Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

He glanced around and knew someone was sitting in the cubicle. He quickly steadied himself, bowed his head, and said, "I'm sorry for the intrusion..." Before he could finish speaking, a familiar voice rang out in front of him: "My lord, you came out to buy cloth, how did you end up in a tavern?"

Kang Lian looked up and was shocked. He turned around and tried to rush out, but Yuan Jing'an's tall and strong body blocked him at the door, leaving him with no way to escape.

Kang Lian wasn't stupid; he immediately realized he'd fallen into a trap. He couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Old Yuan, you've really put me in a difficult position!" He then turned around again, knelt down, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Madam..."

The "madam" he referred to was naturally Li Ji's legal wife, Cui Cuo. Cui Cuo was sitting in a private room of the tavern, waiting for Yuan Jing'an to bring Kang Lian over, accompanied by a maid and two burly men. Kang Lian didn't know how capable Cui Cuo truly was, but even disregarding the two burly men, Yuan Jing'an could easily capture him, so he dared not resist. His eyes darted around, trying to figure out how to deceive them.

Yuan Jing'an said from behind, "Reporting to Madam, this fellow did indeed go to the gambling den, which is why I brought him out."

Kang Lian immediately protested, "I'm innocent, Madam! I've never been to a gambling den! I was just looking for a suitable shop in the market when Old Yuan forced me to buy him wine..."

Yuan Jing'an thought he had witnessed it firsthand and had irrefutable evidence, but Kang Lian lied to his face. He was furious and pressed his left hand on Kang Lian's shoulder, raising his right fist high to strike him. Cui Cuo stopped him, saying, "Don't hit him. If he gets injured, it won't look good in front of Erlang."

Yuan Jing'an knew all about Kang Lian's background and how he entered the Li family. Hearing this, he had no choice but to stop, but still said fiercely, "If Madam allows, I can beat this fellow until he vomits blood, but without leaving any skin wounds!"

This was actually bragging, but Kang Lian didn't know that. He couldn't help but shudder, thinking to himself that the nickname "Overlord" was no exaggeration. What would he do if he took a hit from that fist the size of a vinegar pot? Before, because his father protected him, he was quite polite to him, and he even considered him a friend. Now that his family was destroyed, Yuan Bawang would most likely dare to be ruthless!

He hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed to Cui Cuo, repeatedly begging for mercy: "I... I did have a bit of an itching urge and went to the gambling den, but I would never dare to gamble, Madam... the two hundred coins for the cloth are still on my waist, you can check them."

Yuan Jing'an sneered, "Do you want to call the people from the gambling den to identify them? You've lost more than three or five hundred coins today!"

Cui Cuo waved his hand, stopping Yuan Jing'an from continuing his interrogation. Instead, he gently turned to Kang Lian and said, "Get up—my husband has told me about your background and origins. Even if you have made a slight mistake, there is no reason for you to be punished according to family law. Besides, what's the big deal about gambling? When I was in my maidservant's quarters, I often played cards with the maids, betting a few dozen coins..."

Upon hearing this, Kang Lian breathed a sigh of relief and was about to push himself up when Cui Cuo's voice suddenly turned stern: "Yuan Jing'an said you lost so much money? I never gave you any. Did you steal my family's wealth?!"

Kang Lian had just straightened up when he heard this, so he immediately fell down again, repeatedly saying, "No, no, I did not steal any family property!"

Cui Cuo asked those around him, "What crime is it for a slave to steal his master's money?"

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Elegant Tea House

Cui Cuo asked, "What crime is it for a slave to steal his master's property?" The attendants replied, "It is the same crime as a free man stealing. He can be taken to Wannian County to be flogged, with the punishment starting at forty strokes depending on the amount of the stolen property."

Cui Cuo asked Kang Lian with a cold smile, "I heard you've been to the Dali Temple prison before, so you probably aren't afraid of the Wannian County prison. Why don't you give it a try?"

Kang Lian thought to himself, how could he not be afraid? Once he entered the yamen, he would be lucky to escape with his life, and besides, it wasn't that the severity of torture in prison varied depending on the yamen... Although he was trembling with fear, he still gritted his teeth and resolutely refused to confess: "Madam, please investigate. Since I have received great kindness from Erlang and been taken in by the mansion, how could I dare to steal money? I really did not steal anything—Madam can check the accounts carefully and clear my name."

