Chapter 111: Better a Dog in Times of Peace Than a Human in Times of Chaos

"No, that’s not right. Just give the jade back to me; we’re not selling it anymore..."

Zhang Yi put on an expression of shame and indignation, reaching out to snatch the jade from Shopkeeper Chen’s hands. Chen pulled his hand back, preventing Zhang Yi from succeeding.

"Little brother, let’s talk this over. The price is negotiable..."

He seemed to smell something unusual and began to scheme. Zhang Yi appeared anxious and shouted:

"This belongs to the Duke Yansheng’s Mansion! Don't you dare have any crooked ideas, or we’ll tell the Emperor..."

Chen Ke’s smile froze instantly on his face, and the jade in his hand nearly dropped.

"The Duke Yansheng’s Mansion?"

The Kong family of Qufu, the Duke Yansheng’s Mansion—perhaps in the eyes of those thousand-year-old foxes serving as capital officials, it was a pestilence to be avoided, but to the common folk, they were untouchable figures of great status. The Kong family had enjoyed centuries of incense; while they might not have been as grounded as the Zhang family, they commanded sufficient awe among the people.

Chen Ke, who had been harboring his own little schemes, was so frightened by those three words that he retracted them immediately.

*Young Master Kong? Is this the young master of the Kong family bringing things out to sell? No wonder he refused to reveal his identity!*

"Ah, I’ve said too much, no..." Zhang Yi looked as if he were about to cry. "My young master said I couldn’t talk about it, he’s going to scold me again!"

"Little brother, don’t be anxious!" Seeing Zhang Yi’s state, Chen Ke switched to a gentle, soothing tone: "As long as I don’t say anything, your young master won't know!"

Although he said this, he rang the bell in his hand, and the assistant immediately entered. Chen Ke whispered a few words into the assistant's ear. The assistant understood perfectly, closed the door from the outside, and then brought tea toward Kong Ne.

Kong Ne had been feeling somewhat restless, and the assistant suddenly called out:

"Young Master Kong!"

"Ah!"

"No, my surname is not Kong!" Kong Ne, remembering Zhang Yi’s words earlier, hurriedly waved his hands in denial.

"It is my mistake, I apologize. Let me bring you some fresh tea!"

"Thank you!"

Having obtained the answer he wanted, the assistant set down the teacup and went back to report to Shopkeeper Chen. Before long, Chen Ke received his confirmation, a glimmer of excitement appearing in his eyes. Seeing Zhang Yi looking restless, he felt completely assured.

"Little Zhang, calm yourself. Listening to what you’ve said, I’ve decided to take another good look. People grow old, and I’m no exception!"

Shopkeeper Chen picked up the jade to examine it carefully. "Look at my old eyes, I missed it before. This jade’s texture and clarity are exceptional; it’s a rare piece. I reckon it’s worth two thousand taels of silver..."

"That much?" Zhang Yi gasped. Seeing his reaction, Chen Ke was slightly smug and added, "That’s right. If my shop puts it up for sale, it could likely fetch thirty-five hundred taels. However, little brother, you must understand—a business has to make a profit!"

"Understood!"

Zhang Yi didn't know much about jade, but the price this piece could fetch far exceeded his expectations. He knew that as a mere child, if he entered this world, he would be picked clean by these people. Finding a large jade firm was the best plan he could conceive. Who knew that even such a large firm would be so shameless? Fortunately, he had been cautious enough to bring that brat Kong Ne along. He saw how Chen Ke tested Kong Ne, and since he had brought him along, he naturally wasn't afraid of the guy being probed.

Kong Ne, waiting outside, was oblivious. He had only been standing there for a while, yet Zhang Yi had already plotted how to sell him out. The result was not bad; at least it was better than coming here foolishly with Deng Zhongxiu.

"Forget it, let’s make friends. Consider this my apology for my earlier rudeness—I’ll buy this jade for twenty-two hundred taels! If you are satisfied, I will have someone bring the money. Would you prefer gold or silver notes?"

