Chapter 1523: I Simply Made My Move Early

Feng Lingbo plainly found it hard to believe as well.

Peng Yulan could not help laughing. "Back when we wanted that girl to marry Shang Chaozong, she fought it tooth and nail. Now she's probably the envy of every woman beneath Heaven."

But Feng Lingbo looked melancholy. "Was marrying Shang Chaozong really a good thing? Shang Chaozong climbed to where he is today over the blood of my Feng family."

At those words, Peng Yulan's expression dimmed. She remembered the sons and grandsons killed in that great upheaval, the sight of blood relatives and in-laws slaughtering one another. She would never forget it.

Yet she also knew that if the Feng family had won that struggle for power back then, Shang Chaozong and his people probably would not have escaped disaster either, and her daughter might have become a widow.

And precisely because the Feng family had acted so ruthlessly back then, they had effectively pushed their daughter completely onto Shang Chaozong's side.

Peng Youzai knew what the two of them were thinking and asked, "Lingbo, if Nanzhou really had fallen into your hands back then, are you confident you could have reached the point Shang Chaozong has reached today?"

Feng Lingbo was silent for a while before sighing. "No."

Peng Youzai said, "There are no outsiders here. There's no need to speak in circles. Judging by what happened afterward, I'm afraid we wouldn't even have been able to hold Nanzhou. When Han and Song invaded Yan, Yan was beset by troubles within and without, battered by wind and rain and on the verge of collapse. If Shang Chaozong's Nanzhou forces had not turned the tide, Yan would already have been destroyed. Where would people like us have had any place left to stand? That battle of Shang Chaozong's can be said to have reversed the entire situation among the Seven States."

He sighed again. "Lingbo, let the past remain in the past. The Shang Chaozong of today is no longer someone we can shake. Even this Beizhou of ours lies within his sphere of power now. Don't say what shouldn't be said. If possible, you husband and wife should visit Ruonan more often."

That final sentence was the true purpose of his visit.

...

At the Shao residence in the Jin capital, carriages and horses stood ready outside. Shao Pingbo and Taishu Huan'er were preparing to go out.

Shao Sansheng entered the study and found Shao Pingbo still bent over the desk writing. He immediately went over and reminded him, "Young Master, the Princess is ready, and the gifts for the visit have been prepared. It's time to leave."

Shao Pingbo did not answer. His brush moved rapidly. After finishing a letter, he lifted it, blew the ink dry, and handed it over. "Send this to Ziyu."

This Ziyu was one of the students Shao Pingbo had taught in Beizhou. He had performed exceptionally well in territory formerly belonging to Wei, and in a short span of time Taishu Xiong, greatly pleased with his work, had promoted him three times in succession. Now that administrators were needed in the newly occupied lands of Qi, Taishu Xiong had transferred him there for service.

There was an urgent need for capable people. Taishu Xiong had no desire to keep relying on useless officials who occupied their posts without doing any real work and knew only how to enrich themselves. At the very least, he could not use nothing but men of that sort. So he had deliberately drawn another group of students from the Imperial Academy, each with some particular field of expertise, and sent them to take office in the Qi territories.

But the Imperial Academy had not existed for long, while Jin had expanded far too quickly. Taishu Xiong had repeatedly drawn personnel from the Academy as well, so there was no way its students could be trained fast enough.

These students were being put to use before their studies were truly complete, and Shao Pingbo was somewhat worried. He had therefore written specifically to his own student, giving him a number of instructions and cautions.

To Shao Pingbo, this was no small matter. The reputation of the Imperial Academy was at stake. That was why he would rather make the Princess wait a little longer than leave it unresolved.

Shao Sansheng accepted the letter with a "Very well," tucked it into his sleeve, then quickly went aside, dampened a cloth and wrung it out before handing it to Shao Pingbo as he approached to wipe his hands. As he did so, he reminded him, "We've confirmed what happened in Yan. Zijin Cave gave up part of its own interests and divided them equally with Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain. That was what made this seizure of power possible."

