"How much for this kitchen knife?"
Chu Mu hefted the blade in his hand, eyeing the stall vendor before him.
The vendor instantly plastered on a smile. "Sir, you've got a keen eye. This is…"
"No nonsense. How much?"
Chu Mu cast a glance at the vendor's fawning grin, his voice growing slightly heavier.
"Sir, what are you saying? If you want it, just take it. No need for money—it's my small token of respect to you, sir…"
Though he spoke thus, the vendor's pained expression was all too clear.
"Name a price. Don't worry, I won't take your knife for nothing."
Chu Mu examined the kitchen knife in his hand, responding without lifting his head.
"Four… no, sir, two silver will do."
"Two silver?"
Chu Mu raised an eyebrow. "So, you're saying you sell it to others for four silver?"
"Sir, it's not that I'm overcharging. Iron's gone up to thirty copper per jin on the market now. Forging a knife has losses, and I've got to hire help. There's barely any profit—it's all blood-and-sweat money!"
"Is iron that expensive now?"
Chu Mu's gaze flickered, glancing at the thick smoke still rising from the mountainside. Seemingly offhand, he said, "With iron so costly in the market, aren't there… other sources?"
At those words, the vendor's face shifted. He quickly scanned their surroundings, then leaned closer to Chu Mu, lowering his voice. "If you can get some, sir, I'll give you this price."
Chu Mu looked down. The vendor's gesture was clear: one, then five.
"Taking half? Your heart's a bit dark, isn't it?"
Chu Mu stepped back, casually tossing the kitchen knife onto the vendor's table.
"Sir, you know how it is. The iron in this county is all held by a few lords. There's only so much on the market. Even if we get some, we don't dare deal with it here in our county—it all has to go to the next county over!"
"All that back-and-forth, feeding men and horses, greasing palms up and down—there's really no profit in it."
Chu Mu said nothing, merely fixing the prattling vendor with a cold stare.
"Alright, sir. If you've got a big haul, I'll give you twenty. If it's small, sixteen…"
"Fine. If I have news, I'll find you."
Chu Mu patted his armored coat and, without waiting for the vendor's reply, turned and walked away, leaving the vendor standing there, momentarily stunned, as if he hadn't quite processed what had happened.
"As expected, my perspective was too narrow…"
Chu Mu pursed his lips. His conversation with the vendor had already formed a clear thread in his mind.
Without question, no one willingly does business at a loss, let alone persists in a losing venture time and again. If someone does, there must be a reason.
And in Qinghe County, the high and mighty lords clearly weren't losing.
Even if the prefectural city took the lion's share, what remained was enough for those lords to fill their bowls to the brim. Moreover, the city's large cut created a scarcity that drove up value.
As for the county's lords, all it cost them was a single written order.
The ones at the top ate the meat, while those below sipped the broth.
The vendor's words had undoubtedly confirmed this.
The mines and the ironworks were all under the inspectors' watch. Clearly, some bold ones had long been sipping broth through their positions.
And it was certain this "broth-sipping" wasn't an isolated case. Otherwise, the vendor wouldn't have spoken so freely.
After some thought, Chu Mu seemed to understand.
Around the South Mountain iron mine, Qinghe County had long woven a vast web of profit. Those at the top ate meat, those below drank broth, and from top to bottom, they were all in collusion, deeply entrenched.
It was obvious that unless a great upheaval came from below, this web would be nearly impossible to shake.
If he wanted to climb slowly in Qinghe County, he couldn't avoid this web.
Lost in thought, it wasn't long before his own courtyard came into view.
As expected, Xu Yuan was already waiting at the gate.
"Mu, where'd you go? Why're you back so late?"
"Strolled around the market for a bit."
Chu Mu brushed it off, pulling out his key to unlock the courtyard gate.
"I bought a fish. Mu, make braised fish for dinner tonight, yeah?"
"Alright. Put it in the kitchen and rinse some rice to cook. I'll be there soon."
Chu Mu waved a hand, stepping into his bedroom. He set down the books tucked in his arms, removed his armor and saber, and then headed to the kitchen to start cooking.
Before long, three dishes and a soup were laid out on the table. As usual, Xu Yuan wolfed down his food, as if he hadn't eaten in eight lifetimes.
But this time, after dinner, Xu Yuan didn't linger as he usually did. Setting down his bowl, he wiped his mouth, tossed out a sentence, and rushed off.
"Mu, the corporal said to come help at his place after dinner. I'm heading over."
"Alright, take it slow."
Before Chu Mu could finish, Xu Yuan had already bolted out the gate, vanishing from sight.
"That kid…"
Chu Mu shook his head, setting down his bowl and chopsticks. He leaned back in his chair for a while before slowly rising, tidying the dishes simply. By the time he left the kitchen, the sky had turned completely dark.
Chu Mu clearly wasn't free yet. Grabbing his bag with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, he headed out into the night.
The route to the private school was second nature to him, and he didn't linger on the way. Leaving home, Chu Mu made straight for the school.
Every evening after dinner, he studied by night. Old Master Chang naturally didn't have the energy to tutor Chu Mu alone. For the first two days, it was Master Chang himself, but afterward, it was always one of his disciples teaching Chu Mu to read and write.
Though a disciple, the man was a dedicated scholar with ambitions for imperial exams, more than capable of teaching Chu Mu literacy.
In one evening, over two hours of focus, Chu Mu learned some thirty new characters.
The primer he'd stumbled through countless times had, with the addition of new characters, become noticeably smoother to read.
When Chu Mu left the school, it was nearly curfew.
The alley was pitch black, with lanterns from nearby homes swaying in the wind, casting faint light but also adding an eerie unease.
"Move faster, be quick about it!"
In the darkness, a faint voice made Chu Mu instinctively slow his steps.
The alley was narrow and branched in all directions. Though it was hard to discern in the dark, Chu Mu was used to walking at night. Soon, he pinpointed the source of the voice.
Leaning against the alley wall, Chu Mu peered sideways at a cart parked outside a courtyard, where figures were lifting wooden crates and sacks.
In the darkness, the clinking of iron inside the sacks was unmistakable.
And with those distinctive inspector uniforms…
The scene before him was all too clear…
…
*(End of Chapter)*