Chapter 406 - 406 403 Considerable_1

Chapter 406: Chapter 403: Considerable_1 Chapter 406: Chapter 403: Considerable_1 Wei Kingdom, Pingluan Mountain.

Xiao Rongyan was invited to the Xiliang King’s palace on Pingluan Mountain, to drink and make merry with a group of distinguished relatives of the Wei Emperor on Pingluan Mountain.

The Xiliang King was the youngest and most beloved brother of the Wei Emperor, born of the same mother. Perhaps because he enjoyed a life of leisure and wealth and was exceedingly loyal to the Wei Emperor, the Emperor indulged him in every way.

The greatest pleasure of the Xiliang King’s life was to drink wine and recite poetry with elegant friends.

Xiao Rongyan, a man of great talent and the wealthiest merchant in the world, lived a life of extreme luxury. He and the Xiliang King were kindred spirits, both masters of indulgence, living in opulence and debauchery, naturally becoming close friends.

When the Xiliang King heard that Xiao Rongyan had returned to the state, he held a banquet at the Tianlu Pavilion of the Pingluan Mountain palace.

The palace on Pingluan Mountain was a birthday gift from the Emperor to the Xiliang King, showing the extent of his favor… even princes could not hope to compare.

The Tianlu Pavilion was situated at the highest point of the mountain palace. It was later specially constructed by craftsmen at the Xiliang King’s request.

The Tianlu Pavilion was supported by twenty-six sturdy wooden beams embedded into the cliffs, suspended before the precipice. Twelve thick gold-lacquered ebony columns held up the roof. Three sides of the pavilion opened over the cliff without any railings. Bronze cranes, more than a man’s height, with lamps inside cast flickering light. The white muslin curtains danced in the wind, and the music of silk and bamboo instruments sounded like heavenly melodies. From below, it seemed like a place fit for immortals.

The Xiliang King wore a long white robe he had just put on after soaking in the hot springs. His robe was open at the chest as he moved among the dancers, cup in hand, his face intoxicated. Because he had ingested five stone powder, his eyes were dreamy and entranced, like a dandy.

Seeing Xiao Rongyan in a similar white robe, lounging lazily on soft cushions, drinking alone with a low mood, the drunken Xiliang King swayed over, sitting crookedly beside him and throwing an arm around his shoulders, he laughed and said, “What’s the matter… not in high spirits today? Are the dancers not beautiful enough? Or is the cold food not fine enough?”

The Xiliang King, seeing the five stone powder dissolved in fine wine still before Xiao Rongyan, laughed even more foolishly, “Not even touching something this good…”

Xiao Rongyan picked up a peanut, rubbed off its red skin with one hand, and threw it into his mouth, his tone rather irritated, “Our Wei Kingdom will be attacking Yan soon. I learned of this too late. I’m afraid I won’t have enough time to withdraw my business from Yan. If war breaks out, the losses will be considerable. It’s frustrating…”

The Xiliang King laughed heartily, “And this is worth worrying about?”

“Since last year, I invested significant manpower and resources in Nanyan to spread the Xiao family’s shops there. Who knew… Nanyan was recaptured by Yan. I had to start over, and just as I saw some progress, our Wei Kingdom is preparing to attack Yan again.” Xiao Rongyan drained his wine cup, “What a wretched luck this year has been…”

“This is simple!” The Xiliang King patted Xiao Rongyan’s shoulder armor, “Once our Wei Kingdom captures Yan’s cities, your business can carry on as usual. I’ll make sure no one touches your shops!”

“I’m a Wei man. If our Wei Kingdom attacks Yan… would Yan let me do business there? Not killing my people would be the best outcome!” Xiao Rongyan sighed, “Never mind, I’m not someone who only cares about personal profit and disregards national duty. If it’s lost, it’s lost!”

“You are my dear friend, how can I watch you suffer losses?” The Xiliang King laughed, moving closer to Xiao Rongyan, “Don’t worry, this war… won’t start so soon! Act quickly, withdraw your business and people as soon as possible. Once we take the cities, you can go back.”

“Won’t start so soon?” Xiao Rongyan looked puzzled, moving closer to the Xiliang King, “Isn’t it said that the main forces of Yan are now with the Rong? Isn’t this the best time for our Wei Kingdom to attack Yan?”

The Xiliang King shouldn’t have discussed state affairs with Xiao Rongyan. But thinking that the man before him was his closest friend, he looked around and lowered his voice to Xiao Rongyan, “The opinions between the general and prime minister don’t align. A sudden emergence of a new army in Yan, led by the formidable Xie Xun! The prime minister opposes the war. He fears that what looks like the main forces of Yan engaged with Rong may be a ruse, hiding their strength for another purpose. So my royal brother ordered a large force to put pressure on the borders to test the situation.”

Xiao Rongyan nodded.

“Who knew…” The Xiliang King lowered his voice further, “Who knew, that while Yan appears ordinary by day, our scouts heard hoofbeats at night! Smoke rises from the valleys within Yan’s borders each night. It seems Yan hides troops there, waiting for our Wei Kingdom to walk into a trap. The prime minister and the general sent people to investigate. We have to wait for their findings to know whether we can fight.”

Xiao Rongyan suddenly sat up, looking at the Xiliang King, “Speaking of which, I… suddenly remembered something. Your Highness, you know that when I was trapped in Nanyan, people around the Ninth Prince of Yan bought a large amount of iron and weapons from me. The batch of iron and weapons I transported within Jin wasn’t large, but not small either. I thought selling it to Pingcheng during the Jin and Western Xiliang battles would fetch a good price. Who knew the high-priced buyers were from Yan!”

The Xiliang King tightened his grip on the wine cup, sobering up, “Wanting iron and weapons means having troops…”

“I couldn’t know that. Later… more iron and weapons were sent to Yan. I cooperated with the counselor of the Crown Prince’s residence in the Jin Kingdom, splitting the profits fifty-fifty… earning quite a bit, actually.” Xiao Rongyan continued.

The Xiliang King’s heart pounded; fifty-fifty profit shared and still earning much meant extremely high prices.

Yan sparing no expense for iron was not a good sign. It might indicate that troops were indeed hiding in Yan Mountain, like the elite led by Xie Xun.

Thinking of this, the Xiliang King sat up straight, “I must enter the palace…”

Xiao Rongyan advised, “But… Yan buying iron might not necessarily be for the army, could be… for tools? Rushing to the palace without evidence is not appropriate.”

“You are so uncertain. I must enter the palace and inform the Emperor! After all… if anything happens to Wei, I won’t live such a luxurious and unrestrained life again!”

The Xiliang King was wise enough to see his limits. He drained his wine cup and rose to let his maid help him dress before heading to the palace.

Yue Shi waited quietly under the Tianlu Pavilion’s walkway for Xiao Rongyan. Shortly, he saw a drunken Xiao Rongyan carried down by the Xiliang King’s servants on a shoulder litter.

Yue Shi quickly stepped forward to help Xiao Rongyan off the litter, “Master!”

“Yue Shi…” Xiao Rongyan smiled foolishly.

“It’s your subordinate!” Yue Shi helped Xiao Rongyan onto the carriage and bid farewell to the steward of the Xiliang King’s residence.