"Hey, She Dengke, what would you do if you had money?" Liu Quxing sat on the edge of the stone roller platform, munching on a pancake his master had brought, and asked vaguely.
"Of course, I'd buy a house for my family first. I want a two-courtyard house. The back courtyard would be for my parents, my eldest brother and his wife, and the front courtyard for my second brother and his wife, and my third brother and his wife. They've had it tough all these years, the whole family crammed into one room, sleeping on the floor, barely able to turn over."
"What about you? Where would you live?"
She Dengke stuffed the last bit of pancake into his mouth: "I'd live at the medical clinic. No need to save a room for me at home... Liu Quxing, what would you do if you had money?"
Liu Quxing thought for a moment and said, "I'd take my mother out of the Liu family. That way, she wouldn't have to endure the mistress's scorn anymore. Every time she comes to bring me money or food, she gets sneered at when she goes back, and she can't avoid a round of ridicule."
"Money is great," She Dengke said, lowering his head.
"Money is like an old immortal, it can help people fulfill their dreams."
Liu Quxing suddenly asked, "After you have money, will you still be an apprentice at the medical clinic?"
She Dengke was taken aback and hesitated, "Yeah, will I still be an apprentice after having money..."
Whack!
A bamboo cane landed on She Dengke's back, causing a sharp pain.
She Dengke turned his head and saw Old Man Yao standing beside him, glaring at Liu Quxing: "You little brat, you're digging a hole for me again!"
Old Man Yao sneered at the two of them: "Oh, so once you have money, you won't be apprentices at my Taiping Medical Clinic anymore, huh?"
Liu Quxing quickly jumped down from the stone roller, fawning: "Master, that was She Dengke's idea, it has nothing to do with me. I'll definitely stay at the clinic and learn medicine diligently from you, and in the future, I'll be respected just like you!"
Old Man Yao mocked, "Why would a few rich young masters come to my Taiping Medical Clinic to suffer?"
She Dengke panicked, "Master, don't misunderstand, we'll definitely stay at the clinic to serve you. We remember all the kindness you've shown us these past two years."
At this moment, Liang Gou'er lay on a straw mat not far away, chewing on a grass stem and swinging his legs: "Five thousand taels of silver, how are you planning to split it? Haha, throughout history, many brothers have turned against each other, not because they shared hardships, but because they shared wealth."
Liang Mao'er raised his hand: "I was just here to help, I don't need a share."
Liang Gou'er suddenly sat up, exasperated: "These past few days, aside from Chen Ji, you've worked the hardest. Why shouldn't you get a share?"
Liang Mao'er glanced at him: "Brother, don't speak, you're not getting any anyway."
Liang Gou'er: "..."
He opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.
Finally, he just lay back, covering his face with his straw hat, his legs shaking faster than anyone else's.
Everyone gradually quieted down, looking at each other, no one daring to speak first.
How should they split the five thousand taels of silver? Dividing it equally seemed fair, but everyone knew that equal division wouldn't be fair to Chen Ji.
In the midst of this silence, Bai Li wanted to step forward and speak, but Prince Jing pulled her aside.
He looked at the group of young men with interest: "The world is bustling with people seeking profit, and the world is bustling with people pursuing profit. Only in the face of real benefits can you truly see a person's character. Don't speak yet, let's see if your friends can withstand the test."
Bai Li hesitated and whispered, "But why test human nature? It's unfair to those being tested."
Prince Jing was taken aback, then smiled: "Silly child, there's no such thing as fairness in this world. You have to learn to protect yourself."
As soon as he finished speaking, a carriage slowly stopped outside the kiln.
Zhang Zhuo lifted the carriage curtain, grabbed the hem of his official robe, and jumped down.
After landing, he didn't forget to turn back and help Chen Liqin down, then they both strode into the kiln.
The two approached Prince Jing, and Zhang Zhuo cupped his hands: "Your Highness..."
Prince Jing raised his hand to stop him: "Don't speak yet, let's see how they split the money. Splitting money among brothers is always a good show. You two arrived just in time, right in the middle of it."
Zhang Zhuo was surprised: "Splitting money? What money?"
Prince Jing smiled: "I'll explain it to you later. By the way, Minister Chen, Chen Ji is among them."
At this moment, Zhang Zhuo narrowed his eyes, carefully examining each person in the crowd.
He pulled Chen Liqin aside and asked in a low voice, "Huh, why is your kid here too?"
Chen Liqin hesitated and whispered, "I knew he was here yesterday and came specifically to take him back to the mansion, but he didn't come with me."
