstand the forces of Prince Donghe and Prince Linsan?"
"Do you think a piece of ginseng would entice that old fox City Lord Liu to help us?" Ye Qiu shook his head, "As long as the City Lord doesn’t side against us, that’s the best help we could ask for right now."
"Then what do we use to counter Prince Linsan and Prince Donghe’s forces?"
"We’ll just let them kill each other!" Ye Qiu chuckled lightly.
Ye Cheng still looked troubled, "But I think the people they’ve sent won’t be so foolish as to be tricked."
"Don’t worry, your brother has a backup plan. With the entire Ye Family standing behind me, I wouldn’t risk the lives of the whole family lightly. Since I have the ambition for dominance, naturally I also hold cards that others do not. Second Brother, the family’s business will likely be entrusted to you in the future. You’ll be in charge of managing all the logistic supplies."
Ye Cheng was taken aback and hurriedly declined, "Brother, how can that be? I’ve never managed such important matters. What if I mess it up?"
Ye Qiu patted his shoulder, "I trust you; that’s why I’m leaving these matters to you. Second Brother, I understand your capabilities, so don’t underestimate yourself. In the future, I’ll be at the front and you’ll be at the back; our unity will be unbreakable gold."
Ye Cheng was just a bastard and wasn’t given much regard even when their father was alive. After his death, people outside only recognized the Eldest Young Master, not the Second Young Master. However, Ye Qiu had never mistreated him, and he had no particular ambition, living a tranquil life as it was.
Unexpectedly, since his brother called him over for discussions yesterday, he was informed of all the decisions and even entrusted with managing the family assets. Such trust, what an immense trust!
Having been overlooked for so long, his brother’s sudden attention moved Ye Cheng. He realized he wasn’t so useless after all. Since his big brother believed in him like this, he would surely give his utmost support and never bring disgrace to him!
"Big Brother, rest assured, I’ll do my best with every task you assign to me."
"Very good. I now have a task for you. Spread the word that the Ye Family is recruiting guards, aged between twelve and thirty. It doesn’t matter their background, and food and lodging will be provided."
"Big Brother, isn’t twelve a bit too young? If they were to fight, they might not even be able to carry a weapon," Ye Cheng hesitated.
"It’s not too young. Those civilians look small at twelve due to malnutrition. Once we’ve fed them enough, they’ll quickly become useful. Moreover, I have some cultivation techniques that are only suitable for young people to practice. They’re not suitable for the older ones."
"Cultivation techniques?" Ye Cheng’s eyes lit up.
"Yes, I stumbled upon some manuals. They record several cultivation techniques. I didn’t believe at first, but I tried practicing a bit and really achieved Qi Sensing. The book says even reaching the second floor allows one to fight ten. It’s this reason that spurred my ambition for dominance. Second Brother, think about it; if we have an army of five thousand, it’s like having the combat strength of fifty thousand..."
Listening to Ye Qiu’s depiction, Ye Cheng’s eyes grew brighter. If that were truly the case... then who would the Ye Family still fear?
"But ultimately, it’s just written in the book, and I don’t know if it has such great potential. Nor do I know how many can master it. However, children’s bones are softer, and they accept training better than adults. That’s why I’m asking you to recruit starting from twelve. If they’re under twelve but show good potential, they’re also welcome."
"Big Brother, I understand your meaning now. I’ll start preparing as soon as we return."
"Alright, come to my courtyard after your work is done, and I’ll teach you first."
Ye Cheng was even more excited, "Yes, thank you, Big Brother."
The carriage swayed back and forth all the way to the Ye Residence, where someone was already waiting at the entrance.
"Eldest Young Master, the Lady has asked you to go over for a visit."
Upon hearing this, Ye Cheng worriedly glanced at Ye Qiu. He might not have had any aspirations before or struggled for estate, but just because he didn’t, it didn’t mean others wouldn’t.
Currently, the Lady is not the biological mother of either of the brothers. His mother was just a concubine who passed away years ago. His big brother’s mother was the initial lady, who reportedly also passed away two years after giving birth to his brother due to poor health.
As for the current mother, she was their father’s later-contracted concubine. She even stirred up trouble against him and his brother while pregnant, but because of her pregnancy, their father didn’t deal with her more harshly.
Fortunately, heaven is just. The concubine didn’t manage to give birth to a son, and even so, she remains restless. Since she can’t harm the stepsons, she attacks from the business front. Many of the stewards at the Ye Family’s various shops are from the Li family. Ye Cheng recalled what his big brother instructed yesterday, thinking that perhaps the Li family’s people would have to be removed slowly. After all, the Li family favored aligning with Prince Linsan.
"You go ahead with your tasks; I’ll visit Mother." Ye Qiu maintained a composed expression, with no outward signs of the radical decisions he had made over the past few days.
Ye Cheng secretly admired, thinking his big brother indeed had the makings of greatness. The concubine’s petty tricks probably wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
"Mother." Ye Qiu respectfully greeted, then looked toward Ye Lu with a smile, "Third Sister is here too."
"Big Brother." Ye Lu curtsied, internally marveling at what a wealthy merchant’s family it was—each wife a true beauty. She once thought herself a national beauty, but she couldn’t help but marvel at her big brother every time they met.
Especially today, she felt her brother seemed different somehow—not any external change, but as if his aura had grown even stronger.
"I didn’t come in the morning to greet Mother. I hope Mother doesn’t mind," Ye Qiu uttered with a hint of apology, but didn’t mention the reason for his absence.
As the current head of the Ye Family, even Li couldn’t openly make things difficult, despite being older, "You have many tasks, missing a day or two is no issue. I just heard you went to the City Lord Mansion early, was there something wrong?"
"Oh, nothing significant. I heard the City Lord’s wife was ill again, so I brought some medicinal herbs to visit her. After all, our Ye Family is rooted here, and we often rely on the City Lord’s care." Ye Qiu explained sensibly.
Li absentmindedly nodded, "You did right. But about the matter I mentioned to you yesterday, have you considered it?"