Chapter 0009 A Trap

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Tu Lichun has already been waiting outside

Li Ze smiled broadly and walked straight into the study, which was separated from the bedroom by a wall. He grabbed a bookshelf on one of the walls and pulled it forcefully, causing the bookshelf to slide slightly forward, revealing a hidden room inside.

As for myself, I am an exception. Firstly, I never even considered marrying a wife at this age. Secondly, Li Ze is a child who is neither loved by his father nor his mother. He is already 14 years old, and it seems that his parents have forgotten the matter of finding him a bride. Of course, Li Ze is also quite pleased with this situation; he has not yet fully matured, and he certainly cannot afford to deplete his vitality at such a young age

"Grandfather, please take me with you, otherwise who will take care of you?" Xia He said, "That butcher, he is so clumsy and awkward, I fear he would burn your hand even while pouring a cup of tea, and the food he cooks would likely be something even a pig would disdain."

Gongsun Changming rolled his eyes and said, "He can go out if he wants to; what does it have to do with us?"

Three years ago, we invested in Yixing Hall, reviving that nearly moribund business. We hold the majority stake, and over these three years, Yixing Hall has developed rapidly, reaping substantial profits, which has understandably made some people envious. Li Zedao: "If it is not too excessive, a warning will suffice; if there are any other improper intentions, then let Tu Er handle it."

Regaining his composure, Li Ze returned to his Ming Shuyuan.

It would be better to kill him with a single stroke and bury him in the chaotic graveyard, thus ending everything once and for all said Tu Lichun fiercely

"What if the master asks about it?" Li Ze retorted, "The master clearly values these two individuals, having hidden them here. If their significance in the master's eyes exceeds our expectations, what else can we conceal? Therefore, regarding these two fellows, killing them is not a viable option; negotiation is the way forward! I believe that as long as the conditions are sufficient, they will also help us cover up a thing or two."

Li Ze laughed heartily and flicked Xia He on the forehead with his finger, saying, "Do not slander Tu Lichun like that; he is my right-hand man."

What else did you say afterwards

At the age of fourteen, one is actually expected to establish a household in this era

After finishing her words, Lady Wang stood up, no longer paying attention to Li Ze, and went straight to the back hall. Moments later, the monotonous yet rhythmic sound of the wooden fish began to ring out, interspersed with Lady Wang's recitation of scriptures.

"Sir, do you really think that Liang Han will come?" Tu Lichun was somewhat uncertain.

He reached out to touch a horizontal sword on the wall, but after some thought, he decided against taking it down. In the end, he only took a small, compact folding crossbow and tucked it into his bosom before leaving the study

You stay at home to look after the house, and by the way, sort out the accounts for this quarter from Yixing Hall. Check if there are any discrepancies or oddities.

In the center of the dark room stands a writing desk, upon which are stacked numerous account books. Leaning against the desk are one box after another, while the walls are adorned with a variety of weapons.

The ability to read between the lines and gauge people's feelings was Li Ze's strength in his previous life

The servant knows that Master Tu must be used in front of the master, but the servant is different from him. There are things he can do that I cannot, but there are also things I can do that he cannot!

He aspires to master equestrian skills, not with the intention of galloping freely on the battlefield one day, but rather with the thought that if he excels in horsemanship, he may be able to run a little faster when the time comes to escape

After having a routine breakfast with Madam Wang, Li Ze wiped his mouth, stood up with his hands hanging down, and said to Madam Wang: "Mother, the autumn harvest has just concluded, and the rent from Liujiacun has yet to be collected. There have been some unforeseen circumstances, and I plan to go there to take a look."

In order to escape with his life, he was willing to invest significantly. In the horse stable of the manor, he spared no expense to acquire several magnificent warhorses for breeding. Now, several foals have already been born. Although they are not yet rideable, their physique is clearly not comparable to that of ordinary horses. Even Tu Lichun is envious and has already reserved one from Li Ze.

Gongsun Changming stared at Liang Han in silence, and after a long while, he said: "Why do you only remember the first half of what I said and forget the second half?"

Liang Han hurriedly stepped into Mo Xiang Ju, observing Gongsun Changming, who had his long legs propped up on the stone table, his body curled up in a large rattan chair, one hand holding a book and the other grasping a small teapot, and said anxiously: "That gentleman has gone out"

Upon reaching the front yard, several other guards had already prepared the horses. The group mounted their steeds and departed from the estate, heading along the road outside the manor.

