Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 55 Respect is not as good as obedience

The Prince Qi's mansion was much simpler than Jiang Xun had imagined.

There were no carved beams and painted rafters, nor any splendor or magnificence; it was just blue bricks and gray tiles, and compared to the mansions of those unscrupulous merchants in Yunzhou City, it even seemed a bit shabby.

The only eye-catching thing is the pair of stone lions at the main entrance—they're polished to a shine, clearly indicating that someone cleans them every day.

Jiang Xun followed Li Che through the gate, across the front yard, around the screen wall, and continued walking inside.

There weren't many servants in the mansion. When they saw Li Che, they simply bowed and greeted him without saying a word. They all walked very quietly, as if afraid of startling something.

The two passed through a moon gate and entered the second courtyard.

A middle-aged man was standing at the entrance of the main house.

He was in his forties, with a thin face and nearly half of his hair already gray. He wore a worn brocade robe, stood with his hands behind his back, and stared blankly at the old locust tree in the courtyard.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around and his gaze fell on Jiang Xun.

His gaze was very gentle, but Jiang Xun felt inexplicably nervous.

King Li Zhen of Qi.

"Father." Li Che stepped forward and bowed. "This is Jiang Xun. Just now—"

"I know everything." King Qi waved his hand, interrupting his son, his gaze still fixed on Jiang Xun. "Young man, thank you for what happened earlier."

Jiang Xun was taken aback, then quickly clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "Your Highness is too kind, this humble subject was merely doing it on a whim—"

"Young man, you are too modest." King Qi smiled, a hint of weariness in his smile. He turned to Li Che, "Che'er, I have some matters to attend to. Please take the guests to rest."

"Yes," Li Che replied, leading Jiang Xun toward the side hall.

"Brother Jiang, please sit for a moment. I'll go change my clothes."

Jiang Xun nodded and sat down in the chair.

Soon someone brought tea.

He took a sip, and a refreshing fragrance filled his heart and mind, easing some of the fatigue from days of travel.

As they were drinking, a series of light footsteps suddenly came from outside.

"Brother! You're back!"

A girl ran in from outside the door.

She was fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a light blue dress, with her hair in a simple bun and a jade hairpin.

Her eyebrows and eyes are curved, and when she smiles, she reveals two cute little tiger teeth.

As soon as she entered the room, she saw Jiang Xun sitting in a chair and suddenly stopped in her tracks.

blinked.

Blinked again.

"Jiang Xun?"

Jiang Xun stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Miss Li, it's been a long time."

"You—what are you doing here?" Li Tang ran over in a few steps, sat down on the chair next to him, and stared at him with bright eyes. "You came to see us?"

"I was passing through Haiyou City when I ran into your brother," Jiang Xun said with an awkward smile.

To be honest, he had no idea about Li Che and his sister's identities before.

Li Tang seemed particularly happy to see Jiang Xun, her eyes constantly glancing at him.

Jiang Xun felt a little uncomfortable being stared at, so he turned his head away as if he were drinking tea.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Li Tang asked again.

On the way to Jiangning Prefecture, Jiang Xun had bickered with her quite a bit, so why was he silent this time?

"I don't know what to say." Jiang Xun gave another awkward laugh.

It's not that he doesn't want to talk about it, it's just that too many things have happened recently, and he feels suffocated.

Fortunately, Li Che's voice came from the doorway.

"Tang'er".

He had changed into a dark blue robe and his hair was tied up again, giving him a more refined and composed air than when he was on the street.

He walked in, sat down next to Li Tang, and glanced at his sister.

"Stop fooling around."

Li Tang pursed her lips – she hadn't made a fuss herself.

However, she obediently shut her mouth, but her eyes darted around, looking at Li Che one moment and Jiang Xun the next, her face full of curiosity.

Li Che turned to Jiang Xun and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Brother Jiang, thank you for your help earlier."

Jiang Xun waved his hand: "It was nothing."

"It wasn't a small favor," Li Che said. "Those people were after me."

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "You mean that fat guy, Qian Bancheng?"

This time, Li Che was stunned: "You know him?"

Jiang Xun, of course, would not admit that he had stolen Qian Bancheng's silver, and vaguely said, "I've heard of him in Yunzhou; he's not a good person."

Li Che didn't think much of it and smiled, "It's definitely not a good thing."

"What he said," Jiang Xun asked tentatively, "that the disaster relief grain was embezzled... is it true or false?"

Li Che remained silent for a while, then picked up his teacup and put it down again.

"The disaster relief grain has indeed not arrived yet." His voice lowered. "It was supposed to arrive last month, but there's still no sign of it. The imperial court says there were some mishaps along the way and they want us to wait."

Jiang Xun understood the implication: "You mean, someone really embezzled the disaster relief grain?"

