All of the Imperial Army commanders came excitedly and departed thrilled.
Even though they failed to leave with a Wootz steel sword, they were content with receiving a discount on the auction of the world’s number one swordsmith. Not to mention, it was a 10% discount.
There were many other commanders in the Imperial Army, and several were higher ranked than them. However, with this tiny receipt in their hands, the others would have to back off!
As for the deposit of 20000 gold taels, it was no problem to them at all!
Which of the commanders of the elite Imperial Army didn’t have a l.u.s.trous background? 20000 gold taels wasn’t a small sum of money, but it meant nothing to people of their standing.
After sending the Imperial Army commanders off and delegating some instructions to the servants, w.a.n.g Chong stepped into his mother’s room.
Usually, there would be some nannies and maids waiting by his mother’s side. But this time, other than w.a.n.g Chong and Madam w.a.n.g, there was no one else in the room.
The 600,000 gold taels stacked up in a miniature mountain was a shocking sight to Madam w.a.n.g. The w.a.n.g Clan was a clan of general and ministers, and after marrying into the clan, Madam w.a.n.g has witnessed many different things. Even so, w.a.n.g Chong’s ability to earn 600,000 gold taels in a snap of the fingers was still an amazement to Zhao Shu Hua and the incorruptible w.a.n.g Clan.
‘Even though a gentleman loves money, he obtains it through righteous means’. If w.a.n.g Chong had earned his fortune through dishonest dealings, Zhao Shu Hua would berate w.a.n.g Chong and stop him.
However, she personally witnessed the Imperial Army commanders happily dumping their gold taels and gemstones on the w.a.n.g Family Residence. In fact, there were even a few who felt that they were giving too little.
Clearly, w.a.n.g Chong’s wealth came from a clean source.
“Chong-er, what’s going on?”
The room was silent. Seated on a chair, Madam w.a.n.g faced w.a.n.g Chong and spoke the words that have been plaguing her mind the entire day. Even at this moment, she has yet to recover from the shocking sight of the 600,000 gold taels.
w.a.n.g Chong was hiding too many things from her.
“I should come clean now!”
Standing before his mother, w.a.n.g Chong’s head was lowered. Even though this wasn’t the ideal situation w.a.n.g Chong had in mind, he didn’t think that he should put off the matter any longer.
The matter this time taught w.a.n.g Chong a heavy lesson. Sometimes, decisions made with the welfare of the others at heart may not be truly beneficial to them.
After organizing his thoughts, w.a.n.g Chong started to talk about the affairs regarding the Hyderabad ores without hiding anything at all.
“So, you’re saying that you borrowed the money from those scions for the smithing of the sword?”
Madam w.a.n.g asked.
“Un”, w.a.n.g Chong nodded in response.
Madam w.a.n.g examined w.a.n.g Chong intently, and there was an unspeakable emotion welling up in her chest. For an instant, Zhao Shu Hua felt that w.a.n.g Chong seemed foreign to her, but at the next, she felt relief as a mother.
“Chong-er, you have finally grown up!”
Madam w.a.n.g stared at w.a.n.g Chong, gladdened.
Which mother didn’t wish for their own son to accomplish great feats? The current w.a.n.g Chong has surpa.s.sed all expectations she had for him.
Wealth has always been a fatal flaw of the w.a.n.g Clan. Of the entire w.a.n.g Clan, and this was including Big Aunt w.a.n.g Ru Shuang, little uncle, and w.a.n.g Chong’s own family, there wasn’t a single person who was talented in commercialism.
Big Uncle w.a.n.g Gen was slightly skilled in the aspect; with several businesses under him, his financial situation was the best within the clan. Even so, it was only to that extent. He was still far from matching up to the truly affluent clans in the capital.
Somehow, the w.a.n.g Clan just wasn’t skilled in managing businesses. Including w.a.n.g Chong’s big brother and second brother, there wasn’t in the w.a.n.g Family who possessed outstanding apt.i.tude in that aspect. However, at this moment, Zhao Shu Hua could see talent in commercialism that exceeded anyone else in her youngest son.
