Chapter 74: All for Profit and Gain, the World Bustles

In the deep silence of the night, the courtyard had fallen still, but the people inside the house could not sleep. Madam Lu lay wide awake; after counting sheep for what felt like hours without drifting off, she finally could not resist nudging her husband with her elbow.

Ye Si was also awake. At her prod, he reached out blindly, only for Madam Lu to twist his arm sharply. “You wretch, behave yourself! There’s serious business!”

“This is serious business,” he replied.

“I’m talking about your favored eldest son!”

At her words, Ye Si’s hand trembled; his earlier enthusiasm vanished instantly, and he sat up with a sigh.

“How could you have been so blind, so eager to acknowledge him as your heir!” Madam Lu grumbled, annoyance rising. “You said he was the most earnest and dutiful of your nephews, that he would never conflict with our son. But look at him now: his talents are extraordinary, he’s been enlightened by an immortal. How will our son ever match him? He’ll take over everything we own!”

“As long as I’m alive, he wouldn’t dare. If he defies me, I’ll make sure he never recovers,” Ye Si snorted, though he knew his words were mere bravado.

This adopted son was formidable. If things came to a head, who knew what schemes he might devise? The fate of the eldest branch—now scattered, wives and children separated—and the ruination of Liu Fengyin haunted Ye Si, sending chills down his spine.

“We can’t just let him seize the family assets,” Madam Lu insisted, sitting up with a tiger-like gleam in her eyes, protective and fierce. “You’re the man of the house; think of something!”

“What can I do? Should I tell him that the reason I made him heir was because the fortune-teller said our child’s frailty was a heavenly punishment, and the only remedy was to appoint another heir, transferring the curse?” Ye Si lamented. “I never intended this, but you pushed me again and again!”

“You usurped the main wife; the curse should fall on you, not my son!” Madam Lu sobbed. “Do you know how fearful I am? When I spoke to the eldest today, my heart trembled, afraid he’d use some trick against me…”

“Enough…”

Both fell into silence. Had they not sought to shift misfortune onto Ye Chang, they might have ended things openly and lived apart. But with what had happened, and now their longing for the family fortune, they could not let go.

Madam Lu began to weep again, “It’s all your fault, you fool—always swayed by your worthless friends, running off to do maritime trade with Japan, and now we’ve lost everything and owe so much… If not for this, we could have lived as wealthy gentry in Bianzhou, without needing to rely on these paltry assets!”

“The storms at sea are fate; who could have foreseen the shipwreck? If it had succeeded, just the books sold in Japan would have earned us fortunes,” Ye Si sighed, “Heaven’s will…”

Silence fell again. After a while, Madam Lu spoke softly, “The eldest’s paper mill… it’s thriving. Every day, people come to collect paper.”

“Yes, that toilet paper… Perhaps even immortals must relieve themselves and use it to wipe away filth?”

“If it was sold in the Two Capitals, even in Bianzhou, it would surely become popular, and profits would flow in daily, effortlessly!”

“More than just a few coins. Think about it: the wealthy families in the Two Capitals, Bianzhou, Huai, all have dozens of servants and maids—hundreds, even thousands in each household. How much paper would they need daily? Not only the rich; any household above average would use it… In the whole empire, millions of people—if each spends just a coin a year, the profits would be immense.”

The couple muttered greedily, their eyes shining in the dark. As the saying goes, desire clouds the mind; people scrape gold leaf from temple statues, so why not target a young man who claims to have met an immortal?

“Is it true that the eldest really met an immortal in his dream?” Madam Lu pressed.

“Opinions differ. The clan leader insists it’s true, but my brother says he’s a cunning fox in sheep’s clothing, full of schemes and poison… Ha, my brother’s now reaping what he sowed. If anyone’s cunning, it’s him—the reason I chose the eldest as heir was because of his pressure.”

Ye Si sighed again. He had thought Ye Chang was like his brother Ye Shu, both honest, seeking the Way, unlikely to cause trouble. Yet things had taken an unexpected turn.

If he and his wife had intended to harm Ye Chang, it would be untrue. They were like anyone else—hearing their own child was doomed, they’d wish to transfer the misfortune elsewhere. Yet they had acted in bad faith, never truly treating Ye Chang as their own. Ye Si had even concealed that he had a wife and son already—a deception.

---

No matter the truth, the eldest is not someone easily bullied… We must proceed slowly. But now the paper mill is managed by Lady Fang of the second branch, whose children, and even her household slaves, go to Wolong Valley daily to learn reading and arithmetic from the eldest.

“What of it? The eldest and Ye Shu are full brothers; they are true siblings. The household slave is his nephew. When we weren't around, he had no one to rely on, so he pitied his widowed sister-in-law and her young children…”

“Enough with these excuses. I want the paper mill!” Madam Lu’s voice was sharp. “The eldest used to belong to the second branch, but now he’s ours—the third branch. You’re his father. Lady Fang is just a cousin-in-law; her son is only a cousin. Our own boy is his brother. If he has pity, it should be for our son first!”

They muttered through the night. As dawn approached and footsteps sounded in the courtyard, they finally fell silent.

The next day, Ye Chang noticed something was amiss. Madam Lu, who used to visit every other day, now came daily, always bringing her son Lu Xi along, insisting that the brothers should spend more time together.

Still, Madam Lu watched her boy closely, never letting him out of sight for even a moment, as though disaster might befall him if she did.

Moreover, strange rumors began to circulate in Wu Ze Po.