Shao Pingbo gave a cold snort. "Shang Jianxiong made a stupid move. He handed the occupied Qin territories to Shang Chaozong for nothing, and now Shang Chaozong has used those same lands as bait to win over Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain. He brought this on himself. If you ask me, the man who persuaded Shang Jianxiong to do that was most likely Gao Jiancheng."

Shao Sansheng gave a grunt. "Without Gao Jiancheng helping hold the various parts of Yan steady, Yan would be in chaos right now. Shang Chaozong could never have taken over so smoothly."

He accepted the cloth Shao Pingbo handed back. Seeing that his young master had nothing else to say, Shao Sansheng could not resist reminding him, "I remember Young Master once saying that Gao Jiancheng was one of Niu Youdao's people."

Shao Pingbo straightened his clothes. "Is there still any need to doubt it? My judgment wasn't wrong."

That was not what Shao Sansheng found strange. "Why hasn't Young Master suspected this time that Niu Youdao might still be alive?"

Shao Pingbo shook his head slightly. "There's nothing to suspect or not suspect. If he was Niu Youdao's man, then he could just as well be Nanzhou's man. Niu Youdao is gone. There's nothing strange about Shang Chaozong making use of him." With that, he turned and left.

Shao Sansheng quickly followed with the basin. Outside, he handed it to a servant to deal with, then went to find men from Blackwater Terrace. He entrusted the open letter to them and asked that it be passed to Shao Pingbo's student who was taking office in the former Qi lands.

Since it was an open letter, there was no fear of Blackwater Terrace reading it. Everything inside concerned matters beneficial to Jin, so there was no need to hide anything.

Taishu Huan'er, who had been waiting among the pavilions, smiled when she saw her husband approaching and came forward to meet him. Husband and wife left hand in hand.

After stepping outside, they boarded their carriage. The escorting convoy then set off at an unhurried pace.

As they passed through the city streets, an argument ahead suddenly blocked the road. Shao Pingbo drew aside the window curtain and called, "Go see what's happening."

Shao Sansheng immediately jumped down from his horse and took several men over to ask.

After learning what had happened, he returned, lifted the carriage curtain, and reported, "Young Master, it's over the sale of a shop. The buyer seems to have gone back on the agreed price, and the seller refuses to accept it, so they've started arguing. Quite a few disputes like this seem to have broken out in the capital lately."

Shao Pingbo said indifferently, "Let them argue. Go around."

"Yes!" Shao Sansheng immediately passed down the order to take another route.

Inside the carriage, Taishu Huan'er asked curiously, "Husband, why have things like this been happening so often in the capital lately?"

She had come to find her husband almost magical. Whatever question arose, he seemed able to give her an answer. It was as though there were no puzzle he could not solve.

Shao Pingbo said, "Rumors about moving the capital have probably started spreading."

"Moving the capital?" Taishu Huan'er hesitated. "I heard there's considerable resistance at court. Hasn't the matter still not been decided?"

"The resistance is strong because certain families have property here. With Jin's capital located here, every inch of land is worth gold. Once the capital moves away, this place will become much less prosperous, and some land and shops won't be worth anything close to their present prices. Naturally, there are people who don't want the capital moved. The argument we just passed was probably connected to that."

"As for the resistance, it's temporary. Jin's original lands are barren. Now that Jin controls such a vast territory, keeping the capital here is no longer suitable. The distances for transmitting government orders are too great. Moving the capital is inevitable. His Majesty is only letting the rumor out first to test the reaction. Once he sees how strong that reaction is, targeted compulsory measures will follow."

Taishu Huan'er understood. Then she asked, "Where do you think the capital will be moved?"

"Nine chances out of ten, the former Wei capital."

Taishu Huan'er became visibly excited. Trusting his judgment, she said, "Husband, then shouldn't we buy some property there as early as possible, while it's still cheap?"

Shao Pingbo reached out, pinched her nose, and shook it. "Our dignified Princess has become greedy for money too."