He firmly denied it, but Cui Cuo was at a loss—his master had given him instructions, so he couldn't really beat him, nor could he send him to the authorities for punishment… So he raised his voice and said, “Come in!”

Yuan Jing'an quickly moved aside and let in another person—naturally, also a spy from the former Cui family—who stood beside Kang Lian and bowed to Cui Cuo with his hands clasped. Cui Cuo asked him, "How is it? Have you found out everything?"

The man replied, "I understand now—the shop is called 'Yaxuan,' the owner's surname is Peng, and it's a shop that sells Sichuan tea."

Upon hearing this, Kang Lian was so terrified that his last shred of hope vanished.

Cui Cuo then asked, "What's their background?" Those who can open a luxury goods store in Chang'an's East Market usually have powerful backers. Even Cui Cuo wouldn't dare to act rashly without finding out first.

“Cui Gan, Prefect of Lizhou”.

Cui Cuo couldn't help but sneer, "A mere prefect..." Then he frowned, raised a hand to his forehead, and said, "Wait, Cui Gan... he's actually from the same clan..."

Cui Gan was also from the Cui clan of Boling, but his lineage was relatively distant. He was not among the established branches of the family and had moved to Weizhou early on. Coincidentally, he was also a fellow townsman of Li Ji. This was quite a coincidence. Because of his impoverished life and his fondness for political maneuvering, he went to Shu to rely on Xianyu Zhongtong, the military governor of Jiannan. Later, he served under Cui Yuan and Pei Mian, and returned to the capital during the Dezhong era as a Zhechong Langjiang.

It seems that at that time, Cui Gan had visited Cui Guangyuan's residence, read the family genealogy, and addressed Cui Guangyuan as his uncle.

Afterwards, Yan Wu took office as the military governor of Jiannan Xichuan. Because of the invasion of the Tubo (Tibetan) and the rise of bandits, he knew that Cui Gan was brave and resourceful, so he summoned him to his staff and soon recommended him to be the prefect of Lizhou.

Cui Cuo tapped the table lightly with two fingers, thus connecting the cause and effect and gaining a thorough understanding.

Kang Lian did not change his bad habits. After his crimes were exposed, Li Ji wondered where his gambling funds came from. If he kept some money when purchasing goods or asked for a kickback, it was impossible for him to bet thousands of coins as soon as he entered the gambling den. Could it be that he stole valuables from his home?

So he ordered Chang Heng to investigate secretly. Chang Heng discovered that before entering the gambling den, Kang Lian had gone to a teahouse, and when he came out, his waist was bulging... Li Ji understood that this must be a secret business left by Kang Lao Hu for his son.

Kang Qian, who possessed immense wealth, refused to reveal it, and was nearly beaten to death in Dali Temple prison. It was only because Li Ji took pity on him and advised him that since he had already lost his backer, it was not worth keeping secrets for others. Only then did Kang Qian entrust his young son to Li Ji and confess.

It is likely that Kang Qian secretly possessed a considerable amount of wealth and some hidden properties, which would be difficult for even the government to discover through normal channels—hence the need for severe torture to extract a confession. However, he ultimately did not hand over all his possessions, but instead kept some for his son Kang Lian to use in the future.

When Kang Qian entrusted his son to Li Ji, he and Kang Lian embraced and wept bitterly, and Kang Lian whispered a few words in Kang Qian's ear, presumably giving him these instructions. Kang Qian's original plan was probably to wait until Kang Lian had weathered this period, find an opportunity to escape Li Ji's control, and then use the money to spend or even run a business, perhaps even reviving the family fortune. Unexpectedly, his good-for-nothing son had only enjoyed a few days of peace before his gambling addiction kicked in again, thus exposing his father's good intentions.

Kang Lian entrusted his son to Li Ji, but kept his hidden scheme a secret, which was frankly quite unethical. Li Ji hesitated, unwilling to take away Kang Lian's wealth, but Cui Cuo felt that Old Hu had acted unjustly first, and besides, he had only promised to take care of Kang Lian's son, not to protect his hidden assets and wealth until they were handed over to Kang Lian. "This money is mine!" he thought.

Because the money is in Kang Lian's name, but isn't Kang Lian my servant? Then the servant's wealth should rightfully belong to the master.

