C11. Intriguing: More Than Meets the Eye.
Yuan Li washed away the bloodstains from his body and changed into clean and neat clothing.
Throughout the entire process, he remained calm.
In order to survive in this chaotic world, to establish a foothold step by step, and to achieve his goals, it was necessary to take lives.
But to Yuan Li, severely injuring a few guilty individuals was nothing. Their screams and blood were not enough to shake his resolve.
In the afternoon, Yuan Li prepared to return to the county magistrate's residence with Chu Hechao.
Before leaving, he summoned Wang Er and asked, "Your friends are seriously injured. Even if they receive medical treatment, they will still lose blood and die. Will you blame me for this?"
Wang Er's heart tightened, and he quickly expressed his loyalty, "Young Master, how could you say such a thing? I know right from wrong. They were ungrateful first, and I do not have such disloyal and unrighteous friends. Even if they die, there is no need to mourn."
Yuan Li scrutinized him.
Under his gaze, Wang Er began to sweat profusely and his hands became clammy from nervousness. This feeling was even more unsettling than when he initially ambushed the corrupt official for his riches.
After a moment, Yuan Li withdrew his gaze and smiled, "Wang Er, you are loyal and righteous, with the heart of a hero. I lack a discerning person like you by my side. Would you be willing to follow me?"
Wang Er was startled at first, then delighted. The previous tension was washed away by joy. Suppressing his excitement, he calmly replied, "I am willing to follow Young Master."
Yuan Li immediately had the steward bring a horse, a suit of armor, and a box of gold and silver jewelry. He generously handed these items to Wang Er.
Interestingly, among these three items, the gold and silver jewelry was the most ordinary. Horses and armor were rare, with horses being important strategic assets not commonly accessible to civilians, and iron armor being even more precious.
Yuan Li had spent many years securing channels to acquire horses, but at present, he only had twenty horses and five suits of armor.
Overwhelmed with excitement, Wang Er blushed, grateful yet embarrassed, "Young Master, I do not know how to ride a horse."
Yuan Li looked at Lin Tian.
Lin Tian took the reins of the horse, controlled the animal, and taught Wang Er how to mount. Wang Er gradually adapted to the feeling of riding a horse. Looking down, he saw his companions gazing at him with envy or jealousy, and a sense of excitement and pride welled up within him.
Yuan Li watched this scene with a smile, then suddenly turned his head to meet Chu Hechao's eyes.
Chu Hechao grinned, "Impressive, Sister-in-law."
In the military, only elite troops and officers were allowed to wear armor, yet Yuan Li had given a suit of armor to someone who couldn't even ride a horse.
Yuan Li smiled gently at him, his lips reddening, his eyes softly curving before he turned away.
After sorting out Wang Er's matters, Yuan Li left Guo Lin and Zhao Ying at the farm, instructing them to transport the silver and goods at night. He hurried back to the county magistrate's mansion with Chu Hechao, who might notice something was amiss.
Late that night, Yuan Li received feedback from the system.
[The Encyclopedia of All Things system has been activated. The task of acquiring embezzled funds from the Hanshui Commandery has been completed, and rewards have been distributed. Please explore on your own.]
Yuan Li knew that the funds had been successfully transferred.
Although he felt inclined to make fun of the title "Postpartum Care for Sows," Yuan Li couldn't resist his curiosity about the book's contents. He waited for knowledge to fill his mind, but after several seconds, there was no response.
"Hmm?"
Yuan Li sat up from the bed, making sure he hadn't received any other information apart from the soap formula.
He repeatedly checked the system, which indeed stated that the task rewards had been distributed.
Could it be that the system also provided him with physical copies of the books?
Yuan Li got up and searched around, but found nothing. Just as he was scanning the horizon veiled in mist, Guo Lin arrived, looking dusty and exhausted.
Guo Lin handed over the inventory list of goods to Yuan Li and informed him that the four individuals he had severely injured during the day had all passed away.
