Chapter Nineteen: It Is King Yu!-Eu sou um tolo, que más intenções poderia ter?(Pena de ganso selvagem batata-doce)

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Xue Yuan did not respond to Jian Qi. Instead, he opened the window of the room just a crack and glanced out, catching sight of the county office’s main gate.

From this moment on, he would watch every person entering the county office and observe the entries hovering above their heads.

Why?

Because although the Su family’s warehouse had burned down, causing the price of Jiangnan raw silk to rise somewhat, it hadn’t surged dramatically.

Having experienced stock speculation and been burned by various unscrupulous dealers on Blue Star, Xue Yuan knew very well this was because the manipulators hadn’t yet started their moves.

Anyone who’s played the stock market knows that before a dealer pushes a stock upward, they typically follow a few steps.

First, release a small write-up to create positive public opinion.

Then, fiercely drive the stock up several limit-up boards, tempting retail investors to blindly follow the trend.

Finally, after reaching the target price, they sell off for massive profits, leaving the retail investors to suffer from falling prices and losses.

This blunt and ruthless method has been used since ancient times.

Applying that logic here: the burning of the Su family warehouse should be a boon to the Jiangnan raw silk industry, because the price of raw silk would naturally rise.

Yet the price hasn’t spiked dramatically because no official announcement has clarified how much raw silk and semi-finished products were destroyed in the fire. Without that information, Jiangnan’s major cloth merchants dare not act rashly.

It was foreseeable that before long, Li Yuanwang would exaggerate the losses from the fire, stoking public opinion to suggest a severe shortage of Jiangnan raw silk.

This would compel the already eager Jiangnan silk and cloth merchants to hasten their acquisitions—not purely out of greed, but because if they have no stock, their customers would be taken by those who do, forcing them to stockpile.

At the same time, Li Yuanwang and Prince Yu would secretly scramble to buy large quantities, further pushing silk prices upward.

Once prices reach a certain level, they would dump all the silk they had acquired, including the raw silk and semi-finished goods taken from the Su family, making a killing.

But such a sell-off would inevitably cause silk prices to plummet wildly, with about half of the merchants who bought at high prices likely going bankrupt.

Capital has always been this ruthless.

Xue Yuan calculated the timing: the Su Bailiang murder case had been closed and handed over to the Ministry of Justice. It was now time for Li Yuanwang to make his move.

Before and during his operation, Prince Yu would definitely send people to maintain frequent contact with him to coordinate their actions.

Xue Yuan’s current goal was to identify the person working for Prince Yu.

Jian Qi didn’t understand what Xue Yuan was doing but was too lazy to ask. He’d rather lie in bed and continue reading his “Peerless Princess.”

He wanted to finish this book quickly because he sensed the prince’s interest; the prince had glanced at the cover several times and would likely ask to borrow it soon.

Throughout the afternoon, Xue Yuan observed the entries of over a hundred people, learning a series of absurd stories.

For example, butcher Zhang from the east of the city was desperate to marry off his daughter to Mr. Zhao of the county treasury but didn’t realize his long-term worker had already fathered a child with her. Meanwhile, Mr. Zhao had embezzled over a thousand taels and planned to flee to become a eunuch in the palace. Scholar Wang Qi had spent the previous night with the courtesan Lin Shishi of the Red Apricot House, receiving thirty taels as a gift, intending to boast to his friends in the county office...

None of these people appeared suspicious.

However, his eyes grew sore from staring so long.

Xue Yuan dared not relax even a bit, since he only had three days. Once the divine detective unit arrived, Jian Qi would have to run or be caught, and all the painstaking work of these days would vanish in an instant.

He continued observing.

Many people came and went through the county office, and since he had to scrutinize each one, casual glances would not suffice. Xue Yuan didn’t even have time to lower his head and take a bite of dinner.

Yet Jian Qi always appeared when Xue Yuan needed him.

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Jian Qi held a bowl and scooped a bite of rice with a spoon, bringing it to Xue Yuan’s mouth.

Expressionless, he said, “Ah.”

Xue Yuan instinctively opened his mouth, and the rice entered.

“Hmm?”

A sudden wave of embarrassment swept over him. Narrowing his eyes, Xue Yuan looked at Jian Qi, who once again scooped another spoonful, resolutely offering it to his mouth.

Xue Yuan began to wonder if the storybook Jian Qi had been reading was really a proper one.

“Ah Qi, although we’re repaying a debt of gratitude, this isn’t exactly how we agreed to do it, is it?”

“It’s not like that, Jian Qi...” Xue Yuan started.

“Ah.”

He instinctively opened his mouth again.

Delicious.

After feeding Xue Yuan, Jian Qi returned to bed and resumed reading, quietly claiming credit for his deed.

