Chapter 49: The Young Master of the Qin Family

  Li Yu Rou's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she let out a sigh. "If only my father were a high-ranking official in the imperial court... I reckon our family wouldn't be in such a state... Although he passed the Imperial Examination as a young man, he was never able to advance further and receive an appointment from the Golden List. As it stands now, he's just an ordinary citizen, merely a merchant."

  "Merchant? So your respected father is a businessman! I wonder if the mansion operates grain business?" Yue Yun asked anxiously.

  Li Yu Rong couldn't help but laugh, "Hehe" and said: "I knew it, as soon as you mention doing business at home, you'll definitely ask about grain. Alright! I'll openly admit it, my family indeed also sells grain, but I don't know how much grain Young Master Yue wants to buy?"

  Yue Yun felt like he had just found a pillow when he was about to sleep. A smile naturally appeared on his face, and he stretched out his left hand: "50,000 stones!"

  "500,000 stones?" This shocked Li Yu Rong as well. "So many?"

  "Yes! Otherwise, how would I have thought of buying from a merchant?" Yueshan said with a bitter smile.

  Yue Yun had mentioned food shortages before, but Li Yu Rong thought it would be at most a shortage of several thousand dan. She didn't expect the difference to be so great.

  She raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and then said: "Five million stones of grain is something that my Li family cannot provide. Unless all the grain merchants in Chu State sell their accumulated grain at the same time, it may be possible to gather five million stones. However, this will likely cause prices to rise sharply. Does your Yue family army have enough copper coins to pay for it?"

  Yue Yun understood and didn't blame Li Yu Rong for asking this question. In history, among the three great generals of Southern Song Dynasty - Yue Fei, Zhang Jun, and Han Shizhong, Yue Fei's territory was the largest, with the most soldiers, but he was also the poorest one. The Huai Xi region controlled by Zhang Jun was the area with the most frequent wars and the poorest civilians. However, Zhang Jun was the richest among the three great generals. To prevent theft, Zhang Jun cast a large silver ball weighing 1,000 taels, called "Wu Nai He", which filled up a big house. After retirement, he still had an annual income of 600,000 dan of rent rice.

  Yue Fei was clearly an exception among the Southern Song generals, he was very persistent in the matter of northern expedition, the court's appropriation and the income from the Yue family army's own farming were all invested in improving the combat effectiveness of the troops and updating their equipment.

  Yue Fei knew that to counter the Jin army, having only infantry was not enough, and a strong cavalry had to be established. The daily consumption of a cavalryman was equivalent to that of three infantrymen. The Song Dynasty also lacked good horse breeding grounds, and most horses had to be smuggled from Tibet, Western Xia, or even the Jin country, with long distances and high costs. However, Yue Fei managed to establish an 8,000-strong cavalry force in the Yue Family Army, which can be imagined to have cost a huge amount of money and grain.

  Moreover, the fact that the Southern Song Dynasty's high-ranking generals embezzled their troops' wages had almost become an open secret. As for embezzling compensation money for dead soldiers and allowing troops to plunder civilians, such things were all too common.

  But Yue Fei was extremely considerate of his subordinates, often taking in the children of those sacrificed generals as his own adopted sons and daughters to raise. He also strictly ordered the Yue Family Army that "if they froze to death, they would not dismantle their houses; if they starved to death, they would not rob". Therefore, among the Southern Song generals, Yue Fei was considered a special case for being poor.

  In the original historical time and space, after Qin Hui killed Yue Fei, he sent people to confiscate Yue Fei's family property, but unexpectedly only confiscated more than 3,000 yuan, which was not even comparable to some middle-class families. This also made the officials and soldiers who were in charge of confiscating sigh with amazement.

  Yue Yun thought to herself that Li Yu Rong must also be aware of the Yue family's situation, which is why she was worried about not being able to pay.

  He could only smile wryly, knowing that although he had some good feelings towards Li Yu Rong, they weren't even friends yet. She wouldn't naturally sell him grain at a loss, and even if she agreed, it was still uncertain whether her brother and father would agree or not.

  Just as Yue Yun Zheng was about to talk to her about reducing the betrothal gift, he suddenly heard a loud and excited cry: "Li Gongzhu! I've finally found you! It's not easy for me, Qin Xi!"

  Yue Yun turned his head and looked over, only to see a young nobleman wearing expensive golden brocade clothes and a jade qilin waistband running towards them. He was tall and handsome, but his eyes had a hint of evil and gloominess that made people feel uncomfortable at first glance.

  Li Yu Rong saw Qin Xi appear, and her slender body trembled slightly, her face filled with anger as she said in a low voice: "This Master Qin is really annoying, following me all the way from Lin'an to Chu Zhou."

  Yue Yun furrowed her brow and said: "He seems to be your pursuer now, the sales feeling is not bad, it's just a bit evil."

  Li Yu Rou said with a scowl: "This guy is the most lustful and lecherous, I don't know how many good women have been ruined by his hands. This time I came to Chu Zhou was to avoid this Qin Gongzi, but unexpectedly he also followed me to Chu Zhou. Just now I saw him going to the backyard, so I hid in that fake mountain cave, who would have thought that he still found me."

  Just as the two were talking, Qin Yi had already run up to them and, upon seeing them, his expression turned unpleasant. He gave Yue Yun a vicious glare with a gaze that seemed to regard him as a romantic rival, then turned to Li Yu Rong and asked in a low voice, "Miss Li, who is this person? Why are you walking so close to him?"