That was 600,000 gold taels!
This astonis.h.i.+ng fortune was sufficient to sustain all of the members of the w.a.n.g Clan for several decades straight!
“Mother, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hidden this matter from you.”
w.a.n.g Chong apologized with a lowered head.
Madam w.a.n.g shook her head.
“Son, this matter has shown me that you have become mature and dependable. In the future, you need not report to me about such stuff. Feel free to do whatever you want to, mother believes in you!”
“Mother…”
w.a.n.g Chong felt moved. For a moment, he stared at his mother, unable to speak a single word.
w.a.n.g Chong stepped out of his mother’s room with a lightened heart. Even though Su Bai nearly got the better of him, he managed to avert the crisis and turn the tables on him.
Through this matter, he has won the absolute trust of his mother, and his mother has permitted him to ‘do whatever he wants to’.
Not long after w.a.n.g Chong started practicing his martial arts in the courtyard, w.a.n.g Chong’s uncle, Li Lin, knocked on the doors of the w.a.n.g Clan anxiously.
“The commanders of the Imperial Army has been here?”
That was the first question Uncle Li Lin asked upon meeting w.a.n.g Chong.
“Un.”
w.a.n.g Chong nodded.
“Heh, those fellows sure react fast. I have rushed as fast as I could, but I still wasn’t able to outspeed them!”
Smiling, Li Lin shook his head.
‘The joys of life reinvigorates one’. Ever since Li Lin was redeployed from his position as a section commander in the North Gates, he seemed to have become livelier, and the words he spoke has increased.
“Uncle, has something happened at the royal court? Is it Zhao Fengchen?”
w.a.n.g Chong asked.
When w.a.n.g Chong tried to pry open the mouths of the other Imperial Army commanders, their lips were tightly sealed. However, there were some things that they were unable to hide from w.a.n.g Chong.
“That’s right! Zhao Fengchen has defeated Huang Xiaotian and became a marshal. He has become the only marshal promoted in the past few years!”
Li Lin didn’t hide anything from w.a.n.g Chong and spoke of the truth:
“Marshal Zhao and Huang Xiaotian’s martial arts are on par with one another. In fact, Huang Xiaotian seemed to be slightly more skilled than Marshal Zhao. However, Marshal Zhao enjoyed an overwhelming advantage in terms of weaponry. With a single slash, not only did he cut through Huang Xiaotian’s Winterthirst, he even split the steel armor on his body into two. He was just a hair’s breadth away from splitting the other party’s body into two as well!”
“There were many people spectating the fight then, and another marshal of the Imperial Army was there as well. Everyone was stunned by the sharpness of Marshal Zhao’s sword. That bunch of fellows who came to look for you must have been present as well. To think that they would sneak here to look for you!”
Huang Xiaotian and Zhao Fengchen’s fight for the position of the marshal was a huge affair for the Imperial Army. What was at stake wasn’t just the seat of a marshal, it was also a face-off between the two factions in the Imperial Army.
w.a.n.g Chong couldn’t be any more aware of that fact.
Even though his uncle didn’t describe the matter in detail, w.a.n.g Chong could sense the tenseness in that fight.
“It’s good that Lord Zhao has been promoted to a marshal.”
w.a.n.g Chong said. After which, he told of the matter regarding the 600,000 gold taels to Uncle Li Lin.
Just like that, Zhao Fengchen and Huang Xiaotian’s fates have been changed.
In the future, many things would change as well.
w.a.n.g Chong knew that after being promoted to a marshal, the royal court would devote its resources to grooming Zhao Fengchen. As such, Zhao Fengchen’s growth would be hastened, and he would achieve the position of a grand marshal much faster than before.
And given that w.a.n.g Chong’s uncle has contributed to him through presenting him the Wootz steel sword, he would rise through the ranks in the Imperial Army alongside Zhao Fengchen.
With this relations.h.i.+p, it would become more convenient for w.a.n.g Chong to sell his swords to the Imperial Army.