Zhang Zhuo was surprised: "This kid has quite the temper, preferring to do hard labor at the kiln rather than return to the Chen mansion with you?"
Chen Liqin sighed: "It was my oversight as a father. After he went to the Taiping Medical Clinic, I instructed the steward to send him three taels of silver every month. Who would have thought that the servant secretly deducted it, reducing it to three hundred coins a month, and later delayed giving it altogether. I suppose he came to the kiln to earn some money for his studies?"
Zhang Zhuo glanced at Chen Liqin: "Minister Chen, what happened to the servant?"
Chen Liqin replied, "He was beaten to death."
Zhang Zhuo stroked his beard and asked, "What about the steward? Was he beaten to death?"
Chen Liqin shook his head: "No, he was beaten ten times as a warning."
Zhang Zhuo smiled meaningfully: "Your kid is more resilient than mine. He'd rather suffer than go back and endure that humiliation. I suppose his gambling was influenced by bad friends? Take my advice, give your kid two hundred taels of silver to calm him down, then beat that stupid steward to death to vent his anger. That should bring him back."
"Beat the steward to death?" Chen Liqin looked at Zhang Zhuo in surprise: "Why go that far? This steward has been with me for over ten years, working diligently. Even if he has no merit, he has worked hard."
Zhang Zhuo laughed: "When the late emperor was in power, was General Hu Guang's merit not great enough? He recaptured Chongli Pass and held off the Jing dynasty's cavalry for over a decade. His merit was so great that he dared to hold military power and roar in the court.
What was his end? The late emperor first promoted Liu Wencheng to Minister of War and then allowed Minister Liu to cut off General Hu's wings, confiscating his family's property and exterminating his clan.
When Minister Liu was denounced by everyone as a treacherous minister, the late emperor issued an edict demoting him and sending him back to his hometown, and was immediately praised as a wise ruler."
Chen Liqin's expression changed: "Sir, be careful with your words!"
Zhang Zhuo chuckled, speaking firmly: "You're a gentleman, so you wouldn't report me to the eunuch faction, but you're too rigid."
Chen Liqin, being called rigid, felt displeased and said with a heavier tone: "Minister Zhang, you don't seem like a scholar, more like a petty man."
Zhang Zhuo cupped his hands casually, not caring: "Thank you, thank you."
The cold wind was biting.
Liu Quxing and the others' hands were red from the cold, but they didn't notice, all silently calculating how to split the five thousand taels of silver.
Everyone looked at each other, no one willing to speak first.
Chen Ji broke the silence, looking at Liu Quxing and the others with a smile: "I won't be modest with you all. I'll take thirty percent of the silver each year, and you can split the rest."
Thirty percent?
Zhang Zhuo instinctively looked at Chen Liqin.
He counted, there were six or seven people here, and Chen's kid wanted to take thirty percent? How would the rest split the remaining amount? Chen Liqin frowned deeply.
He cupped his hands to Prince Jing: "Your Highness, I have failed in teaching my son. I will take him back to the mansion and discipline him strictly, teaching him humility and courtesy."
"Haha," Prince Jing laughed heartily: "Minister Chen, don't rush. Even those splitting the money aren't in a hurry, why are you?"
Chen Liqin was taken aback.
The next moment, She Dengke's muffled voice rang out: "No!"
The kiln fell silent again.
Chen Liqin frowned, fearing that Chen Ji would get into a fight with the others over the money, which would be disgraceful.
But She Dengke suddenly said, "Chen Ji, we all know that without you, there wouldn't be this money. Although we also put in effort, it was just enduring two days of cold and doing two days of manual labor. You could hire laborers in the east market for a few taels of silver to do the same. You take half, and we'll split the rest. Liu Quxing, what do you think?"
Liu Quxing's face darkened: "Why are you looking at me? It's like you think I'm greedy!"
She Dengke pressed: "Just say if you agree or not!"
Liu Quxing gritted his teeth: "Agree! Agree! You big fool, he said thirty percent, why didn't you just agree? Do you know how much money you're losing by giving up twenty percent?"
She Dengke glared: "You little brat, finally speaking your mind!"
The original text is available at 6#9@book/bar!
The prince laughed: "Good, good. If everyone keeps their thoughts bottled up, it'll only lead to resentment. Now that everyone has spoken their minds, it's all out in the open. Honestly, even I'm envious of this money. Tonight, don't let Bai Li treat us to dinner, it has to be Chen Ji. The best private room at Yingxian Tower, order their famous 'Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.' If Chen Ji dares to frown, we'll beat him up!"
Liu Quxing said with a pained expression: "Right, he's taking so much money, if he dares to frown when treating us, we'll beat him up!"
