It turns out that squandering wealth is an art in itself. He Lingchuan, despite his best efforts to spend freely, only managed to deplete two hundred taels in a month. In such a remote location, a hundred taels could comfortably support a family of four for five to six years!
Ying Hongchan cleared her throat, "Lingchuan, I was about to discuss with you the need to economize. The household must practice frugality due to the excessive expenditures of summer and autumn. Starting next month, your allowance will be reduced to eighty taels." She glanced at her husband as she spoke.
Before He Chunhua could respond, He Lingchuan protested, "Eighty taels? That's barely enough for two visits to Hongyan Tower!"
Ying Hongchan's expression darkened, "Your brother doesn't even spend twenty taels in a month."
"But he...," He Lingchuan tried to argue, "he hardly spends on anything outside, considering his needs are met at home. I have many to support, and maintaining relations in the city requires expenditures. It's not just for my sake!"
"Which relations are you maintaining?" Ying Hongchan retorted with a cold smile. "Those people flatter you, yet their eyes are on your father. Do we need such relationships? Our household doesn't lack for watchdogs."
She didn't leave room for He Lingchuan to interject, "With the current instability, our resources must be allocated wisely. Lingchuan, we don't expect you to solve our problems, but please, try not to add to them." Her words carried a weight that left He Lingchuan feeling both stifled and resentful, emotions that weren't originally his.
In fact, during family meals, he always sensed an undercurrent of "displeasure" emanating from within, almost as an instinctive bodily reaction. The original occupant of his body did not enjoy such gatherings, primarily due to the strictness of the family matriarch.
"Father," he addressed He Chunhua directly.
After a moment's contemplation, He Chunhua concurred with his wife but suggested, "Eighty taels might be too restrictive. Let's adjust it to two hundred taels."
"One hundred taels should suffice to prevent him from overexerting himself financially," He Lingchuan countered, visibly displeased, "Make it three hundred taels!"
The mother and son debated fiercely, with He Chunhua playing a supporting role, eventually compromising at one hundred and eighty taels after Ying Hongchan's firm stance. She cast a reproachful look at her husband for his leniency, managing only a slight reduction from the previous month's allowance.
The realization that household expenses were not to be taken lightly dawned on them.
"By saving over six hundred taels a month," He Yue noted, "we could acquire dozens of sets of fine armor or several excellent warhorses, or even recruit sixty more soldiers."
At this, He Lingchuan slapped the table and stood up, declaring, "I've had enough!" Before leaving the dining room, he grabbed a stewed pear from a brass bowl, eating it as he walked away.
The pear, simmered in rock sugar and Sichuan pepper for half an hour, was sweet, tender, and cooling, perfectly countering the heat from the lamb.
Unhindered, he made his way out of the garden, casting a backward glance to see the three still engrossed in their meal and conversation. Shrugging, he quickened his pace back to his quarters.
Truth be told, He Chunhua had been nothing but fair to his eldest son, granting He Lingchuan the largest, most serene, and beautiful courtyard in the eastern part of the estate, complete with black pines, white peaches, meandering water, pavilions, and even a small training ground. He Yue's quarters, while also on the east side, were half the size.
After a vigorous half-hour of boxing under the moonlight, feeling invigorated and covered in a thin layer of mist visible only in the moonlight, He Lingchuan concluded his practice with a deep meditation, absorbing the mist back into his body through breathwork. This practice, known as "Drawing Technique," involved expelling true qi to interact with the spiritual essence of the heavens and earth, especially the moon's radiance, before reabsorbing it to refine and purify his energy.
Finishing his bath in solitude, He Lingchuan pondered the complexities surrounding the leopard demon, the guards from Donglai Prefecture, and the miscellaneous items hidden within the leopard's teeth. He speculated on when Donglai Prefecture would notice the absence of their envoys and their potential reaction, as well as how the magistrate would respond.
Without thinking, he threw the necklace into the garden, only for it to return to his neck