Furthermore, Uncle Li Lin has always been the weakest link of the w.a.n.g Clan. If he could achieve success alongside Zhao Fengchen in the Imperial Army, the strength of the entire w.a.n.g Clan would be brought to new heights.
“Today’s matter is not a one-time off thing. Most probably, more people will come looking for me in the future. Thus, I hope to leave this matter to uncle. With Lord Zhao covering you in the royal court, it should be more convenient for you to deal with this matter.”
w.a.n.g Chong said.
w.a.n.g Chong was prepared to pa.s.s on the matter regarding the bidding privilege and the organization of the auction for the Wootz steel sword to Uncle Li Lin to handle.
This wasn’t just for w.a.n.g Chong’s convenience, or that Uncle Li Lin’s position made it easier for him to deal with such matters. Rather, w.a.n.g Chong hoped to raise Uncle Li Lin’s standing in the Imperial Army through this matter.
When most of the commanders, generals, and even marshals have requests of Uncle Li Lin, his standing and prestige within the Imperial Army would rise naturally.
Uncle Li Lin’s promotion would probably come much faster than he himself could expect. Furthermore, with Zhao Fengchen and the Zhao Clan s.h.i.+elding him, few people would dare to cause him trouble.
What was even more incredible was that the commanders from the various differing factions would wish to obtain the Wootz steel sword, and this would prop Zhao Fengchen and Uncle Li Lin’s position in the Imperial Army upward. At the same time, they would meet with less resistance and opposition as well!
——That is, if these people still desire to purchase Wootz steel swords in the future!
All in all, only in Uncle Li Lin’s hands will maximum benefits be derived from this matter!
“Rest easy, I know what I should do. Right, your aunt asked for you to come by when you are free so as to chat with your cousin and guide him along. That fellow is arrogant, but his abilities are lacking. Your aunt and I hope that you can help us teach him a lesson.”
Li Lin said.
w.a.n.g Chong chuckled. Big aunt and uncle have a son named w.a.n.g Liang. Even though uncle’s surname is Li, the family followed by big aunt’s surname. This was the usual practice when the maternal family was much more powerful than the paternal family.
Big aunt and uncle have high hopes of Cousin w.a.n.g Liang, but it was a pity that he seemed to be drifting further and further from their expectations.
“Alright, I will go over when I have time.”
w.a.n.g Chong said. It wasn’t long before grandfather’s birthday, and if nothing goes wrong, Cousin w.a.n.g Liang would be there as well. There was no difference meeting him at big aunt’s house or during grandfather’s birthday.
After earning 600,000 gold taels, the matters that w.a.n.g Chong could engage in has expanded significantly. Finally, he could set his plan into motion.
After sending uncle off, w.a.n.g Chong immediately brought Shen Hai and Meng Long, along with a crate of gold ingots, to the White Agate Jewelry Store to look for the two Sindhi monks, Ablonodan and Arloja.
“Masters! I have brought the money for the 300 jun of Hyderabad ores!”
w.a.n.g Chong pointed to the crate and gestured.
Peng!
Shen Hai and Meng Long carried the crate over to Ablonodan and Arloja.
“There’s 80000 gold taels here! It’s yours!”
w.a.n.g Chong said confidently.
Despite their usual composure, Arloja and Ablonodan’s heart jolted violently upon hearing w.a.n.g Chong’s words. But at the next moment, they felt bewildered.
“Gongzi, didn’t you give us 30000 gold taels before? Furthermore, didn’t you devote some money to convert them into rations? Why are you giving us so much money now? This is already far beyond 90000 gold taels!”
80000 gold taels, along with the 30000 gold taels which w.a.n.g Chong pa.s.sed to them previously, added up to a total of 110,000 gold taels. This was already far beyond the sum they have agreed on beforehand.
This left the duo perplexed.
Alright, last finalization.
Zhao Fengchen is a general.
He is promoted to a marshal.
The highest rank in the Imperial Army is the grand marshal.