High Rank and Handsome Salary 04

"How much... does it cost?" Fang Zhiyi asked with a frown.

Zhang Qi held out his hand and made a gesture.

Fang Zhiyi was somewhat taken aback. "That much?"

"Master, that is merely the standard rate. For the premium ones, the price doubles!" Liu Mang added.

"Have you been there before?" Fang Zhiyi asked.

Liu Mang gave a sheepish smile. "How could a lowly servant like me have such fortune? I was just following the eldest..."

Zhang Qi nudged him, and Liu Mang quickly caught himself. "...just following everyone else and watching from afar."

Fang Zhiyi paid no mind to the slip. He craned his neck to look at the bright lights in the distance, feeling a bit melancholy. "To think that my entire annual salary as a prefect wouldn't even be enough for a single visit to broaden my horizons."

Zhang Qi offered an ingratiating smile. "Master, if you are short on funds, why not just ask the Old Master for some? He dotes on you so much, he certainly wouldn't mind sparing the expense."

Fang Zhiyi's expression turned serious. "A man of my age, still holding out his hand to ask his father for money? Wouldn't I be a laughingstock if word got out?"

Inwardly, Zhang Qi and Liu Mang muttered, Master, you are already a laughingstock. Of course, they dared not voice this aloud. Having accompanied Fang Zhiyi around town all day, their impression of him had improved somewhat. Though a bit pedantic, he never treated his servants harshly and was quite generous with his tips. It was just a pity that he was broke.

Fang Zhiyi smacked his lips, then suddenly asked, "The people having fun over there... how exactly did they get so rich?"

Zhang Qi and Liu Mang exchanged a glance, both tacitly keeping their mouths shut.

Fang Zhiyi did not press the issue. With a face full of regret, he simply led the two of them back home.

Fang Hongyuan was somewhat surprised by his son's outing today. However, knowing that his two informants had been tagging along, he did not pay it much mind. It was only during dinner, when Fang Zhiyi remained unusually silent, that he felt a bit puzzled.

Thus, later that evening, he summoned Zhang Qi for questioning. Upon learning the whole story, Fang Hongyuan laughed. He waved Zhang Qi away, and Fang Yan, who was standing nearby, stepped forward to ask, "Father, what has gotten into that kid?"

Fang Hongyuan stroked his beard. "He has read too many books and turned himself into a fool. Suddenly catching a glimpse of the world's prosperity, it is only natural that he would be a little overwhelmed by the shock."

Fang Yan scoffed disdainfully, "All he knows is how to study, and he just got lucky passing the imperial examinations to become an official. Does he genuinely believe it was his own capability? If our family hadn't spent a fortune paving the way for him, could he possibly sit in his current position?"

"Yan'er, what do I usually teach you? There are some things you must never say aloud!" Fang Hongyuan's expression darkened. Fang Yan immediately shut his mouth and nodded profusely.

Still, he could not hold back his ambition. "Father, if even he can be a prefect, couldn't I be one too?"

Fang Hongyuan narrowed his eyes. "You don't have what it takes to be a civil official. However, a position in the military... that is something we could consider."

Hearing this, Fang Yan's eyes lit up.

After Zhang Qi returned to his squalid little room, he tossed and turned until drowsiness finally overtook him. But just as he was about to drift off, a dark silhouette at the window gave him a massive fright.

"Who is it?" Zhang Qi cried out in alarm, blindly reaching over to slap Liu Mang, who was sleeping beside him.

The dark silhouette spoke slowly. "It is me."

Zhang Qi froze. The Prefect?

He immediately scrambled up to light the oil lamp and opened the door. Fang Zhiyi walked in, sighing heavily. Showing no disdain for the cramped and messy conditions, he plopped right down on the edge of the bed.

The two men in the room were completely dumbfounded.

Fang Zhiyi surveyed the surroundings. "This is where you live?"

Zhang Qi nodded and offered an awkward smile. "The place is a bit cramped, Your Honor. Please excuse the mess."

