Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

"you--"

She spoke slowly and deliberately, her teeth grinding together, "Keep dreaming!"

"I'm a very honest person, I never dream." Li Wenguo spread his palms out, as if weighing an item in his hand, "Just like this world—everything has a price tag."

"Some women are after money, I shower them with mountains of gold and silver! Some women care about their image, I elevate them to the heavens! Some women crave power, I hand them the seal of office! Some women crave romance, I give them candlelight, roses, and a romantic night cruise! Some women are insecure and anxious, I shield them from harm!"

"And you? What exactly are you after? Just tell me—as long as it's within my power, I'll get it done for you right away!"

These words sound harsh, yet they cut to the bone; those who can truly fulfill them completely are extremely rare.

"Ha, all talk and no action—I want to be empress, will you grant me that?"

Sai Xishi's lips twitched, but her smile was full of icy coldness.

"I can't give it to you. It's not that I'm unwilling, it's that I really don't have the ability; besides, the Empress's position is hanging in the air, it's not something anyone can just shout and sit on. You're just a bandit leader carrying a flag on a mountain, you haven't even left the mountain gate yet, and you want to ascend to the Golden Palace? This isn't just arguing, it's making fun of me."

Li Wenguo answered crisply and in a flat tone, with a slight barb at the end.

"So what if you're making fun of me? Who do you think you are? Someone who can see into the heavens? Or someone with three heads and six arms? What makes you think I have a price tag? And what makes you so sure you can afford my price?"

Sai Xishi's voice suddenly rose, her finger almost poking his nose, and flames raged in her eyes.

"Name your price—I'll consider it. To tell you the truth, among all the women I've met, your appetite is small. It's just a matter of a word; I can flatten it with a flick of my wrist."

Seeing her mocking expression, Li Wenguo leaned back in his chair and slowly uttered, "Trust me, the person behind me is stronger than you think."

"Alright, then I'll reveal my trump card—if you can eradicate all the bandits on Wang'er Mountain, leaving none alive, and avenge my brother's blood debt, I'll marry you immediately, become your concubine, and abide by the family rules from the moment I enter the house, obeying your orders in everything."

Sai Xishi's cold laugh was like a knife, and every word she spoke was sharp and resounding.

"Alright! Get ready to wear your wedding dress!"

Li Wenguo blurted it out so quickly that Sai Xishi didn't even have time to blink.

She paused for a moment, then scoffed, "Ha, men, their skin is thicker than a city wall!"

"Whether they're shameless or not, we'll find out in two days."

Li Wenguo remained expressionless, his hand already reaching into his pocket, seemingly to retrieve something, but in reality, he was taking out paper, pen, and cinnabar ink from his personal storage space.

Sai Xishi squinted at him without saying a word, but felt that his movements had a strange quality to them.

He picked up his pen and wrote quickly, handing it over before the ink was even dry.

"Put your fingerprint here, so it's all in black and white, and you won't deny it later."

Fingerprint? Do you think I'm signing a contract to sell myself into servitude?

Sai Xishi frowned, grabbed the paper, and glanced at it—

"Now, Sai Xishi herself has sworn: if Li Wenguo pacifies all the bandits on Wang'er Mountain and kills them all, she will immediately marry him as a concubine. After entering the household, she will obey her husband's every command without the slightest disobedience!"

He... really dares to touch Zhang Xiong'an?

Sai Xishi looked up and her gaze met Li Wenguo's.

"What, you're afraid to sign?"

He raised an eyebrow and smiled, his eyes full of provocation.

"Are you putting on a monkey show?"

Her throat tightened slightly, and doubts churned in her mind—Zhang Xiong'an had over two hundred guns, a full range of weapons, and the mountain was densely covered with sentries, both visible and hidden, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. To truly wipe him out, it would take at least five or six hundred elite soldiers with heavy firepower to take down this tough nut to crack.

"Sign it! If you don't, this piece of paper will be burned to ashes on the spot. You think I'm just kidding?"

Li Wenguo's gaze darkened, and he urged him without any politeness.