Li Ji, in particular, was used to spending lavishly and would often treat his colleagues to drinks. In the past, some taverns in the West Market would give him money under the guise of giving him wine. However, this income stopped after Li Yu ascended the throne—because he no longer needed to win over the Shence Army generals—but Li Ji did not change his ways. Even Cui Cuo felt that although the young master had been promoted to the fifth rank, his salary was still not enough to cover his income and expenses, so he could only rely on his dowry and live off his savings.

No, either you get a job outside tomorrow, or you find a way to make money as soon as possible.

That's why she called on Yuan Jing'an for help, to catch the thief red-handed, so that Kang Lian would have no excuse and would obediently hand over what his father had left behind.

It now appears that at least a significant portion of the wealth Kang Lian left to his son was in this "Ya Xuan" teahouse. According to investigations, the teahouse's backer was Cui Gan, the governor of Lizhou—it's estimated that Cui Gan held a certain share—which makes sense, since he was dealing in fine tea from Sichuan, he should have a protective umbrella in the place of origin.

When Kang Qian was appointed as the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, he was in charge of the Shannan East Circuit. His family's trade routes mostly went in this direction, so it couldn't be kept secret. Unexpectedly, he also secretly opened up a route to transport tea from Sichuan to the capital for sale, keeping it a closely guarded secret, which was just what his son could use to revive the family business.

Cui Cuo pondered the reasons carefully and was overjoyed. Regardless of whether Kang Lian was willing to confess or not—given that the fellow's trembling appearance while lying on the ground, he would speak up sooner or later—he immediately stood up and called to his men, "Let's go to the teahouse."

The group turned two street corners, exchanging glances with Chang Heng, who was telling fortunes on the street, before stepping into the teahouse. The waiter, seeing that Cui Cuo, though short, was neatly dressed and surrounded by maids, quickly came over to greet him. However, he immediately noticed Kang Lian being dragged in by Yuan Jing'an with one hand, and his expression changed.

Observing the man's expression, Cui Cuo knew that this waiter had probably seen Kang Lian before and probably knew his identity. So he said directly, "Where is your master? Cui, the wife of Li Erlang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, has come to visit."

The waiter hurried inside to report, and returned shortly after, bowing and saying, "Please come in, Madam, for a chat." He was then led to the back courtyard and invited to sit in the main hall. Immediately, an old man named Jia rushed in, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Madam. I am the owner of this teahouse..."

“Peng Zhudong”.

"I wouldn't dare, what are your orders, Madam?" Old Jia replied, while glancing sideways at Kang Lian, who had already slumped into a puddle of mud.

Cui Cuo said directly, "Bring me the shop deed."

Upon hearing this, Old Jia was greatly surprised: "What do you mean by this, Madam?"

"Let's get the deed done so we can transfer ownership. From now on, this teahouse will be the property of the Li family."

He then glared at the bewildered Old Jia and said sternly, "Let's not beat around the bush. Kang Qian has committed the crime of treason, his entire family will be executed, and his property will be confiscated. If I send Kang Lian to the Dali Temple or the Prefect of Jingzhao, his relationship with this teahouse will surely be exposed under the three-woods. At that time, everything will be handed over to the government, and even the Prefect of Bianzhou will not be able to wait!"

"Madam..."

"The mere Prefect of Lizhou is a distant relative of my maternal family. He can wield power in Shu, but his influence doesn't extend to Chang'an. Kang Lian is a slave of the Li family, and his property rightfully belongs to the Li family. Let's transfer it here, and the Emperor won't pursue the matter. Peng Zhudong, haven't you ever heard of my young master's reputation?"

"This...no, I wouldn't dare, Li Erlang...Li Langzhong's name is renowned throughout the land, even if I am ignorant and uninformed, I wouldn't..."

Cui Cuo interrupted the other person: "Ze Kanglian is safe and sound in my house, with no worries about food or clothing. My young master, having received this fortune, will surely take good care of him, and might even give him an official position in the future. If he is unwilling to part with the fortune, then he will have no choice but to go to the authorities, and the end result will surely be the loss of both his wealth and his man..."

At this point, his eyebrows relaxed, his tone softening as he spoke more gently: "And Peng Zhudong, did you know that he took money from you and squandered it all in gambling dens?"

"This... I've heard a little about it, and I've tried to advise him, but Sanlang wouldn't listen..."