Fang Zhiyi waved his hand dismissively. "A bed is just for sleeping. What's the point of having a massive space?" As he spoke, his eyes continuously darted around the room, taking everything in without saying another word.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, Zhang Qi asked, "Your Honor, coming to my humble abode so late at night... is there something the matter?"

Fang Zhiyi turned to look at him. His eyes seemed to gleam with a strange light, sending an inexplicable chill down Zhang Qi's spine.

"Your master here wants to make some money. I'm willing to cut you two in. Do you want to work with me?"

Zhang Qi was stunned. Had the Prefect truly read himself into idiocy? Did he have any idea how obscenely wealthy his family was? Did he really need to go out and earn money himself?

Fang Zhiyi repeated himself, "If you follow me, we can make enough coin to go listen to some tunes, enjoy some singing, and whatnot." He paused for a moment. "I always knew the old saying, Within books, one finds houses of gold; within books, one finds maidens as fair as jade. But to think that I only laid eyes on such lively, beautiful scenery for the first time today... How truly pathetic!"

Zhang Qi understood now. The master had indeed been deeply provoked.

He wanted to talk him out of it, but then he remembered Fang Zhiyi's offer to cut them in. Following Fang Zhiyi's gaze, he took a good look around his own room, a place barely better than a dog kennel, and a sudden sense of stark inadequacy washed over him.

"We are in!" Liu Mang eagerly answered before Zhang Qi could speak. "But Your Honor, how exactly are we going to do this?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded in satisfaction but remained silent. He turned his gaze to Zhang Qi. It wasn't until Zhang Qi gritted his teeth and gave a firm nod that Fang Zhiyi finally smiled and said, "Don't forget, your master is a man who has read extensively. There are plenty of methods recorded in those books."

Neither Liu Mang nor Zhang Qi had ever read a book, so naturally, they were highly skeptical.

Fang Zhiyi beckoned them closer, and both men leaned their heads in.

"I am not afraid to tell you the truth. By the looks of it, neither of you is living very well. As for my family... tsk, my two older brothers have pretty much monopolized everything. So, even if I want to get my hands on some wealth, I have to do it myself. If you two want riches and glory, you will listen to me. Otherwise, you can just keep living in this hovel."

The two exchanged a resolute glance. "Your Honor, just give the word. We brothers will go through fire and water for you!"

Fang Zhiyi nodded. He wasn't worried about these two snitching to his father. What would they even report? That he wanted to make some money? What good would that do them?

The very next day, the more quick-witted Zhang Qi hurried out of the residence. His errand was to deliver messages specifically on Fang Zhiyi's behalf. His targets were several marginalized aristocratic families in Qingzhou. Feuds and struggles were commonplace among the great noble houses; those that fell from grace were gradually pushed to the fringes, and after a few generations, they became virtually indistinguishable from commoners.

Zhang Qi couldn't fathom Fang Zhiyi's intentions. What was the point of meeting with these washed-up families? The Old Master had excellent relationships with the major, powerful families of Qingzhou, and their joint business ventures were highly lucrative... But since the orders had been given, he would simply do as he was told.

Meanwhile, Liu Mang was tasked with something else entirely, roping in the yamen runners and guards within the prefectural office so they would have more manpower when the time came. To fund this, Fang Zhiyi had even emptied out his own savings from his official salary.

Staring at his pitifully meager savings, Fang Zhiyi could only console himself that it would all come in due time. The silver would come. Everything would come.

One day passed, then two. Several days went by in succession.

Fang Zhiyi rarely read his books anymore. Instead, he spent his days wandering aimlessly around the prefectural office, doing who-knew-what. Liu Mang and Zhang Qi were also kept running in circles, though they grew increasingly bewildered, completely unable to figure out exactly how Fang Zhiyi planned to make this money.

Naturally, Fang Zhiyi's unusual behavior did not escape Fang Hongyuan's notice. This was because Fang Zhiyi had made absolutely no effort to hide it; attempting to conceal his actions would have only aroused the old fox's suspicions. As it stood, his father merely viewed him with contempt, and contempt is often a fatal flaw.