During the Hongwu era, one tael of gold was worth about five taels of silver. Twenty-two hundred taels of silver was roughly 440 taels of gold, weighing about twenty-seven jin. It was clearly unrealistic for Zhang Yi and Kong Ne to carry that back with their small frames.

"Change it into silver notes!"

Zhang Yi chose the notes. After all, silver notes had already formed a mature system in the previous dynasty. Before old Zhu printed the Great Ming Precious Notes, the silver notes of major merchants still had guaranteed exchangeability.

"Done!"

Chen Ke had someone bring the notes over for Zhang Yi to count. Zhang Yi got what he wanted and was quite satisfied.

"It is a pity that Young Master Kong does not wish to reveal his identity, so I have no chance to meet him. But getting to know a talent like you is just as good. Please look after my Runyu Hall in the future, and perhaps you could put in a good word for us when you have the chance!"

"Shopkeeper, it’s a deal!"

"May I ask your name, young man?"

"Zhang Sanfeng! I am just the young master’s book boy, I don’t deserve such praise from Master Chen!"

"Zhang Sanfeng?"

"Yes!"

Chen Ke had no reason to doubt him and left the inner room chatting and laughing with Zhang Yi.

"How did it go?" Kong Ne had been on tenterhooks waiting outside. This was his first time leaving home without family, and he was filled with anxiety. He hadn't felt it while with Zhang Yi, but sitting there alone, he was actually happy to see Zhang Yi approach.

The lack of worldly experience shown by the rich young master made the old fox, Chen Ke, even more certain that he was indeed the young master of the Kong family.

"Young... brother, it’s done!" Zhang Yi walked over, looking excited. When Kong Ne heard it was done, he nodded. He bowed to the shopkeeper, and the two boys left Runyu Hall.

"Big... Shopkeeper... you..."

"Don't ask what you shouldn't. Since he is of the Kong family, don't worry about this silver! Send someone to the Kong family tomorrow to verify if this young master is truly one of them!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Yi and Kong Ne had no idea what kind of "true dragon" was hiding in the shop they had randomly chosen. Having accomplished his goal, Zhang Yi was in a great mood. Twenty-two hundred taels of silver—double what he had imagined. He could now buy more materials to research antibiotics.

"By the way, Ne-ne, your family is from Shandong. Can you get access to a supply of garlic?"

"Don't call me Ne-ne, it’s disgusting..." Kong Ne looked at him with disdain. Zhang Yi shrugged. "Forgot, you’re a young master who doesn't use his limbs and can't tell his grains apart!"

"Who are you calling useless?" Kong Ne felt that if he spoke to Zhang Yi any longer, he would die of anger.

Zhang Yi didn't even respond. Instead, he put his arm around Kong Ne’s shoulder, having to stand on his tiptoes because he was shorter: "Forget it, I’m in a good mood today. We made a big deal, I’ll treat you to something to eat..."

"I’m not eating! We need to go back quickly. If the teacher finds out..."

"Don't be nervous. Our teacher is a libationer, at least; he doesn't have the time to bother with us. Look, are you sure you don't want one of these?"

Zhang Yi saw a street food stall and ran over. He skillfully bargained with the vendor and bought two portions. He handed one to Kong Ne, who hesitated before taking it.

"It’s sweet!"

A young master of the Kong family rarely had the opportunity to go out, let alone wander the streets and eat street food.

"Today, all expenses are on Young Master Zhang! Don't be polite with me..."

With over two thousand taels of silver notes in his pocket, there was no end to the fun! Kong Ne was led around the bustling city by Zhang Yi, neither of them in any hurry to return to Yingtian Prefecture.

"It’s a pity we’re still young, otherwise I’d take you to see the world up there!"

The two walked to the Qinhuang River before they knew it. Looking at the shops lining the banks and the bustling, noisy landscape of the south, Kong Ne ignored Zhang Yi’s cheeky attempt to sound superior.

"I haven't seen a sight like this in a long time!" Kong Ne looked at the commoners walking by, a smile appearing on his face, and he couldn't help but sigh.