"In addition, the five individuals captured by Zhao Ying have also been dealt with," Guo Lin added. "After showing strength, the people in the refugee camp have become much more obedient."
Yuan Li said casually, "If anyone is dissatisfied with working in exchange for relief, let them leave the refugee camp and the county. After that, we need not concern ourselves with their fate."
Through this experience, Yuan Li realized that his initial thoughts were too simplistic.
Apart from the displaced people in the farm who had become their family's servants, most of the refugees in the camps understood gratitude and were thankful. The method of exchanging work for relief would make them feel more secure when receiving food.
However, there were also some scoundrels who were unscrupulous to the extreme. Human hearts were unpredictable, and the refugees were not mere puppets without thoughts.
There was no need for sadness or regret; Yuan Li simply learned something new and wanted to turn these lessons into experience to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Guo Lin agreed and then excitedly pulled out a bag from his bosom, whispering in a hushed tone, "Young Master, we found several hidden books in that piece of silk."
"Books?" Yuan Li exclaimed, quickly reaching out to receive them.
In the Northern Zhou Dynasty, books were harder to come by than gold and silver treasures. Knowledge and most classical texts were monopolized by scholars and nobles, so giving books to others was considered a generous and grand gesture.
The books were tightly wrapped in cloth, showing how precious they were, sparking anticipation in Yuan Li.
He silently prayed that they might be rare volumes.
Soon, the cloth was unwrapped, and Yuan Li eagerly looked at the titles, only to have his smile freeze on his face.
The titles were "Postpartum Care for Sows," "High-Yield and Efficient Breeding Techniques for Sows," and "Comprehensive Guide to Modern Rural Livestock Farming Techniques."
Yuan Li: "..."
Confused, Guo Lin asked, "Young Master?"
Taking a deep breath, Yuan Li said, "Please leave."
The system was clever.
It turned out that the phrase "Please explore on your own" meant that the rewards were delivered to him using the consignment of goods in a legitimate manner.
Yuan Li reluctantly opened one of the books and found himself unexpectedly immersed, nodding along and occasionally deep in thought.
Although the titles were not prestigious, the content was undeniably practical!
As he read, Yuan Li even felt an urge to try his hand at assisting a sow during birth.
When day broke, Yuan Li, still enthralled, reluctantly put the books away and set out on the road back to Luoyang with Chu Hechao and the others.
Bored during the journey, he raised an interesting topic with Yang Zhongfa, "General, did you not bring anyone with you on this trip back to Luoyang?"
Yang Zhongfa grinned, "How could I not bring anyone? We have a thousand cavalry accompanying us on this return to Luoyang!"
A thousand cavalry might seem few but was actually a considerable force. It was likely that Chu Hechao intended to bring back grain from the capital directly to the Northern Frontier, hence the need for the large contingent.
In Luoyang, even the five main garrisons, with full staffing, housed just over ten thousand soldiers.
One cavalryman was worth several infantrymen, and the northern frontier's cavalry was highly skilled, making their combat prowess even more formidable.
Yuan Li pondered, "Then why haven't I seen these cavalrymen?"
"They have all been stationed in the cavalry camp, where the cavalry commander is taking care of them for a while to save on our food supply. Young Master Yuan naturally wouldn't see them," Yang Zhongfa chuckled, rubbing his hands. "Are you interested in our northern frontier cavalry, Young Master Yuan? Why don't we find some free time, and I'll take you to the cavalry camp to have a look!"
Yuan Li maintained a polite smile, inwardly thinking, "Do you think I believe you?"
While it was possible that some of the northern frontier cavalry had been placed in the cavalry camp, Yuan Song had mentioned seeing many unfamiliar faces in Ruyang County recently. These unfamiliar faces were likely Chu Hechao's men.
Although Chu Hechao had left Ruyang with him, it was evident that he had not given up on finding the consignment of goods.
Yuan Li had no intention of keeping the money meant for the corrupt officials. However, he had a plan to make the most out of the goods and did not intend to reveal them just yet.
