Chapter 507: Chapter 421: Grand Destiny (Part 2)

The Silk Lady had uttered the four words, "Yuan, Hui, Yun, Shi." When he considered this, along with the theories in the Sixteen-Character Plate Book and the fate of the Great Qi Dynasty...

A disquieting thought quietly took root in the depths of Chen Li’s mind.

’Could it be... that the fate of a dynasty is truly bound by this great cosmic cycle, just as the book describes? A 360-year cycle, impossible for mortals to reverse?’

Chen Li was silent for a long while before finally shaking his head, refusing to dwell on it further.

Turning, he walked out of the cellar.

The steward, Zhou Quan, was still waiting by the stone steps. When he saw Chen Li emerge, he hastily bowed.

"Prepare some dry firewood, oil, and sulfur powder. Place them in a secluded corner of the back courtyard," Chen Li commanded.

Zhou Quan assented. "Yes, Patriarch. I will see to it at once."

Before long, in a remote corner of the rear garden typically used for storing junk, the dry firewood, oil, and sulfur powder were all ready.

Chen Li brought out the corpses of the Silk Lady and the Dust-Cleaning Slave, placed them on the pyre, doused them with oil, sprinkled them with sulfur powder, and then set the pile ablaze.

WHOOSH!

The raging flames leaped up, instantly engulfing the two corpses.

Tonight was the Mid-Autumn Festival. The entire city was setting off fireworks and burning joss paper for the moon, so the air was already thick with the smell of sulfur and saltpeter.

The Zhou Mansion was vast, and its courtyards were all separate. The flames and smoke from this remote corner simply blended into the city’s festive atmosphere, drawing no attention at all.

Chen Li watched in silence as the two corpses were thoroughly charred, then slowly disintegrated into ash amidst the flames.

He had Zhou Quan fetch an earthenware urn. He collected all the remaining, still-glowing bone fragments, crushed them, and ordered the steward to take them outside the city walls the next day.

Only after all this was done did he let out a small sigh of relief.

The identities of these two were sensitive. He could never truly rest easy without seeing them utterly vanish from this world with his own eyes.

He was just about to return to his room for a short rest when he paused mid-step.

His Divine Sense detected three familiar auras returning from outside the estate.

It was Chen Shouyue and Sun Shouyi, with Liu Zongying trailing them from a distance.

"Go to the gate and ask the Third Miss and Young Master Shouyi to come to the study."

"Yes, Master." The maidservant accepted the order and hurried away.

...

At the estate gate, Chen Shouyue and Sun Shouyi were returning after a fun-filled evening, their faces still flushed with excitement.

They had just stepped inside the estate when a maidservant approached, bowed, and said, "Third Miss, Young Master Shouyi, the Master has returned. He is waiting in the study and has asked to see you both."

The smiles on their faces froze instantly.

Chen Shouyue’s face fell. She secretly stuck out her tongue. "Of all the times for Father to return, why did it have to be now..."

Sun Shouyi was even more nervous. His somewhat tan, coarse-featured face was flushed beet red, and he fidgeted, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet.

Filled with trepidation, the two could only steel themselves and head toward Chen Li’s study.

With the help of a maidservant, Chen Li had just washed his face with hot water, soaked his feet, and changed into a loose-fitting house robe.

He dismissed the maidservant and sat in the chair behind his desk, leisurely sipping from a warm teacup.

"Father."

Chen Shouyue kept her head down, her pretty face slightly flushed, and her voice was as quiet as a buzzing mosquito.

"Master."

Sun Shouyi didn’t dare to raise his head, and his voice was strained.

"How are your injuries healing?"

Chen Li set down his teacup and looked first to his daughter.

Chen Shouyue glanced up. Seeing her father’s expression was normal and held no hint of blame, she relaxed slightly and replied, "Much better. I just feel drained and get sleepy easily. I’ve been sleeping a lot."

Chen Li nodded, his gaze shifting to Sun Shouyi. "What’s the situation with the farmlands in Qingshui County?"

Sun Shouyi stammered in reply, "Master, the rainy season was longer than usual this year, so the grain heads haven’t filled out properly. The autumn harvest will likely be delayed until early in the ninth month. However, I’ve already reached agreements with many tenants during this period. After the harvest is over, we should be able to reclaim a contiguous plot of land, around twenty-seven hundred acres."

Chen Li’s hand, holding his teacup, paused, and his brow furrowed slightly.

At the start of the year, he had set a goal for Qingshui and Ping counties to reclaim a total of twenty-six hundred acres of land.

Now, Sun Shouyi was reporting a figure of twenty-seven hundred acres from Qingshui County alone, far exceeding his expectations.