“Gambling is a bottomless pit, and you can’t control him. Even if you have a fortune, it will eventually be gone. Even if it isn’t, do you think Kang Lian can survive without my family’s protection? If he were a child with a thousand pieces of gold in his arms, how about handing him over to my family? You can still be the owner of this teahouse, and my young master will support you. Think carefully about what to do.”

Old Jia was still hesitating when Cui Cuo turned around and glared fiercely at Kang Lian: "Do you want to stay in my house as a slave, or do you want to go to jail? What are you trembling about? Make a decision quickly!"

Kang Lian stammered and couldn't speak, so Cui Cuo waved his hand and said, "Yuan Jing'an, take him to Wannian County."

Just as Yuan Jing'an grabbed Kang Lian's arm, Kang Lian finally couldn't hold on any longer, rolled over and fell to the ground, bowing to Cui Cuo: "Madam, spare my life! I... I still want to stay in the manor, please protect me, Erlang!"

Seeing that Kang Lian had already admitted it, Old Jia had no choice but to sigh and order his men to bring out all sorts of contracts. Cui Cuo then ordered the account books to be brought out, though of course she couldn't understand them, so she handed them to her subordinates—in the world of spies, there were always people who could do the math.

After only a cursory glance, he immediately reported: "Judging from its past income and expenditure, it can make a profit of forty to fifty thousand coins a year."

Cui Cuo frowned: "How could there be so little?"

Drinking tea is a custom of the upper class. Sichuan tea transported to Chang'an can yield huge profits. Even if this shop isn't large, it shouldn't only make this little profit. Besides, with an annual income of only forty or fifty thousand coins, how dare that Peng give Kang Lian a thousand coins at once? In recent months, that kid has been using shopping as an excuse to go to the gambling den every few days; this isn't enough to cover his losses!

Cui Cuo didn't ask Lao Jia, but stared at Kang Lian: "Is this all your father left you?"

Once Kang Lian confessed, his defenses crumbled, and he dared not hide anything any longer. He answered with tears streaming down his face, "My late father left me only this one shop, but there was some gold buried inside..."

Old Jia looked at Kang Lian with a disappointed expression and said, "Forget it, forget it. If this boy stays in Li Erlang's mansion, he can still live. If he is still greedy for wealth, he will surely die and will also implicate me..." He ordered his men to dig up the buried gold, which was a whole large jar. A rough estimate showed that it was worth more than 10,000 strings of cash!

That evening, Li Ji returned from the palace, and Cui Cuo greeted him, unfolding the transfer deed for him to see. Smiling, he said, “From now on, you also have property—this teahouse also has a branch in Lizhou. Cui Gan owned 40%, and now my family owns 60%. All the profits from Chang'an will go to my family, bringing in 40 to 50,000 taels a year. If we sell it, including the land, the storefront, and the goods in the shop, we could get a million at once…”

Li Ji was rather displeased and said, "Isn't what you're doing a bit excessive...?"

Cui Cuo raised his eyebrows: "You protected Old Hu's offspring, so it's only reasonable for you to ask for some money. How is that excessive?! Let alone sitting idly in Chang'an, even if you were to be sent out to command troops, wouldn't you need money? If you don't use the wealth of merchants, you'll have to exploit the wealth of the common people. Otherwise, the generals will become suspicious and the soldiers will become lazy and disobedient. Even if you have the courage of ten thousand men, you won't be able to win a battle—you can choose for yourself!"

Li Ji sighed and said, "It's all over... It's all the property left by Lao Hu, so don't sell it off. Let's continue to run it. As for Kang Lian... release him from his slavery and treat him as my brother. Empty a quiet room for him, find a teacher, and let him study! I don't expect him to pass the imperial examinations, but I hope that he can still wear the clothes of a scholar in the future and have a skill. That way, I can be considered to have done right by Lao Hu Kang."

Cui Cuo curled his lip: "You recognize this kind of person as your brother? You'll definitely suffer the consequences in the future!"

Li Ji casually took the contract, flipped through it, and then frowned: "Good location, good shop, how come the annual profit is only forty or fifty thousand coins?" If the profit is really only this much, it is impossible to ask for a million coins and sell it, right?

Cui Cuo said, "I have also inquired in detail. It was Kang Laohu's dying wish. Because he had little foundation, he was afraid that others would covet his business, so he dared not go all out and could only barely maintain it. It is said that the shops that collect goods in Lizhou are thriving, but 70% of the goods are resold to other teahouses at low prices in order to avoid attracting attention. Now that it is under my control, I can operate with peace of mind and will surely make a lot of profit."

