048 [A Different Approach]

Yongye Ward, Shen Family Residence.

After stepping down from the carriage, Xue Huai glanced around the interior of the exquisite estate, gaining a clear and intuitive understanding of the Shen family's immense wealth.

The West City was home to many wealthy gentry, and land prices in Yongye Ward were worth every inch of gold. The residence before him was easily worth at least five thousand taels of silver. Coupled with the interior furnishings and decorations, the total value likely exceeded ten thousand taels. Yet this was merely a temporary residence for Shen Qingluan during her visit to the capital; once she returned to Jiangnan, it would most likely be left vacant.

"Qingluan, you must be exhausted from your long journey, and you will soon be busy with family business matters. Please take the time to rest for a while, I will not disturb you any longer."

Xue Huai wore a smile, addressing her by her given name quite naturally.

"Brother Huai, are you leaving for home?"

Shen Qingluan's face showed reluctance to part, and a sudden idea struck her. "Since you are already here, you must at least have a cup of clear tea. If Auntie learns that you left like this, she will surely blame Qingluan for lacking manners."

By this point, how could Xue Huai still be unaware of Shen Qingluan's feelings?

Even though he had lived two lifetimes and kept his emotional defenses heavily guarded, unwilling to easily trust anyone, a faint ripple of emotion inevitably stirred deep within his heart at this moment.

The Xue and Shen families shared a bond of generations of friendship. Xue Mingzhang and Shen Qingluan's father shared a life-or-death camaraderie, making Xue Huai and Shen Qingluan childhood sweethearts of course.

For such a young woman of exceptional beauty and poise to travel thousands of miles across mountains and rivers to stand before him, recounting her worries and longing, showing unreserved concern and laying a pure and transparent heart bare before him—even someone with a heart of stone would be moved.

Xue Huai was human too, not a machine programmed with set instructions.

Therefore, he did not refuse, nodding as he said, "Very well, then let me taste the famous tea of Jiangnan."

Shen Qingluan beamed with joy. Reflexively, she wanted to step forward and take Xue Huai's hand, but after taking only a single step, she stopped, inwardly sighing with regret: "What a pity that it's no longer childhood. If I were too enthusiastic now, I would surely frighten Brother Huai."

Although she had continuously had people collect information on Xue Huai's deeds over the years, the capital and Yangzhou were separated by thousands of miles, and information passed back on paper could never fully recreate reality. Thus, in her impression, Xue Huai was as aloof and self-contained as a solitary pine on a cold cliff, incomparable to those dissolute young scions.

The two walked side by side into the floral parlor, where maidservants served pastries and fragrant tea before respectfully withdrawing.

"Brother Huai, do you remember this?"

Shen Qingluan pushed a plate of exquisite pastries toward Xue Huai, smiling sweetly. "Fuchun Residence's double-sesame crisp cakes from Yangzhou. I remember this was your absolute favorite. Fortunately, the weather is cold right now, otherwise I would have had no way to bring them all this distance."

Xue Huai picked up a small piece and tasted it slowly, finding it fragrant, crisp, and melting on the tongue without leaving crumbs. Deep within his mind, certain dormant memories gradually awakened.

Shen Qingluan continued, "In the summer when I was eight years old, I fell ill and had no appetite for anything. One day you came to my house looking all mysterious, saying you were taking me into the city to eat something delicious. That day we walked for a long time, and even the old steward was exhausted, until you led me to the doors of Fuchun Residence, where that rich aroma instantly captivated me."

Xue Huai smoothly picked up the thread of the story: "Then you ate three whole crisp cakes and almost choked."

"I knew Brother Huai wouldn't forget!"

Shen Qingluan's eyes curved into crescent moons as she said earnestly, "I have always remembered the taste of that time. It's just that after you left, I went to Fuchun Residence many times, but I could never experience that feeling of being eight years old again."

"Because we have both grown up."

Xue Huai's expression remained gentle as he continued, "Actually... the reason you enjoyed eating it so much that day wasn't because the crisp cakes of Fuchun Residence surpassed all delicacies in the world, but simply because you had walked a very long way and were hungry."

Shen Qingluan was slightly taken aback.

After a moment, she gave a faint smile and said, "So that was it. Brother Huai is so clever to have thought of such a simple yet effective method when you were only eight or nine years old."

This time it was Xue Huai's turn to be stunned.

His original intention had been to strip away the childhood rose-tinted glasses from Shen Qingluan's perspective, giving the two of them an opportunity to truly get to know each other anew so that no matter how their relationship might change in the future, their consciences would remain clear. He had not expected the rose-tinted glasses in this girl's eyes to be so thick.

So be it, why force it?

With this thought, Xue Huai changed the subject: "Qingluan, I heard that your family is now considered one of the premier merchant magnates in Jiangnan?"

"Back then, relying on Uncle Xue's help, the Shen family weathered the crisis and managed to stand firm. My father gradually consolidated the family businesses, focusing primarily on four areas: textile dyeing, pawnshops, salt vouchers, and water transport. When Uncle Xue left Yangzhou, he also introduced several high-ranking Jiangnan officials to my father, such as the current Administration Commissioner of Jianghuai, Lord Dou. The family business has expanded quite smoothly over the years. While we wouldn't dare claim to be the absolute foremost, we certainly hold some status in Jiangnan."

Shen Qingluan spoke with utmost candor, smoothly continuing, "This time, my family's Guangtai Firm is heading north into the capital, and my father has selected two industries: drapery shops and pawnshops."

Xue Huai did not have a deep understanding of commercial operations, and trade in this era differed significantly from his previous life, but having spent a long time navigating officialdom, he could still perceive the obvious flaws: "The drapery shops probably won't encounter too much trouble, but as for the pawnshops... I'm afraid it will be very difficult for them to gain a foothold in the capital, right?"