  Li Yu Rong hastily said: "This is Mr. Yue, we just met at the Liu residence and exchanged a few words. Don't stir up more trouble!"

  As soon as Qin Xi heard this, he immediately put his mind at ease and burst out laughing: "As long as he doesn't have any designs on you, I naturally won't take action against him!"

  Yue Yun couldn't help but feel extremely curious about Qin Yi's family background. Because Li Yu Rong knew her own identity, yet she immediately and unhesitatingly distanced herself from him, seemingly afraid that Qin Yi would take revenge on her. Could it be that Qin Yi was actually a high-ranking official or a member of the royal family?

  At this time, Qin Xi was looking at the charming girl in front of him, with a smile that was quite evil on his handsome face. With a gentle expression, he said: "Miss Li, I am indeed infatuated with you, following you all the way from Lin'an to Chu State, but you hid quickly, disappearing as soon as we entered the backyard, making me search for you in vain. Where are you planning to go?"

  Li Yu Rong's face turned red as she lowered her head and said, "Young Master Qin, your family is noble and respected, and your father holds a high position, controlling the power of the court. Why must you persistently pursue me, a commoner woman? With your status, aren't you afraid that there won't be any good women who like you?"

  Qin Xi burst out laughing and said, "Miss Li makes sense! I have many women around me, but the one I truly like is only you, Li Yu Rong. I heard that Miss Li not only has a talent for business, but also excels in playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, and embroidery. I'd love to see how your slender hands can be so skilled?"

  He was praising her on one hand, while reaching out to grab Li Yu Rong's wrist with the other. Her slender and delicate wrist was caught off guard by him, causing Li Yu Rong to be startled, hastily withdrawing her hand, which had already slipped out of his grasp. She then quickly took a step back, raising an eyebrow in displeasure.

  Li Yu Rong's slender fingers were as delicate as orchids, and Qin Yi felt a smooth sensation in his hand, an indescribable comfort that stirred his lust. His eyes gleamed with desire as he raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice: "Yu Rong, why are you so afraid of me? I'm being sincere! Could it be...you really don't appreciate my infatuation?"

  Li Yu Rong's face was already flushed with shame, but her words were still soft and gentle: "Master Qin, please restrain yourself, I, Li Yu Rong, will not fall in love with you!"

  Qin Xi listened and completely lost his patience, saying viciously: "What if I don't like it? Marriage is a matter of parental orders and matchmaker's words. After I've taken care of the Chu State affair, I'll return to Lin'an and ask my father to propose to your respected father on my behalf. I don't believe that with my family background, I'm still not good enough for you, a mere merchant's daughter?"

  As soon as he spoke, he felt that his tone was too heavy and slowed down after a pause: "Yurou, do you know how much I like you? Even when I sleep with the head card girl in the Qunyu Institute, my heart is thinking of your appearance. You are already twenty years old, can't you marry for life? I dare say that there are not many people in the Song Dynasty who can compare to me in terms of appearance, status and talent. Yurou, why don't you just follow me? Although it's only a side room, as long as you follow me, you will have a lifetime of glory and wealth... It's also very beneficial for your Li family..."

  "Prince Qin!" Li Yu Rong's face turned red with anger and shame, her voice slightly raised: "Although I, Li Yu Rong, am just a commoner, my status is humble and can't compare to Prince Qin's family background, but I would rather die than become someone else's concubine! Prince Qin is the young master of Minister Qin, knowledgeable and well-mannered, having passed the imperial examination. How could you force someone to be your concubine? If this gets out, it will only bring shame to your respected father! Please step aside, I want to leave."

  Qin Xi's expression changed as soon as he heard, he was naturally romantic and fond of beautiful women, especially talented girls and women with high social status. In his opinion, it was the most fascinating to subdue those talented women who were admired by everyone, outstanding in talent, noble and holy. Li Yurou, although not from an official or wealthy family, was skilled in business and proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, embroidery, and other feminine skills. In Lin'an City, she also had many pursuers. However, those rivals were all suppressed by him through various means.

  Just as he thought Li Yu Rong was already in his pocket, he heard that Li Yu Rong had actually run to Chu Zhou. However, it just so happened that his father also wanted to send him to Chu Zhou to handle a very important and confidential matter, so he hurriedly chased after her. Unexpectedly, although they met, Li Yu Rong still refused to give him any face.

  Qin Xi thought he was handsome, well-read in poetry and books, and had a good reputation. His father was also a powerful official who dominated the court. Any woman he fancied, even the daughter of a high-ranking minister, would fall for him as long as he made an effort. But unexpectedly, he got rejected by Li Yu Rong, the daughter of a merchant.

  After being frustrated again and again, Qin Yi's patience had been exhausted, especially when he was scolded by Li Yu Rong in front of outsiders. He was furious, finally tearing off his elegant demeanor, revealing a fierce and sinister look in his eyes, and shouting: "Li Yu Rong, do you know what my father's identity is? He is the current prime minister! I, as a noble son, have taken a liking to you, it's your good fortune. If you don't behave yourself, not only will you be finished, but also your entire Li family will be destroyed..."

  Just as Qin Xi was speaking passionately and his voice was hoarse, he suddenly felt himself being lifted off the ground with both feet in mid-air.