Chen Ji smiled: "Don't worry, I won't frown. The little monk can't touch money due to his vows, so the rest of you—Prince, Bai Li, Brother Mao'er, Senior Brother She, Senior Brother Liu—you five can split the rest equally."
The little monk clasped his hands together and asked curiously: "After dinner, shall we go to Red Clothes Lane?"
Everyone burst out laughing: "You lecherous monk!"
...
...
Bai Li smiled and looked at Prince Jing: "They didn't fight as you expected!"
Prince Jing sighed regretfully: "I thought I'd see a good show. They all have pure hearts, which is rare. I just hope their pure hearts don't turn black in the furnace of the world."
By now, Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin were starting to feel something was off.
Earlier, they thought they were splitting the wages from the kiln, but if it was just wages, how could they afford Yingxian Tower and Red Clothes Lane?
Zhang Zhuo looked at Prince Jing in confusion: "Your Highness, how much money are they splitting?"
Prince Jing smiled and explained: "Five thousand taels of silver annually."
Zhang Zhuo instinctively gasped: "So, Chen's kid is taking two thousand five hundred taels of silver all by himself?"
Prince Jing nodded: "Exactly."
Zhang Zhuo slowly turned to Chen Liqin: "Minister Chen, I'm afraid you won't be able to take your kid back."
Chen Liqin remained silent.
Zhang Zhuo continued: "Your entire Chen family's annual expenses probably don't even reach his two thousand five hundred taels of silver. He's living more comfortably outside than in your mansion. Forget what I said earlier, you can't use money to bring him back. You'll have to appeal to his emotions and reason..."
Chen Liqin ignored him and stepped forward, asking in confusion: "Your Highness, five thousand taels of silver is a huge sum. Where did it come from?"
Prince Jing led the two to a brick wall and had them strike it with a large hammer: "They developed this thing called 'cement.' It hardens much faster than glutinous rice mortar and costs only twenty percent of it. My palace has bought the formula and promised them an annual dividend of five thousand taels of silver. What do you think, gentlemen? Is the formula worth it?"
Zhang Zhuo's eyes lit up.
He pinched a bit of cement and rubbed it between his fingers: "It costs only twenty percent of glutinous rice mortar and hardens faster? It's worth it, definitely worth it! Your Highness, are you saying this was made by those young men?"
Prince Jing nodded: "Exactly. Chen Ji came up with the formula, and they all worked on it together."
Zhang Zhuo suddenly understood: "No wonder when they were splitting the money, he said thirty percent, but the others wanted him to take fifty percent. So, he was the one who came up with it."
Chen Liqin then recalled that yesterday, Chen Ji had mentioned something about "carburizing steel" to Prince Jing, and Prince Jing had stopped him from taking Chen Ji back to the mansion...
In the kiln, Chen Liqin looked at Chen Ji, who was surrounded by the crowd, with a complex expression.
He had thought that by dealing with the servant and letting Chen Ji vent his anger, he could persuade him to return home.
He had also thought that perhaps by cutting off Chen Ji's allowance, Chen Ji would have no choice but to come back.
But now, the son he had driven out of the house no longer needed that home.
At this moment, Chen Ji and the others cupped their hands to Prince Jing: "Your Highness, we've been working hard for the past few days. Today, we'll go back, change clothes, and celebrate. We'll take our leave now."
Prince Jing waved his hand: "Go ahead. Today, I'll allow you to drink."
Chen Ji smiled and replied: "Thank you, Your Highness."
Then, he hesitated for a moment before turning to Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin, cupping his hands: "Minister Zhang, Minister Chen, farewell."
Chen Liqin remained silent.
Zhang Zhuo watched as the young men got onto an ox cart and slowly left the kiln.
His eyes flickered: "Your kid seems to have attached himself to the prince's palace. If he can become a favorite of Prince Jing, you and I might be able to use him to get close to the prince and take a share of the Liu family's interests in Yuzhou before we leave."
Chen Liqin frowned slightly: "Minister Zhang, the Liu family is ruthless. You and I are already cautious and fearful in Yuzhou. Why involve an inexperienced child in this?"
Zhang Zhuo rolled his eyes: "It's not like we're sending him to the front lines. Why are you so protective? If you had taken better care of him earlier, he wouldn't be calling you 'Minister Chen' now. Stop pretending!"
Chen Liqin's face darkened: "You!"
But just then, Zhang Zhuo suddenly raised his hand to stop Chen Liqin.
He thought for a moment and then asked: "Minister Chen, has anyone proposed a marriage for Chen Ji? I have a daughter who has just come of age and is waiting for a match..."
(End of Chapter)