Li Che didn't answer directly, but said, "The Prince of Qi's mansion sent several groups of people to urge them, and each time they said it would be soon. But the disaster victims can't wait, and the food won't wait for anyone."

He paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "Father has already borrowed grain from all over. As long as we're careful and get through these two months, we'll have grain after the autumn harvest."

Jiang Xun, recalling the King of Qi's graying hair, couldn't help but say, "The King of Qi has already done his best. These disaster victims, if they had any conscience at all, should be content. Why are some people still making a fuss?"

Li Che smiled wryly: "Most of the disaster victims are good people, remembering the kindness of my father. There were only a few people causing trouble today, incited by that unscrupulous merchant."

Jiang Xun looked at him: "Aren't you angry?"

"Angry?" Li Che thought for a moment. "It would be a lie to say I'm not angry at all. But what's the use of being angry? Arresting people and beating them up might vent my anger, but will it produce more food?"

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "Instead of getting angry, let's think about how to solve the problem. If we don't have enough food, we'll borrow, buy, or beg. What does saving face matter as long as everyone can survive?"

Jiang Xun looked at him and suddenly felt a sense of respect.

He had seen too many officials who claimed to be speaking up for the people, but secretly plundered their wealth.

It's rare to see a father and son like King Qi who value the lives of the people more than their own face.

"You're really optimistic," Jiang Xun said. "If it were me, I would have stopped giving these people food a long time ago."

Li Che laughed: "If you really became an official, you'd probably be impeached in three days."

They both laughed.

After laughing, Jiang Xun asked again, "You knew all along that Qian Bancheng was behind this?"

"I've investigated him," Li Che said. "Not only him, but also several other grain merchants have transported large quantities of grain from various places to Haiyou City."

They were hoping for a surge in grain prices so they could make a fortune.

But when their father used relief grain to stabilize prices, grain prices in the city remained stable, and their plans fell through, so naturally they started to protest.

Jiang Xun asked in surprise, "Qian Bancheng is just a businessman, how come he's so bold as to oppose the Qi Prince's Mansion?"

"Qian Bancheng is at best a pawn." Li Che glanced at him, his eyes deep. "Those who really want to deal with the Qi Prince's Mansion are those powerful and aristocratic families."

Especially the Wang and Dugu families in the capital, who own vast tracts of fertile land and are the largest grain merchants in the land. They desperately want grain prices to rise so they can profit immensely from the national crisis.

He sneered, "But they don't dare to openly oppose the Prince Qi's Mansion, so they sent someone like Qian Bancheng to stir up trouble."

Jiang Xun recalled the steward Wang he had met on the road, who claimed to be from the Wang family in the capital and was arrogant and domineering, treating human life as worthless.

Li Che continued to explain: "These aristocratic families have existed for over a hundred years, with their disciples and former officials spread throughout the land. The Qi Prince's Mansion has no roots in the court, and my father is unwilling to form factions, so naturally they won't take the Qi Prince's Mansion seriously."

Jiang Xun remained silent.

Seeing their somber expressions, Li Tang frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you two?"

"It's nothing." Li Che raised his head and forced a smile, seemingly unwilling to say more in front of his sister. He turned to Jiang Xun and said, "Brother Jiang, is there anything I can do for you in Haiyou? If there's anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Your Highness—"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Che interrupted him: "Brother Jiang, there's no need to be so polite. We hit it off immediately, and you've helped me many times. Let's just call each other brothers as before."

Jiang Xun was taken aback. To be honest, he wasn't used to being called "Crown Prince" either.

He immediately replied with the only idiom he knew: "Then I shall respectfully comply."

Li Che and Li Tang were both stunned—Jiang Xun, who was always straightforward, suddenly uttered such a literary sentence, which they were not quite used to.

The three of them looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing.

After laughing, the heavy feeling that had been weighing on Jiang Xun's heart for days seemed to ease a bit.

Looking at Li Che and his sister again, they no longer spoke with the same restraint as before, and were much more affectionate.

"I'm just passing through this time. I'll stay for one night and head to Qiantang tomorrow."

"What are you going to Qiantang for?" This time it was Li Tang who asked.

"It's nothing, just some personal matters," Jiang Xun said, without going into details.

It's best not to let them know about the theft of the dragon crystal.

Li Che nodded, knowing that he didn't want to say more, so he didn't ask any further questions, and only said, "Then stay at the Prince's Mansion tonight."

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "This...isn't that inconvenient?"

"Is there anything inconvenient?" Li Che smiled. "You saved me, so it's only right that I let you stay for the night."

Jiang Xun looked at him and felt a warmth in his heart.

This Prince Qi was different from the "nobleman" he had imagined. He was not arrogant or domineering; his words and actions were all sincere.

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

This time, there was less formality in his tone.