Chapter 167 — Striking the Mountain

Song Yan did not arrive until a quarter of an hour later.

He wore a fine cotton robe of a brilliant blue, his face like jade, extraordinarily handsome. He walked in with an air of leisure, his eyes bright as stars yet calm and cold, deep as a waveless, freezing pool—and at once Wei Fan felt a chill at the bottom of his heart, and even his smile grew forced.

"Young Marquis!" He rose involuntarily and bowed to Song Yan with a respectful expression.

Song Yan sat down in the seat of honor without expression, gave Wei Fan a slight nod, and said mildly, "Sit." At once he had the situation in hand.

Wei Fan could not help but appear somewhat constrained.

Song Sui did not stand on ceremony with him. He went straight to the point: "First you said it was inconvenient to see me because of your mourning period, which I take to mean you think me unworthy of your acquaintance. Then you sent a servant to deliver me a note. I wonder what made you change your mind?"

His expression was indifferent and his tone calm, yet there was a mockery in it that made a man feel ashamed.

Wei Fan could not help lowering his head, and murmured, "You kill too much... it is not right... I came because I wanted to counsel you..."

Song Yan was stunned.

He had assumed Wei Fan was distancing himself out of fear of being tainted by trouble—never had he imagined that Wei Fan was questioning his character!

Seeing that Song Yan said nothing, and since Song Yan had always been amiable toward him—sometimes even accommodating his mood and echoing his words—Wei Fan cast Wei Wan's instructions to the back of his mind. He raised his head and looked Song Yan squarely in the face. "Look at the stir you have caused. Everyone falls silent at the mention of your name, and some tremble with fear, vowing never to associate with you again. We all live here in the capital—if a man has no kin, no friends, what is the point of being all alone?"

The man had no head for scheming, but he was not without a pure and good heart.

Dou Yan had married him. She might not gain noble standing through her husband, but at least she would not be treated with contempt.

Song Ke smiled faintly, like ice and snow melting away to reveal the graceful beauty of layered green hills.

Wei Fan was struck momentarily dumb by the sight.

Song Yan was already speaking: "You are right! This is something I truly must think over carefully." Then he picked up the teapot from the table and poured Wei Fan a cup of tea. "The reason I sought you out is that there is actually a matter I wanted to ask if you might be interested in—you know Gu Yu as well. His Majesty intends to dredge the Grand Canal of late, and Gu Yu has taken on the Jining, Xuzhou, Pizhou, and Huaiyin sections. Would you be interested in buying a share?"

Wei Fan was aghast.

For a commission like this, to secure even a single section was already a feat of heaven-reaching influence—and that Gu Yu had actually taken on four!

"How—how much silver would have to be poured into this?" Cold sweat broke out on his back. "I'm afraid I couldn't produce that much silver... even a small share seems beyond me... and Gu Yu doesn't lack silver anyway... besides, I'm still in mourning..."

Wei Fan was deeply torn, feeling this was an opportunity, yet afraid he lacked the means to involve himself.

"Who would go to the worksite to supervise in person?" Song Ke could not help laughing. "Just tell me whether you want in. If you do, send a capable steward—that's all. As for the silver, the Ministry of Revenue will allocate a portion, and corvée labor will account for another; it won't cost much at all!"

Wei Fan was immediately excited: "Then count me in!"

Song Yan smiled.

The serving men began to bring out the dishes.

Wei Fan, however, grew restless. "This matter—I must discuss it with my elder sister. I may even need to borrow some silver from my brother-in-law to tide things over..."

Song Yan's hand paused on his chopsticks. "For now, keep quiet about it—we have scarcely painted one stroke of the character." Here he changed tack. "Still, it would be just as well for you to discuss it with your sister first." Inwardly, though, he was thinking: since he had done the man a favor, he might as well see it through—let that madam, the heir's wife of the Jingzhenguo Estate, have a hand in it as well. Given Wei Shi's nature, she would certainly keep the profit to herself, and she could keep Wei Fan in check, sparing him from shouting about it everywhere.

He understood this in his heart and had his calculations, yet for some reason, the thought that Wei Fan had to consult Wei Wan about every last thing made him profoundly uncomfortable.

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As for the matter of typographical errors, I am truly sorry as well. Sometimes I simply run out of time and post a rough draft; now that Jin Tiao helps catch the bugs, it has improved a great deal.

o(n_n)o~

In matters like this, more hands make for greater strength.

If anyone spots them, please do leave a note in the comments section—I will make corrections promptly.

I hope to create a good reading environment for everyone.

ps: The evening update will be a little late; you can also read it tomorrow.

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