"By the way, dip your fingertips in plenty of red ink and press it firmly."

He added one last sentence at the end.

"Hehe, Auntie, wait for my good news."

He carefully put away the contract, his gaze slowly sweeping over her face and body, like a hunter assessing a fat deer just penned up, his eyes sticky and burning.

Sai Xishi felt a tightness in her stomach, her nails dug deep into her palms, wishing she could slap his face to pieces!

"On the day the bandits are wiped out, I'll take you to see it with your own eyes—so you won't think I'm bragging."

Before leaving, he said those words and turned to leave.

Now that the marriage agreement has been made, suppressing the bandits is an urgent matter.

His first thought was to ask Xu Wanqing for help.

Liu Erkui could win a direct confrontation with his guards, but could they wipe them out completely? Difficult. Sending two hundred men into Wang'er Mountain was like scattering salt into the sea; the terrain was too wild, the ravines too deep, and they could easily slip through if they weren't careful.

As soon as night fell, Li Wenguo invited Xu Wanqing to the dance hall.

After two weeks apart, she didn't put on airs at all. Instead, she stayed very close to him. When she danced, her waist was as supple as a water snake. When she toasted him, her eyes sparkled, and her fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushed against his wrist, making his heart burn. He just wanted to pull her into the hotel as soon as possible.

"Borrowing troops to suppress bandits?"

Xu Wanqing, who was bending over to organize documents, looked up upon hearing this, a smile playing on her lips, and said decisively, "A piece of cake—I'll have my adjutant muster the men, and they'll be at your command!"

"You mean that adjutant who's always half a step behind you, never leaving your side?"

Li Wenguo lay on his back with his hands behind his head, not lifting his eyelids at all, his gaze fixed on the churning clouds on the horizon.

"Yes, that's him."

"He is currently the regimental commander. I have already ordered that a full regiment be transferred to accompany you into the mountains to suppress the bandits."

Before she finished speaking, she had already bent down and buried her head in front of the desk, the tip of her pen scratching across the paper.

My goodness!

As expected of someone from a military family, he immediately commanded a whole army!

This is truly impressive!

Li Wenguo was startled.

Originally, they planned to gather a battalion—five hundred men, which would be enough. After all, that band of bandits only had about two hundred guns in total. But now they've directly assigned a regiment: three battalions, a full 1,500 fully armed elite soldiers!

1,500 against 200, and even those are 800 regular National Defense Army soldiers fighting a rabble, is like using a mortar to shoot sparrows—it's too much of a waste to kill a chicken!

However... when the time comes, bring Sai Xishi along and have her stand at the front of the team. The pomp and circumstance, wow, that'll definitely earn you a lot of face!

Thinking of this, Li Wenguo couldn't help but smile.

But then a thought struck him: Hadn't Tong Jinyi seen everything with Sai Xishi's appearance? He naturally understood who this trip was for. What if, upon returning to Beijing, she said a few words to Xu Wanqing…

He casually inquired, "How long has this adjutant been with you?"

"I suspect it's been a long time!" (It's been a long time since then.)

She mumbled a reply, her mouth still pressed against the paper.

"Hey! Talk to me if you want, do you have to bite the pen handle? Is it going to kill you to breathe?"

Li Wenguo frowned as he listened.

"Oh, it's been a long time."

Seeing his stern face, she finally looked up and gently rubbed her nose with her still-damp fingertips.

"Tong Jinyi is so young and handsome. Doesn't he have even the slightest interest in you?"

Why are you asking this?

Are you jealous?

She covered her mouth and chuckled softly, a playful curve appearing at the corner of her eyes.

"Jealous? Hmph, my woman, Li Wenguo's woman, is none of anyone else's business."

His tone became serious and resolute.

Xu Wanqing's ears burned slightly—the words sounded familiar, but their meaning had changed. Before, his eyes were full of burning desire and probing, like a hunter eyeing its prey; today, however, it was as if he were measuring territory, demarcating ownership, subtly revealing a sense of solemnity.