Before that, he absolutely could not let Chu Hechao's men discover the location of the goods.
Yuan Li smiled and said, "Then I must thank you in advance, Sir Yang."
On the return journey, the group did not stop for rest, making it back to Luoyang even faster than before. Yuan Li dismounted first, still energetic and entered the Chu mansion with gusto.
Yang Zhongfa sighed to Chu Hechao, "General, Young Master Yuan is truly gifted. To achieve such heights at such a young age, with proper guidance, he could easily become a renowned general in the future."
He had also heard about Yuan Li's feat of facing four opponents single-handedly. If it were up to Yang Zhongfa, he felt Yuan Li was a bit soft-hearted and should have executed the four men immediately. However, considering Yuan Li's young age, his performance was already praiseworthy, making Yang Zhongfa somewhat regretful.
Chu Hechao dismounted gracefully, tapping his leg with a whip and snickering, "I'm afraid he's more than meets the eye."
With that, he walked into the mansion.
Yang Zhongfa watched Chu Hechao's retreating figure, puzzled. What did the General mean?
Unable to decipher the meaning, he rubbed his chin for a while before turning back towards his own home.
After resting for a day in the mansion, Yuan Li was grabbed by the Yang shi the next day to start managing the household affairs.
Unable to refuse, Yuan Li temporarily took over the duty. After spending half a day examining the Chu mansion's account books, he was shocked by the financial chaos within the household.
Despite owning various shops and fields in Luoyang, as well as receiving annual taxes from their estates, the Chu mansion, a distinguished family, should have been wealthy and financially stable. However, upon reviewing the account books, Yuan Li discovered countless loopholes throughout the household, with the annual tax revenues being embezzled by powerful figures in Youzhou and corrupt officials, leaving only surface-level prosperity in the Chu mansion!
After drinking a cup of strong tea, Yuan Li got up and took the account books to find Yang shi, tactfully explaining the situation of the Chu mansion to her.
Unexpectedly, Yang shi remained calm, guiding Yuan Li to sit down and patting his hand. "Good child, you've worked hard with these account books. I knew with your intelligence, you would definitely notice these issues."
She let out a soft sigh. "Since Feng'er fell ill, I lost interest in managing the household, and the situation has worsened. Li'er, I know you have big aspirations and won't stay at the mansion for long. But managing a mansion will also benefit you. If you want to connect with wealthy families and prominent figures, you need to know what they eat, wear, their daily activities, and what they talk about. Am I right?"
Yuan Li smiled quietly, nodding, "Madam is correct."
Yang shi whispered, "Don't expect tax revenues from these account books. As long as the mansion is peaceful, it would be a great help."
Being a clever person, Yuan Li understood Yang shi's implications. Perhaps Yang shi also knew they were far away in Luoyang with no way to influence the situation in Youzhou, so they could only turn a blind eye to it.
Yuan Li nodded and subtly said, "There are many old servants and household offspring in the mansion. As a newcomer, I may not handle them well."
Yang shi's tone was light but firm, "You go ahead and do what needs to be done. I'll see who dares to object."
With Yang shi's support, Yuan Li let down all inhibitions and swiftly began reorganizing the Chu mansion inside and out.
Within a few days, every master in the Chu mansion felt a noticeable change.
The servants became more diligent in their tasks, never wandering into other courtyards without reason. They served respectfully and the entire mansion became clean and orderly.
The managers of the shops and farms also tightened their control, conscientiously submitting their account books.
At first glance, the Chu mansion appeared rejuvenated.
Even during breakfast, when the efficient servants caught the eye of the Prince Chu, he couldn't help but whisper to Yang shi, "Madam, we have chosen a good son-in-law for our family."
Yang shi chuckled, covering her mouth. "My lord, don't let Li'er hear that."
Prince Chu softly replied, "I know."
After successfully organizing the Chu mansion, Yuan Li intended to return the managerial authority to Yang shi. However, early the next day, he received a message from Chu Mingfeng, requesting to meet his "wife," Yuan Li.