"Because the world is at peace. The people are happy, too."

Zhang Yi licked his snack, his voice muffled: "Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of war... Now that the world is at peace, even if life is a bit bitter, the people have something to look forward to. At least they don't have to trade children to eat like in the previous dynasty, and they won't suffer the pain that the current Emperor saw—watching his parents starve to death before his eyes. Your Kong family is up in the clouds; when have you ever looked down at the tragedy of this chaotic world?"

Kong Ne’s face turned red. He wanted to refute Zhang Yi, but found he couldn't. Not to mention the actions of Kong Kejian and Kong Xixue, he himself had lived a life of luxury during the chaos at the end of the Yuan dynasty. The "trading children to eat" that Zhang Yi spoke of was nothing more than a distant legend or a curiosity to him.

What’s more, he noticed that when this brat Zhang Yi spoke, he lost his usual playful smile and showed genuine emotion. It was true empathy, not the forced poetic melancholy he himself used to feign. The difference between them left Kong Ne feeling uncomfortable, and he stubbornly retorted:

"Aren't you the same? You say my Kong family enjoyed eighty years of wealth under the Mongols, but your Zhang family had at least half of that. For a thousand miles around Longhu Mountain, where isn't there land owned by your Zhang family? Your family sells ordination certificates—at least twenty taels of silver per entry. At least half of the Daoist priests in the world today hold certificates issued by your family. How do you have the nerve to criticize me?"

"You have a point. My Zhang family does have the suspicion of being traitors to the Han."

Kong Ne had underestimated Zhang Yi’s lack of shame. When he said those words he least wanted to face with a smirk, Kong Ne felt a moment of suffocation. The power of sincerity was the most disarming. Kong Ne tried his best to punch Zhang Yi, but it felt like hitting cotton.

"You always feel the word 'traitor' makes the Kong family wronged; maybe you feel everyone serves their own master and you sympathize with your grandfather’s position... But from the perspective of the grand trend, I think our Emperor is a remarkable man. Although he is temperamental and petty, he is great. It was he who made it possible for the Han people, who had been divided for hundreds of years, to mend again. This is a mission bestowed by Heaven upon the Emperor, and it is the good fortune of us Han people. Facing this torrent of history, saying your grandfather was a traitor is not an exaggeration!"

Kong Ne’s throat was dry; he desperately wanted to argue back. Zhang Yi continued:

"Even if the Emperor went to Qufu to invite your grandfather, he didn't come because of illness, but he came personally later. The title isn't on your grandfather’s head, but you understand why your grandfather is still holding on, don't you?"

"Maybe you think I’m hypocritical, but you’re right. My Zhang family also benefited from the previous dynasty, so we also suffered the punishment. The stripping of the Celestial Master title probably didn't hurt my father any less than it hurt your grandfather! It’s just that I—or rather, we, the Zhang family—chose differently from you all. We are paying off the karma of the previous dynasty!"

"Like... the inoculation method?" Kong Ne asked tentatively.

"Exactly, but that’s not all."

Zhang Yi had enough confidence to say this. The Zhang family presenting the inoculation method actually carried significant political risk. He knew that monarch too well—bestowing glory today and turning heartless tomorrow was common practice. Just like Liu Bowen retiring—people accused him of treason, and even such nonsense made Zhu Yuanzhang fly into a rage. Thus, it was clear that standing out wasn't necessarily good for the Zhang family. If Longhu Mountain wanted to remain safe, the best way was to be low-key and wait for Zhu Yuanzhang to pass away.

"We are both scions of noble families. Instead of caring about those things all day, why don't you think about doing something yourself?"

Zhang Yi jumped up and turned to leave. Kong Ne hurried to catch up: "What can I do?"

"Since you helped me today, I’ll give you a hint! In the eighth month, the wind will change..."

By the time Kong Ne stopped to ponder, Zhang Yi was already far away!

"What does 'the eighth month' mean? Can't you Daoists speak like normal people?"

Kong Ne hurried to chase after him.