Night fell, lanterns were lit.

After observing for three or four hours straight, Xue Yuan was rubbing his aching temples.

At that moment, he finally saw an entry that made his heart race:

Hmm, ignoring the last line for now—damn it!

But there was a surprising discovery.

“Jian Qi said the one who poisoned me is the shopkeeper of Longsheng Cloth House, who is a confidant of Prince Yu!”

“So that means Prince Yu wants to kill me?”

“Damn it, last time they poisoned and killed the original owner, and now they’re plotting to burn me alive...”

Xue Yuan frowned.

In his memory, Prince Yu had no grudge against the original owner; why was he so obsessed with killing a fool?

“Could it be...”

Xue Yuan vaguely considered a possibility but couldn’t verify it for now, so he set it aside.

However, through the entries, he could now confirm two things.

First, the shopkeeper of Longsheng Cloth House’s desire to become a Dragon’s Ally indicated Prince Yu was preparing a rebellion!

“For me, that’s actually good news; as long as Prince Yu rebels, the emperor will focus on him, and I’ll face less pressure here!”

Second, the shopkeeper was Prince Yu’s fully authorized agent, acting as a white glove in the scheme to artificially inflate Jiangnan silk prices.

Now that he had entered the county office, he was surely meeting with Li Yuanwang to discuss this matter!

Like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, if Xue Yuan wanted to be the oriole, he needed to understand every detail of their operation.

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With that thought, Xue Yuan immediately said to Jian Qi, “The shopkeeper of Longsheng Cloth House has entered the county office. I suspect he’s conspiring with Magistrate Li. It’s nighttime now; can you go eavesdrop?”

Jian Qi closed his book, said “Okay,” then opened the window and jumped down, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

Xue Yuan rubbed his eyes, quickly got into bed, and closed them to rest.

About half an hour later, Xue Yuan felt a cold breeze at the window. Alarmed, he raised his right hand, concealed with the electric shadow needle, aiming at the window, ready to fire.

But it was Jian Qi.

He truly returned from where he went out.

“There’s news!”

Jian Qi, rare to show a hint of admiration, said, “The prince’s prediction was right—the Su family’s warehouse goods were not burned but transferred to Longsheng Cloth House’s warehouse!”

“And?”

“Tomorrow, the magistrate plans to post a notice detailing the Su family case. It will mention that the burned goods far exceed outside estimates. They intend to use this to inflate silk prices. Also, Shopkeeper Wei is Prince Yu’s man, so both the Su family injustice and the poisoning attempt on you were ordered by Prince Yu!”

Xue Yuan had already suspected as much and asked, “Anything else?”

“Yes. Magistrate Li has long been dissatisfied with being just a county magistrate. Prince Yu promised to help him secure a prefecture magistrate position. Li immediately wrote a thank-you letter to express loyalty.”

Xue Yuan said, “That’s not a thank-you letter, it’s a declaration of allegiance! Writing that shows he’s firmly sided with Prince Yu. Li Yuanwang truly has an extraordinary hunger for power.”

Xue Yuan recalled entries describing Li Yuanwang’s ambition to become a major official.

Jian Qi nodded, “That’s no surprise. In recent years, Prince Yu’s power has grown, surrounded by talented subordinates, with the support of Prince Jing and Prince Qi. Many believe he will eventually seize the throne, so many officials secretly pledge allegiance to him. Unfortunately, the emperor is oblivious.”

Xue Yuan shook his head, “The emperor isn’t oblivious; otherwise, he wouldn’t have entrusted a fool like me to guard Ningzhou! But in any case, their rivalry works in my favor.”

After a pause, he asked Jian Qi, “Now do you understand why Prince Yu wants to kill me?”

“I don’t. You’re a foolish prince; who you support doesn’t seem to matter.”

“That’s the problem! It doesn’t matter who I support, but if I die, and someone else becomes Prince Ning...”

According to the Grand Qian dynasty’s ancestral system, if a lord of a fief dies without an heir, a new prince must be appointed by the emperor.

“So you mean, Prince Yu wants to kill you to replace you? But the next Prince Ning would also be appointed by the emperor; would he necessarily obey Prince Yu?”

Xue Yuan smiled bitterly, “There are only a few royal family members qualified to take the fief. Since Prince Yu is playing this move, he probably already has confidence!”

Jian Qi’s expression grew serious, and after a long moment of thought, he suddenly asked, “Prince, do you have 280,000 taels of silver?”

Xue Yuan squinted at Jian Qi and sighed, “Jian Qi, isn’t it too early to pack yet?”

Jian Qi said, “Prince Yu has many skilled men under him. If he wants to kill you, you won’t escape. How about I take you away to hide your identity and become a wealthy commoner?”

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