She pulled free, and he let go before shaking his head again. "Don't get involved in anything that means competing with others for profit, especially at a sensitive moment like a capital relocation. You're a princess. If you start buying, others will follow your example. It would be easy for people to seize on it and use it against you. Better one less problem than one more."

Taishu Huan'er looked unhappy and muttered, "You don't run the household, so you don't know how expensive rice, oil, and daily necessities are. We have all these people to support, all the gifts and obligations that come with receiving people and seeing them off, and you're forever using money to support your students. Your salary and the allowance the palace gives me aren't nearly enough. And you're not like those people who take bribes and embezzle public funds. We keep eating into the rewards we've been given. At this rate, they won't last long."

Shao Pingbo laughed. "Our Princess even knows how expensive rice and oil are now. Life hasn't been easy."

Taishu Huan'er punched him twice. "You forced me into learning it! Besides, what's wrong with buying a little property? We'd be spending our own money, not stealing or taking anything from anyone."

Shao Pingbo chuckled. "The people at court are shrewd. I imagine prices in Wei Capital are already changing by the day. Do you really think they'd wait until now for you to go buy?"

Taishu Huan'er reacted in alarm. "Then that's even more reason to hurry! We really don't have much money left. If we don't buy now, we'll be even less able to afford it later. If we're too late, are we supposed to sit there waiting for Father Emperor to bestow a place for us to live? Wouldn't all my brothers and sisters in the palace laugh at us?"

Shao Pingbo took her soft hand and sighed. "Listen to me. Don't interfere in this. Later, go find Old Shao. He'll explain things to you."

Taishu Huan'er complained, "We don't have any money. What can he possibly explain?"

Shao Pingbo gave a helpless smile. Was he the sort of man who worried about finding money for ordinary living expenses? This princess truly underestimated him. He sighed. "Our family owns twenty prime streetfront shops in Wei Capital, five excellent mansions, and another five thousand mu of fertile farmland outside the city. Is that enough?"

Taishu Huan'er's eyes widened. "Really? Don't just say that to make me happy."

Shao Pingbo looked somewhat helpless. "Do you think I'd joke about something like this?"

Taishu Huan'er grabbed his sleeve. "Don't tell me you've been hiding private money behind my back?"

Shao Pingbo did not know whether to laugh or cry. "You're imagining things. When the chaos in Wei Capital first began and property was selling for the price of cabbages, I had Blackwater Terrace help me acquire those holdings. Officially, it was to make it easier for me to operate in Wei. The deeds and documents are all with Old Shao. You can ask him for them."

Taishu Huan'er stared. "You were already buying property on that scale back then?"

"I'm poor. If I didn't act early, what else could I do? Wait until now? These days, ten thousand gold coins wouldn't even buy one mansion. Back then, I bought all of that for only ten thousand gold coins. Tell me, should I have bought or not? Don't worry. No one in the entire State of Jin bought earlier than I did. You won't be lacking a place to live. Those five large mansions are spread across the best parts of Wei Capital. You can choose whichever one you like. No one will compete with you for it."

Taishu Huan'er's eyes widened again. "You already knew back then that the capital would move?"

Shao Pingbo said, "Once the war was won, this place would no longer be suitable as the capital. Wei Capital is ready-made, so there would be no need for massive construction. It saves both time and labor. The region is prosperous, the climate mild, fertile plains stretch for a thousand li, grain production is abundant, and water and land routes extend in every direction. Its location also lies closer to the center of the three states, which makes it easier to transmit government orders. If the capital moved, it was bound to move to Wei Capital. I was simply confident Jin would win the war and made my move early, that's all."

Taishu Huan'er almost leapt for joy. She could scarcely imagine it. Ten thousand gold coins had bought so much property. How many times over must its value have multiplied by now? They had made a fortune. Her eyes practically began shining.

Shao Pingbo merely smiled faintly. He had never taken something like this seriously. It had only been a convenient move made in passing. What occupied his thoughts now was the person he was about to meet.

[End of Chapter 1523]