A thought flashed through her mind, and she decided to test the waters: "Ha, you won't let anyone else touch you? Do you really expect me to guard you for the rest of my life?"

"Hehe, we'll talk about the future later. For now, answer me this: Has Tong Jinyi truly never had even the slightest thought about you? Not even the slightest?"

Li Wenguo brushed it off with a smile, his words light and easy, yet subtly sharp.

These words were not spoken casually. He intentionally set the stage—the word "marriage" had quietly surfaced beneath the surface.

Song Caidie had already set off for Jinling to care for her ailing mother. He knew her heart disease very well: with the current state of medical technology in China, a complete cure was almost hopeless unless she went to Europe or America. But nowadays, tickets were hard to come by, and the journey was long; a round trip would take at least a year and a half.

By the time she returns to the capital, her children will probably be running all over the place.

By then, Song Caidie's feelings for him would naturally fade.

Marrying Xu Wanqing and marrying Song Caidie are two completely different paths. The former allows one to establish a foothold in the military, securing a peaceful place with limited power, and making it easier to extricate oneself should the situation change; the latter, however, inevitably draws one into the core of Nanjing's political arena—the heart of the party-state. Once inside, escaping unscathed is virtually impossible. The safest option is likely only one: flee overseas; otherwise, one might be swept up in the south and end up settling in Taiwan.

Xu Wanqing shook her head: "No. Tong Jinyi is the son of Uncle Tong, the steward of my family. He was born into the Xu family as a servant. The rules are there, and he wouldn't even dare to have such a thought. You can rest assured."

The term "house-born son" refers to a son born to a servant, raised in the household from childhood, and dedicated to serving the master's family.

Li Wenguo breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but as usual, he nitpicked, "What era are we living in? It's been almost ten years since the Republic of China was established, and we're still clinging to the old rules of the Qing Dynasty? These outdated customs should have been thrown into the dustbin of history long ago!"

"The Xu family is a remnant of the Qing dynasty. The elders still wear mandarin jackets and queues. These old customs are more important to them than their own lives. But if we endure another ten years, once they pass away one by one, things will naturally calm down."

She didn't oppose abolishing it; after all, the Republic of China had been established, and the whole country was learning from the West and implementing new systems, sweeping away most of the old customs and traditions. It was just that in aristocratic families like theirs, the elders still lived in the past dynasty at heart, which was why they stubbornly maintained this semblance of dignity.

Ultimately, having a son born into a family has its advantages—he is loyal for life, and even the most sordid and shady jobs are safe to be done by him.

"By the way, how are your talks with Director Song going?"

Li Wenguo abruptly changed the subject and got straight to the point.

"Yes, progress is going smoothly, and it's highly likely that it will be finalized."

When this was mentioned, Xu Wanqing's eyes lit up, with a hint of pride.

This connection was entirely thanks to her efforts in facilitating it. Without her tireless efforts and mediation, how could the Xu family have so easily made contact with the Song family?

In the capital, there are no fewer than five or four powerful families that are on par with the Xu family, but only her family has actually sat down at the negotiating table with the Song family.

Upon hearing this, Li Wenguo stood up abruptly, pulled her into his arms, his eyes gleaming, and asked with a low, mocking voice, "So, you really intend to give yourself to me? Didn't you say before that as long as we both sincerely want to continue, whether it works out or not, it all counts in the end?"

Before he finished speaking, his hand had already slid down her back to her waist.

"Wenguo, what's the rush?" Xu Wanqing said softly, gently pressing her fingertips against his chest. "Didn't I promise you last time that I'd give it to you after a month? There are still about ten days left, so just be patient a little longer. Besides, if I get distracted at this crucial moment, wouldn't that cause problems?"

She spoke sweetly, but in her heart she had already started planning: if Li Wenguo's attitude softened, then the marriage was not just empty talk; if that was the case, how could she easily give herself away?

Ultimately, no matter how shrewd Xu Wanqing is, she can't escape the rules of this era—if she falls for a man and becomes genuinely close to him, even if she doesn't insist on marrying him, if she really has a choice, he will definitely be the first one she picks.