Quick Transmigration: Drama Queen's Daily Life

Chapter 1183 - 1172: The Wealthy Merchant

Returning to his own courtyard, Ye Qiu dismissed the servants, and memories surged like a fountain.

In this lifetime, he traveled to a tumultuous era, where the original lived in a wealthy merchant family, with business ventures across the entire Nanxu Country, engaging in all sorts of profitable trades—be it grain, cloth, horses, or medicinal materials, restaurants, and more.

When a business grows, it easily attracts envy, especially in times like these. The wealth accumulated by the Ye Family was enough to make all eyes turn green with envy. Their hometown was in Jing’an City, under the jurisdiction of Prince Donghe, the first to covet this wealth.

In the past life, this person first tried to win Ye Qiu over, and when Ye Qiu refused, resorted to assassination attempts, eventually leading to the suggestion from Ye Qiu’s sister, Ye Lu, to ally with Prince Linsan.

Prince Linsan was indeed a young, promising, and resourceful vassal king. He courted the Ye Family with sincerity by proposing to marry Ye Lu as a concubine, and thus, the Ye Family became his logistics warehouse, supporting Prince Linsan’s expenses almost entirely.

Several years later, Prince Linsan successfully ascended the throne, with the Ye Family making significant contributions and being granted the title of a superior marquis; Ye Lu was elevated from concubine to Imperial Concubine.

But when the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden; the Ye Family, with its immense wealth and noble status, naturally aroused the apprehension of Prince Linjiang.

It was no surprise, then, that the Ye Family was eventually confiscated on a trumped-up charge, but after the family was exiled, Ye Lu was appointed Empress, and her eldest prince was made Crown Prince—a series of events Ye Qiu found far-fetched.

What intrigued Ye Qiu more was that Ye Lu seemed not to belong to this world. Since marrying Prince Linjiang, she not only developed gunpowder but also heavily exploited coal and iron resources, with technology unheard of in this world.

Returning to a new life, the original one’s wish was not to depend on any vassal king and to keep the Ye Family safe.

Ye Qiu opened his eyes, revealing a sharp gaze. Since it was a chaotic time, and the court was inactive, with vassal kings self-governing independently, why couldn’t he do the same?

The Ye Family had enough wealth and connections; in these turbulent times, money was almighty. As long as he could feed the rebels, they could do anything for him.

As for the sister who exploited Ye Qiu and then sold out the Ye Family, Ye Qiu would not concern himself with her in this lifetime. He would show her that depending on others was never as good as being strong independently.

And as for his stepmother Li Dezhen, she shouldn’t think being an elder allowed her to do as she pleased; Ye Qiu intended to show her who truly ruled the household.

"Someone—"

"What does the Eldest Young Master command?"

"Go and invite the Second Young Master and the two uncles."

"Understood."

In less than a quarter of an hour, the three assembled in his courtyard. Ye Qiu’s second brother was born of a concubine, named Ye Cheng, raised by the stepmother to live a straightforward life, but Ye Qiu knew this brother, although not talkative, was the most reliable in his deeds.

Additionally, his two uncles were his biological uncles, and as they had no sons of their own, with only daughters, they treated Ye Qiu as their son, which was also why Ye Qiu invited them to discuss important matters.

"Uncles, please sit. Second Brother, please sit too. I invited you here to discuss some critical matters."

Noting his serious expression, one uncle frowned and asked, "Could it be regarding the recent solicitations from Prince Donghe? Prince Donghe has always acted ruthlessly; if we depend on him, I’m afraid the Ye Family will be devoured completely. Yet, if we refuse, I’m worried about the peril of extermination."

"I also heard your mother recently contacted Prince Linsan, seemingly connecting with him, but I’ve heard that Prince Linsan is too young and lacks strength, and hasn’t shown signs of rising."

"Even in these tumultuous times, one is forced to participate, eventually. I suspect Prince Linsan is not that simple; perhaps we could cooperate. Qiu’er, what’s your take on it?"

"I brought both uncles and Second Brother here precisely because of this matter. Our Ye Family business is way too extensive, attracting attention from all sides. If we wish to step beyond it, that is impossible." Ye Qiu spoke with deep insight.

"So, Qiu’er, do you have any plans? Which faction do you intend to align with?"

"I don’t intend to bow to anyone."

These words surprised not only his two uncles but even the usually taciturn Ye Cheng, who showed amazement.

"What do you mean? Are you considering allying with the court? But the Little Emperor is young, hard to accomplish anything, and the Empress Dowager is absurd; her affairs with those flatterers stir nationwide commotion, causing rising public grievances—it’s unlikely to be suitable."

"There’s also King of Xichuan, who’s currently very powerful, but he’s further away from us, and connecting now might be too late. As for other small vassal kings, I fear they lack the courage to partner with our Ye Family."

Ye Qiu nodded in response: "Indeed, Uncles have a clear view of the current situation. Second Brother, what’s your opinion?"

Ye Cheng, suddenly addressed, felt a bit awkward, primarily because he had always been treated as a transparent figure in the household, merely handling minor tasks like accounting, accustomed to being overlooked.

Yet, he replied frankly to Ye Qiu: "I believe if we have to align with a vassal king, Prince Linsan is the best choice. My mother told me Prince Linsan intends to marry the third sister as a concubine, a sincere gesture of engagement. However—"

"However, what?" All three looked at him.

"Although Prince Lin Chuan might show sincerity, we needn’t exhaust all Ye Family resources supporting him. I’m worried that once matters succeed, he might become apprehensive of us—we should occasionally feign weakness."

Hearing his reply made Ye Qiu’s eyes glimmer with admiration; he hadn’t expected his second brother to possess such foresight and realize early on Prince Lin Chuan’s promise to their stepmother.

"Indeed, Cheng’er speaks wisely."

"Truly matured; when Uncle travels, you should venture with me to gain experience."

Both uncles nodded at Ye Cheng, their eyes filled with delight.

Ye Cheng felt a bit embarrassed at the praise, bashfully looking at Ye Qiu: "Big Brother, what do you think?"

"You made a valid point; family divergences exist, let alone vassal kings with ambitions in these chaotic times. If we align with them, we must be cautious. But I summoned you not to discuss dependency on a vassal king."

"Then what? Is there anything more crucial than this matter?"

"Have Uncles ever considered: we have wealth and connections; if vassal kings and rebels govern independently, why can’t we recruit an army? Why can’t we participate in the struggle? Why must we depend on others?"

Ye Qiu’s rebellious words left both uncles and Ye Cheng gasping in shock.