After all, the Chen Family’s total landholdings in Qingshui County were only ninety-two hundred acres.

This was not a result he was pleased to see.

If underhanded methods like coercion and trickery were used to reclaim the land, causing the tenants to lose their means of survival, to starve, or even for their families to be shattered and lives lost...

"You haven’t been using any underhanded methods, have you?" Chen Li’s voice had taken on a cold edge.

Sun Shouyi said hastily, "Patriarch, I would never dare! The people of Qingshui are giving up their tenancies voluntarily!"

"Voluntarily?" Chen Li’s brow didn’t relax. "And why is that?"

Sun Shouyi quickly explained, "Since last year, the price of silk has been skyrocketing. This year, it’s more than tripled. Consequently, the prices for silkworm cocoons and raw silk have also soared. Right now, the market price for fresh cocoons has reached two-and-a-half mace per catty."

"Many of the gentry and landlords in Qingshui County have started following the trend, switching to cultivating mulberry trees and hiring anyone who knows how to grow them. Many merchants are also opening silk-reeling workshops in Qingshui and hiring women to reel silk, and they’re paying generous wages."

"A lot of the tenants did the math. They figured out that raising silkworms or working in a workshop is far more profitable. So, I didn’t need much persuasion to get them to give up their leases."

Chen Li’s brow gradually smoothed.

For these common folk, one acre of land yields three stone of grain in a good year.

One stone goes to official taxes, and one stone goes to rent. They’re left with just one stone for themselves—barely enough to scrape by.

Now, by raising silkworms or working in the silk workshops, their income is significantly higher.

It was only natural for them to choose to give up their tenancies and seek a better livelihood.

’I may want to consolidate the land to make it easier to manage, but I never intended to ruin anyone’s livelihood. It’s a good thing they’ve found a better path.’

Chen Li’s tone softened. "Since they are doing this voluntarily, finalize the paperwork as soon as possible after the autumn harvest. Don’t make things difficult for them, and I forbid you from using this as an opportunity for exploitation."

"Yes! I understand."

Sun Shouyi quickly agreed, beads of sweat already forming on his brow.

Chen Li waved a hand. "You may go and rest."

Sun Shouyi bowed once more before cautiously backing out of the study.

When Chen Shouyue saw Sun Shouyi leave, she also began to shuffle her feet, hoping to sneak out behind him.

"Shouyue," Chen Li called out to her.

Chen Shouyue froze, looking at her father with trepidation. "Father, is there something else?"

Chen Li looked at his daughter, who was gradually shedding her childish air and blossoming into a graceful young woman. He contemplated for a moment before asking, "What do you think of Shouyi?"

Chen Shouyue was taken aback. "What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

Chen Li smiled, his tone calm but serious. "If you think he’s a decent man, I intend to arrange your marriage to him."

"Father!"

Chen Shouyue’s eyes flew wide open. Her pretty face flushed crimson in an instant, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.

She stomped her foot in embarrassment, her voice rising in pitch. "What are you talking about! That’s... that’s completely out of the blue!"

Chen Li’s smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "I’m not joking, Shouyue. You’re not a little girl anymore. It’s time to think about marriage. I had originally planned to find you a match from a family of equal standing. But in the last ten years, our Chen Family has risen too quickly, and our foundations are still shallow."

"The established Gate Valve Families likely see us as nouveau riche. They’re polite to our faces, but they probably look down on us in their hearts. A match from a minor family wouldn’t be worthy of you, which makes Shouyi a better option."

"Shouyi may be of humble birth, but our family has watched him grow up. We know his temperament and character through and through. I would feel much more at ease entrusting you to him."

The blush hadn’t faded from Chen Shouyue’s face, but as she listened to her father, the flustered anger in her eyes was gradually replaced by a complex mix of emotions.

She lowered her head, pressing her lips together, and remained silent.

Chen Li didn’t press her. He said gently, "I’m only discussing this with you, not deciding it right now. I will respect your wishes in this matter. You don’t have to answer me now. Go back and think it over carefully. But... you will need to give me a clear answer within the next year or two."

Chen Shouyue lifted her head, the blush on her cheeks having faded slightly. She let out a quiet "Mm," her voice barely a whisper. "Yes, Father. I will think about it seriously."

"Good. You may go," Chen Li nodded.

Chen Shouyue turned as if to flee.

Chen Li’s voice came from behind her again. "And don’t neglect your Martial Arts cultivation."

"I know!"

Chen Shouyue called back without turning, her figure vanishing through the doorway as fast as a startled fawn. She even forgot to close the door behind her.

Chen Li shook his head with a helpless smile, then rose and walked to the door, closing it gently.

Returning to the soft couch in the inner chamber, he sat cross-legged and began his Cultivation.

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