Li Ji said, "Fine, I don't care anymore, you figure it out..."

“I can also write a letter to Cui Gan, and he will surely be willing to welcome my lord.”

However, Li Ji's mind wasn't on this matter. He felt guilty towards Kang Qian and thought that freeing Kang's son from slavery and ordering him to study and be well-educated would make up for his past wrongdoing. So, once his guilt subsided, another thought suddenly occurred to him—

"Have Cui Gan Gong... sell a batch of raw tea. It doesn't need to be made into tea cakes. Just pick the tender tea buds, either sun-dry or roast them to remove the moisture, and transport them to the capital for my use."

Cui Cuo looked bewildered: "Does my lord intend to make tea himself? I've never heard of you having such a skill."

"But I will follow my orders, and we will know in the future."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Rabbit Dies, the Dog Is Cooked

Li Ji entrusted Cui Cuo with the task of freeing Kang Lian from his status as a servant and hiring a tutor for him—because most of the talented people he knew were in the court and would not be able to come to teach Kang Lian. Cui Cuo should be able to find and invite them more easily by using the channels of the Cui family of Boling.

The next day, Li Ji went to the yamen for his duty. He had barely settled down when Ran Mao'er called for an audience again. Li Ji was quite puzzled. Why was Li Shi summoning him so early in the morning? But when Ran Mao'er entered the hall, she clasped her hands and said, "My master has always been fond of tea. Hearing that Erlang has just obtained some fine tea from Jiannan, he specially sent me to ask for some."

Li Ji's eyelids twitched. He thought to himself, "That kid's got some information. I just took over Yaxuan Tea House yesterday, and he already got the news this morning... Could it be that Li Shi also keeps a lot of spies around Chang'an?" Li Fuguo had just made a mistake, and the "Inspection Hall" was automatically disbanded. Could it be that Li Shi wanted to rebuild a secret service agency?

He then said to Ran Mao'er, "Please wait a day or two, Your Majesty. I will select some fine tea cakes, such as small squares and loose teeth, and personally deliver them to your residence."

Ran Mao'er smiled and said, "In that case, this servant thanks Physician Li on behalf of my king." She then leaned closer and lowered her voice, "His king also instructed me to inquire about the matter I discussed with Physician Li the other day..."

Li Ji understood and nodded in reply, "Please also convey my regards to Your Majesty. This matter should not be rushed. I already have a plan."

Two days later, it was Li Ji's day off. He got up early in the morning, dressed neatly, and without his mace, mounted his horse and headed straight for Kaihua Ward on the east side of Zhuque Street. On the southeast side of the main street in Kaihua Ward, there was a centuries-old house, which was said to have been the former residence of Emperor Yang Guang of the previous dynasty. It had been renovated many times since then, and the walls and lintels looked quite new.

This is the residence of Li Fuguo, the current Prince of Bolu.

The alley in front of the gate was quite wide, but deserted and empty. Unlike other high-ranking officials and dignitaries who would be surrounded by carriages and queues waiting to be received, it seemed that even passersby would rather take a detour than pass in front of the Li residence.

Li Ji dismounted and knocked on the door, handing over his calling card. After a short while, the door opened halfway, and two servants came out to greet him, saying, "His Majesty is waiting in the main hall. Li Ji, please follow me." One servant helped Li Ji take the reins of his horse, while the other led the way.

As expected of a former prince's residence, the courtyard was quite large, with carved beams and painted rafters, extremely luxurious. Li Ji followed the servants, thinking to himself, "The general layout of your house is in the porcelain urn next to my desk. Even without a guide, I won't lose my way."

Upon arriving at the main hall, Li Ji found Li Fuguo standing on the veranda waiting for him. Li Ji stared intently, trying to discern any negative emotions such as depression, irritability, anger, or resentment from the old eunuch's face. However, all he saw was a harmonious demeanor, as if he had accompanied Li Bi when they first met at the Ding'an Imperial Palace.

Following protocol, he left the servants behind, hurried forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Li Ji greets Lord Li."

Li Fuguo smiled and waved, "Erlang, come up quickly."

He originally addressed Li Ji by his courtesy name, which was a respectful term used by peers or elders. However, according to popular custom, he changed it to address him by his rank, which was a deliberate act of lowering himself to the same level as the other person, to show closeness in the context of friendship.