Li Ze was speechless; he was not yet fifteen years old, barely fourteen. In his previous life, at this age, he could still snuggle in his mother's arms and act cute, but here, he was already considered grown up.

I also told you to behave yourself; we are merely temporary residents here, so do not dig too deep into matters. Otherwise, we might find ourselves a place among the chaotic graves on the back mountain," said Gongsun Changming. "Curiosity killed the cat; you should be more honest to avoid dragging me down.

"Yes, my lord, I have only glanced at the total accounts of Yixing Hall for this quarter, and indeed, there are some discrepancies that differ significantly from your expectations." Xia He straightened her back, "Please do not let me uncover any issues."

Xia Zhu silently nodded her head

What do you want to do?" Gongsun Changming put down the book in his hand, looked at Liang Han, and asked with some caution.

Li Ze smiled faintly. Over the past few years, he had been teaching this young girl modern accounting knowledge and methods of calculation, which were incomparably superior to the rudimentary bookkeeping methods of this era. If Xia He were to commit fraud, outsiders would never notice. However, if others tried to play tricks in front of her, it would be like showing off a large axe in front of Lu Ban, purely a display of incompetence.

Liang Han said with a dark expression: "I have already been dragged down to this state by you in my lifetime, and you actually treat me this way?"

After finishing this sentence, the originally docile girl had a fierce look in her eyes

Gong Sun Changming let out a loud "puh" and sprayed a mouthful of tea, drenching Liang Han across from him from head to toe

Gongsun Changming let out a long sigh, realizing that this person's curiosity could not be suppressed any longer. He hoped that this young man would have a bit more luck and not fall into that gentleman's hands; otherwise, things would become troublesome

Li Ze sighed, glanced at Xia Zhu standing to the side, and said softly: "Take good care of mother"

Madam Wang set down the soup bowl in her hand and looked at him coldly: "You have grown up, so do what you need to do without having to explain it to me."

Xia He nodded slightly: "I hope it won't be Master Tu Er who steps forward"

I want to see what other secrets he has outside. Those things you mentioned earlier, are they really true? If they are, haha, that would be interesting.

Liang Han sat down opposite him, with a hint of excitement in his expression, and said: "Don't you think this young master is very mysterious? And quite interesting? Tu Lichun was once a person of great extravagance, yet he is so submissive in front of this young master. Moreover, the people in this manor seem to hold this young master in extreme awe; this is truly incredible"

"Grandfather, how many days will we be going out this time?" Xia He opened the wardrobe and looked at Li Ze inquiringly

Gongsun Changming, that cunning old man, is indeed very sly. As for Liang Han, heh heh, just by looking into his pair of eyes, I can tell that he is a person whose curiosity is so intense that he cannot even control it himself. Moreover, he is clever enough; having lived in our village for more than two months, he must have tasted many different flavors. It would be strange for someone like him not to seek the truth!" Li Ze sneered, "If we don't get a hold of this guy, how can we negotiate with that bad old man Gongsun Changming?"

At the age of fourteen, in the previous life, it was indeed still an age where one could act spoiled towards their parents. However, in this era, as Madam Wang stated, one is indeed considered an adult. At this age, there are numerous individuals who are already married; even a young servant in the front yard of one's own estate got married last year. When his parents, who are also servants of the estate, came to report to Li Ze, he was truly at a loss for words for quite some time. Of course, in the end, he still rewarded them with a considerable amount of silver.

Xia He also walked in

Li Ze walked to the wall, gazed at the weapons for a while, and couldn't help but smile.

The autumn air was crisp and refreshing, and Li Ze rode his horse at full gallop, reflecting on how learning to ride had truly put him through the wringer. During that period, the inner sides of his thighs were bloodied every day; old wounds had not yet healed, and new ones had formed. Each time he returned, Xia He would weep as she applied medicine to his injuries, while Li Ze, in pain and calling out for his parents, would, as soon as he felt slightly better, resolutely return to practice equestrian skills.

In about three to five days!" Li Ze thought for a moment and said

Liang Han, drenched like a drowned rat, did not wipe away the droplets of water, but merely glared resentfully at Gongsun Changming

These weapons are also the result of his efforts over the past few years. The ironworks at home have made significant advancements in iron smelting during this time, producing weapons of a quality far superior to those of the same era, aptly described as cutting through iron like mud. This is certainly attributable to his guidance. Although his expertise in this area is not sufficient, he is still aware of some basic methods to improve the quality of steel. Even though these methods cannot be applied on a large scale, with the limited manpower he currently has, he has gradually accumulated enough resources to equip nearly all of his subordinates with weapons.