"Brother Huai truly has discerning eyes."

Shen Qingluan offered a word of praise, then briefly stated, "I looked into this beforehand. The pawnshops and bill brokerages in the capital have always been monopolized by Shanxi merchants. They maintain very close ties with the inner court tax supervisors and officials from the Ministry of Revenue, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to intervene. Originally, my family had already smoothed things over with the inner court and was about to secure the pawnshop license, but at this crucial juncture, the Ministry of Revenue suddenly halted the process, leaving all the silver we invested upfront at risk of going to waste."

"Every place has its local potentates. For instance, the Shanxi merchants' monopoly on the capital's pawnshops and bill brokerages, or the Yangzhou merchants' control over water transport—this is nothing out of the ordinary. I believe Uncle Shen must have anticipated this long ago."

Xue Huai's tone was calm. He recalled that both Shen Wang and Xue Minglun had mentioned that the current Minister of Revenue was one of the trickiest old foxes in the imperial court, and that very Minister Wang happened to be a native of Shanxi.

With a slightly embarrassed expression, Shen Qingluan said, "Actually, at first, my father didn't agree to Guangtai Firm heading north. He felt that the business in Jiangnan alone was already enough to sustain the Shen family. He wasn't opposed to helping you, Brother Huai; he simply suggested using silver to pave the way and help you expand your connections in officialdom, without necessarily dragging the family business into it."

Xue Huai felt no displeasure; on the contrary, he thought Shen's father's train of thought was that of a sensible businessman, so he nodded and said, "Uncle Shen is right, and of course you are right too, Qingluan."

Without that second half of the sentence, Shen Qingluan might have felt somewhat unhappy. As it was, she merely smiled and said, "I told my father, the focus of the Shen family's business remains in Jiangnan, but wouldn't it be even better to carve out another path in the capital? Cultivating personal connections cannot rely solely on occasional courtesies; one must let others see the Shen family's existence, preferably by cooperating with the Shen family's industries. Only then will the relationship between each other truly grow close."

To Xue Huai, this was a clash of philosophies between two generations.

Shen's father had reached middle age and naturally sought stability in all things, while Shen Qingluan was like the morning sun, brimming with the sharp ambition of youth.

Before him, she appeared somewhat spirited and lively, but when it came to serious matters, she gradually displayed her own vision and insight. No wonder she was able to help her family manage the business and make it prosper.

Xue Huai asked with considerable interest, "Then what do you plan to do next?"

"The inner court side poses no major problem. The grand eunuchs are solely driven by the pursuit of wealth, and because my family holds a certain influence in water transport, we have frequently dealt with the inner court's tax supervisors in the past. They will not deliberately make things difficult for Guangtai Firm."

Shen Qingluan spoke with poised assurance and unhurried grace. "However, the connections in the Ministry of Revenue are very difficult to smooth over. The Shanxi merchants are too deeply intertwined with their interests, and an outsider attempting to intervene is as difficult as ascending to heaven. I have thought this matter through carefully: rather than continuing to waste energy on the Ministry of Revenue, it would be better to seek cooperation with others. The capital is crawling with powerful aristocrats, and the Ministry of Revenue is not without its flaws. As long as we can find the right person to pressure the Ministry of Revenue, Guangtai Firm's pawnshop can eventually be successfully opened."

"Clever."

Xue Huai gave her a thumbs-up.

Shen Qingluan asked, "Brother Huai, do you also think this method is feasible?"

"Of course it is feasible."

Xue Huai nodded. "In truth, this matter is not all that complicated. For you, trying to forcefully wedge yourself between the Shanxi merchants and the Ministry of Revenue is exceedingly difficult, but simply getting the Ministry of Revenue to loosen its grip by a fraction is much easier. However, this matter cannot be rushed. You must know that people's hearts are unpredictable, and you must never casually choose a target. Otherwise, you might end up losing both your troops and the battle—not only failing to open the pawnshop, but also letting others swallow up the Shen family's silver."

Shen Qingluan felt a surge of growing joy within her. Xue Huai's analysis was entirely formulated with her best interests at heart, and without the slightest concealment. Her painstaking efforts to persuade her father had truly not been in vain.

"Brother Huai can rest assured, I will not make a rash decision. I have already arranged for people to conduct preliminary investigations, focusing primarily on those powerful and influential noble clans."

Shen Qingluan had not spoken idly before Lady Cui; her trip to the capital this time was meant to resolve the obstacles Guangtai Firm faced in heading north, so she naturally had her plans well laid out on the journey here.

Xue Huai nodded. "I will keep an eye on it for you as well. In short, there is no need to be anxious; we shall proceed step by step."

Shen Qingluan replied, "Very well, I will listen to you in all things."

Xue Huai glanced at the sky outside, picked up his teacup to finish half a cup of clear tea, and smiled gently. "Qingluan, I must be going home now. I will come to see you another day."

"Mm..."

Shen Qingluan did not press him to stay. She stood up and said, "All right then, I'll see you out."

With noon approaching, the chill in the air had been chased away by the sunlight, offering a rare sense of warmth.

Shen Qingluan watched as Xue Huai and his long-serving attendant mounted their horses and rode away, only turning back to return inside once his figure had vanished from sight.

The moment she stepped into the warm chamber, the elation on her face could no longer be contained.

With no outsiders present, Yun'er, the personal maid who had served Shen Qingluan for many years, couldn't resist teasing, "Lord Reader Xue is truly a man of outstanding talent; you and the young mistress are a match made in heaven."

"Hush, don't speak nonsense..."

Shen Qingluan cast a harmless glare at her, but she herself happily collapsed onto the couch, unable to stop herself from laughing softly.