The gossip centered not on Ye Chang, but on Lady Fang: that she was young and beautiful, unable to remain a widow, intending to remarry, and that the elders of the Ye family pitied her youth and wished to arrange her marriage. Within a few nights, the rumors grew rampant.

“All this trouble is your doing!” Lady Fang, her face flushed with indignation, sat across from Ye Chang. She was dressed in mourning white, required to wear it for three years after her husband’s death. The saying goes, ‘mourning makes one beautiful’—her attire only heightened her fragile charm. Ye Chang dared not look directly, only smiling with lowered eyes. “I truly have no solution, and must trouble you, sister-in-law. I recall when you first married, whenever I had difficulties, you helped me.”

Seeing his lazy demeanor, Lady Fang glared at him.

She knew well Ye Chang was shifting trouble onto her. But it made sense: with her mourning status, Ye Chang could not employ any cunning against Ye Si and Madam Lu. But she, as a cousin’s widow, could use certain strategies, just as Ye Chang had with Ye Ding.

“Eleventh Brother, to be honest, when Third Uncle returned, I did not notify you because I had worries,” Lady Fang said, gazing at Ye Chang with a half-smile.

“Worries? What worries?”

“No need for pretense, Eleventh Brother—you may deceive others, but not me.”

Ye Chang laughed, maintaining his nonchalant manner. Lady Fang sighed, “You can only act so lazy with me.”

“That’s because I know you’re truly good to me,” Ye Chang replied without thinking.

He immediately realized the impropriety. In modern times, it would be a casual jest, but here, given their relationship, it carried a hint of flirtation.

He glanced up and indeed saw Lady Fang’s eyes—half shy, half angry—though the look quickly faded.

Lady Fang was apprehensive. She had no natal family to rely on; her husband was gone, and she was raising two children with only a modest inheritance. As a widow with young children, others would naturally covet her—some merely seeking gain, others with darker intentions against her children.

Her only support was Ye Chang. Though her young uncle could be frivolous and teasing, she was certain of one thing: he truly cared for her son and daughter. For their survival, she had to depend on Ye Chang.

Even if it meant paying a price—for Lady Fang, whose veins carried the blood of Wu Zetian and the imperial clan, paying a price was nothing unusual.

“Eleventh Brother, as long as you remember this, all is well. My only fear is that one day you’ll forget my kindness.” That fleeting look of embarrassment was replaced by a mature woman’s allure. Ye Chang was momentarily stunned; a younger man might have been ensnared by her charm, but Ye Chang’s world-weariness from another life made him immune, so he only paused briefly.

“Sister-in-law, they mention Wolong Valley, the dry fields on the hill, but never the paper mill. The mill belongs to me and your daughter, and they dispersed the craftsmen, disrupting the book mill—which is ours, yours and your son’s.” After pondering, Ye Chang could not understand why Lady Fang, confronted by his words, did not get angry but instead adopted such an attitude, so he hesitated as he spoke.

To Lady Fang, his words took on another meaning.

---

“I remember, and you mean it?” Lady Fang asked.

“Of course. You’ve asked this before. I still have untapped ways to get rich—be it tea roasting or wine brewing, each could make a fortune.”

Lady Fang had never seen his wine-brewing skills, but the tea he roasted was fragrant and unforgettable, far superior to the cakes and spiced teas common elsewhere. If wine-brewing was as profitable as tea-roasting, she couldn’t help but breathe faster, cheeks flushed.

The hardship of their time in Xiu Wu remained vivid in her memory—perhaps it explained her extraordinary interest in making money. More importantly, any wealth gained was for her children.

“If you’re willing to give the paper mill and book mill to my son and daughter, why not the wine or tea mills? All they want is wealth. If you help them, why would they oppose you?”

“If they weren’t always scheming and harboring ill intentions, I’d help them. But now, though I don’t wish them the fate of the eldest branch, I won’t let them take advantage.” Ye Chang smiled wryly, “I’m not a magnanimous person.”

Lady Fang rolled her eyes, steering back, “Eleventh Brother, since you wish to sever ties, but lack suitable grounds, outsiders see you as a model of filial piety and fatherly love. If you hope to build a foundation in Wu Ze, a good reputation is essential…”

Her analysis was sharp; Ye Chang had no defense, annoyed, he interrupted, “Sister-in-law, you’re not here to mock me, but to solve problems!”

Lady Fang stopped, looked at him for a long moment, then smiled.

Perhaps his earlier banter had angered her, leading her to lay bare his thoughts so recklessly. Now, she regretted it.

“Eleventh Brother, I was wrong,” she said gently. “Actually, severing ties with the third branch isn’t difficult. You can’t do it yourself; not even the clan leader should intervene—he’d only cause a scene. The best way is through an official you know.”

“An official?”

“If an influential figure appreciates your talents and, for the sake of ancestral honor, orders you to return to your clan, the clan leader can then follow suit. Who could object?”

“Even then, they wouldn’t give up easily. Their hasty return suggests trouble abroad—they won’t let go of the family assets without a fight.”

“In the end, only the servants matter. The rest are yours—deeds, contracts, all in your hands… Or are they not?”

Ye Chang nodded bitterly.

Whether Chunming, Cui Jingxiu, or others—their contracts had been kept at his house, but when Ye Si and Madam Lu moved in during his absence, those contracts fell into their hands.

The only solace was that the Wolong Valley land had not yet been registered, and the paper mill’s deed was kept by Lady Fang for her management.

“It’s not difficult…” Lady Fang smiled.

This time, her eyes shone with a slyness, making her look like a cunning fox.