Chapter 199 – Unconvinced? Hold It In (8)【Happy New Year, thanks to my beloved little angels】
According to Jiang Pengji, it would be best to sell these war horses off to prevent the Meng Clan from tracing them back to her.
Xu Ke had even started to draft a budget, but after Meng Hunyun learned about the situation, he offered a starkly different opinion.
“I’m not really in favor of the Young Master doing that; the loss of profit is too significant.” Meng Hunyun licked his dry lips, his gaze burning as he looked at the robust war horses. For military generals like him, a beloved steed is akin to a second partner. “Instead, we should hide them deep in the mountains for a while. Once the storm from the Meng Clan passes, we can think about other plans…”
Jiang Pengji focused on the first part, “How much profit are we really talking about?”
Meng Hunyun replied, “Well, for war horses in such excellent condition, each one could fetch around seventy to eighty taels. That’s the legitimate market price. If sold privately to horse dealers, however, they often reduce the price by forty to fifty percent…”
“So harsh?” Jiang Pengji asked.
“That’s considered a more conscientious horse dealer. If they take advantage of someone who doesn’t know much, the loss would be even worse. War horses are different from others; if they have any hidden injuries, their value plummets. That’s why they are pricier, but the discounts are also steeper when sold privately…” Meng Hunyun sighed, reaching out to stroke the mane of a chestnut war horse. Its physique was strong, and his palm felt the taut, muscular form, filled with power, utterly captivating.
Xu Ke was in a bind; selling them would incur losses, yet keeping them was too risky. Even if they hid them in the mountains, they could still be discovered.
Jiang Pengji pondered for a moment before saying, “Let’s go with your plan. After all, they were acquired without effort; how we handle them isn’t really a loss for us. Besides, we’ll need to train for riding and archery eventually. With these horses, at least we won’t need to buy extra ones, which saves us some expenses…”
Xu Ke asked, “But if this happens and someone discovers their whereabouts, they might start to suspect…”
Jiang Pengji’s response was quick. By the time she agreed to Meng Hunyun’s suggestion, she had already formulated a counterplan in her mind.
“This isn’t difficult to manage. I had originally intended to move our regiment’s training from the farm to the mountains,” she said. “But not just yet. For now, we can find a way to hide these horses. Even if they are exposed, it won’t matter; the Meng Clan won’t be able to do anything to me…”
As she spoke, Jiang Pengji revealed an innocent smile. “After all, how could a hand-tied scion of a noble house possibly travel ten miles, ambush twenty-eight of them, kill twenty-seven, and leave one alive… It would be far more credible if they said it was Meng Hunyun, right?”
Xu Ke’s mouth twitched in disbelief. When Meng Hunyun was not part of the group, it was fine to pull a trick on him, but now that he was on their side, how could he still be treated like that? To his surprise, Meng Hunyun actually found this immensely reasonable.
“That is true. Ordinary people must think like this—though the Young Master is skilled, how can he compare to the attendants painstakingly trained by the Meng Clan? With these war horses in your possession, you can easily say you bought them from a black market dealer. How could the Meng Clan hold you accountable for that?” Meng Hunyun chuckled, his naive smile reminding that a regular person wouldn’t fare well if they discussed this with the Meng Clan.
But Jiang Pengji wasn’t without her support!
It’s just a couple of dozen war horses; the Meng Clan doesn’t lack them; what they lack is a stepping stone!
What they lack is face!
Jiang Pengji’s reasoning held water. Would the Meng Clan dare to confront the Liu Residence over a mere twenty-some war horses?
“With that settled, let’s keep these horses in the mountains for now. However, their temperaments are quite fierce, so it’s best to find someone experienced in horse care to prevent any injuries from their hooves.” Jiang Pengji asserted, and a broader smile appeared on Meng Hunyun’s face.
With twenty-seven war horses, surely he could claim one, right?
This chestnut one seems just about right, both in appearance and temperament, completely to his liking.
Seeing this, Xu Ke quietly facepalmed, feeling a headache coming on.
His young master, quick to anger and quick to seize opportunities, had robbed the Meng Clan. While the victims were Meng Clan members, the killers were also Meng Clan members, but with the Young Master’s noble upbringing, the Liu Residence never lacked anything… Why… why had the Young Master developed such a rogue bandit style?
And this Meng Hunyun beside him was no different; he seemed to have been influenced by the Young Master too!
No!
How long had these two been buddying up?
The speed of influence was just too fast!
Xu Ke put on a long face, watching hopelessly as Meng Hunyun called someone over to take the horses away.
“These war horses require a different kind of diet than ordinary horses, right?”
Meng Hunyun replied, “Of course, they need finer and more expensive nourishment.”
Xu Ke’s temples pulsed—each of these war horses was like a pampered lord!
“Sigh, I hope the letters reach the Meng Clan soon. Otherwise, the Young Master might not be able to afford to keep them.”
Xu Ke oversaw the finances and was most aware of the current fiscal situation; they still had to rely on the Liu Residence for support.
At present, with four or five dozen mouths to feed, plus twenty-seven horses, they were all counting on the Meng Clan for grain and food.
Meng Hunyun: […]
“Those who are close to vermilion turn red, those close to ink turn black.”
Perhaps it wasn’t just Meng Hunyun who was changing; Xu Ke was becoming increasingly shameless too.
Their Young Master really was toxic!
“Ah, you, Feng Huaiyu, are quite hard to track down.”
Feng Jin had intended to find Jiang Pengji today. However, as soon as he stepped out and got into his carriage, he heard a familiar voice.
He lifted the curtain of the carriage and, lo and behold, a familiar face!
“Wen Bin?” Feng Jin exited the carriage, a youthful joy flashing across his face at meeting an old friend. “What are you doing here?”
The two exchanged pleasantries as Feng Jin welcomed the impeccably dressed youth in a lake-blue scholar’s robe into the residence.
“Isn’t there an assessment coming up? I wanted to find you to participate together, but your third brother told me you’re accompanying the Fourth Prince to Hejian… I figured it wasn’t too far, so I decided to take a detour, thinking I might run into you. And here we are, just as I entered the city, I spotted you from afar.”
The young man’s smile was dazzling, brimming with vitality, unlike the usual reserve of others. His demeanor was full of energy.
Feng Jin chuckled, “Wen Bin, you arrived at just the right time. Help me with something.”
“What is it?” Han Yu raised an eyebrow, laughing, “Are you tangled up with some overly eager lady and lack the means to escape?”
After all, they grew up together, and being the same age, Feng Jin could easily drop his usual serious demeanor around Han Yu.
“Oh please, the way you talk is getting more unserious. I can’t believe how Yuanjing teaches you,” Feng Jin playfully slapped Han Yu on the shoulder, whispering, “That fourth prince loves to linger around the brothels; he always drags me along… I can hardly handle it.”
“Could it be… the Fourth Prince has taken a fancy to Huaiyu’s beauty?” Han Yu said, wearing a face of undisguised disbelief.
Feng Jin coughed, lowering his voice, “Of course not… I don’t care for that kind of flashy and frivolous scene.”
Though he claimed that, he still found himself repeatedly invited; rejecting once or twice was fine, but if he kept on saying no, even a fool would know something was off.
Moreover, the Fourth Prince, Wu Ma Jun, was certainly a few notches above average in cleverness.
