Chapter 10

At the Winged Duke's residence, in the back courtyard.

Qin Haidu was practicing with a spear, his family's heirloom tiger-head spear, which he wielded with great vigor and grace. Sometimes it moved like a divine dragon churning the sea, sometimes like a fierce tiger pouncing and tearing, and sometimes like an agile monkey leaping and dodging. His movements were fluid, blending strength and suppleness, and the air was torn by the spear's tip, creating a buzzing sound.

"Master, Master."

A pleasant voice called out, and then He'er entered through the courtyard gate, like a joyful sprite. Since Qin Haidu had won a thousand taels of silver and handed over the Three Demons of the Yellow River, the household no longer had to worry about money, and He'er had become much more cheerful.

"What is it?" Qin Haidu stopped, a bit puzzled. He'er would never interrupt his practice unless it was something important.

"Du Daren is here to see you, saying he comes by the Prince's command."

"Which Du Daren?" Qin Haidu was momentarily confused.

"Du He from the Cai Duke's residence."

Qin Haidu suddenly thought of someone—Du He, the son of Du Ruhui. Du Ruhui had died in the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, and his son Du He, without his father's support, was in a similar situation to himself. However, Du He had made a fatal mistake by joining the Prince Li Chenggan, inciting rebellion to gain the merit of establishing a new dynasty and restore his father's glory.

It was a good plan, but unfortunately, he met an even more reckless Li Chenggan. The rebellion was exposed, and Du He was beheaded along with Fang Er, Prince Han Li Yuanchang, and Hou Junji. Li Chenggan was demoted to a commoner and exiled to Qianzhou, where he died not long after.

Du He was a close confidant of the Prince. His sudden visit was likely related to the sword. Qin Haidu decided to use this opportunity to express his stance and avoid getting entangled in the struggle for the throne. He quickly instructed He'er, "Tell Du He that I am studying the sword and have been inspired to create a supreme boxing technique. It's a critical time, so I can't receive visitors."

Previously, it was sword techniques; now, it was boxing. The goal was to continuously enhance the sword's mystique and value, making it a more attractive bait. In a couple of days, he would demonstrate a completely different combat technique from this world, increasing its persuasiveness. He would claim that it was inspired by the sword, and he was sure the Wang family couldn't resist.

The more realistic the trap, the more convincing it would be!

After He'er left, Qin Haidu went to the west courtyard. He saw that Uncle Ma was still polishing the spear. It looked like he would finish before nightfall. After a brief chat, he left and found Jia Youcai to instruct him, "Uncle Jia, the residence might not be safe in the coming days. We might not have enough manpower. Can we bring some able-bodied men from the estate?"

Jia Youcai replied with some difficulty, "The spring wheat has just been harvested, and we need to prepare the land for other crops. Manpower is tight. How many does the Master need? I'll arrange it."

"Never mind!"

Qin Haidu, reminded by Jia Youcai, realized he couldn't spare more people and risk delaying the farming. He thought for a moment, and an idea came to mind—Luo Zhang, the son of Luo Tong and the grandson of Luo Cheng.

Luo Tong was one of the most capable warriors among the second generation of nobles, unmatched by his peers, and deeply favored by Emperor Taizong, who adopted him as a foster son. After Luo Tong's death, Luo Zhang became a rootless reed, with the family's prestige waning.

As Luo Zhang grew older, his martial talent became evident. He mastered the Luo family's spear techniques, displaying his father's prowess. However, with Luo Tong's early death and no support in the court, Luo Zhang had no choice but to live a quiet life, gradually fading from the nobility circle.

By lineage, Qin Qiong and Luo Cheng were cousins, and Qin Haidu and Luo Tong were of the same generation, making Qin Haidu a senior to Luo Zhang. Luo Zhang was straightforward, loyal, and brave, a martial enthusiast.

"Uncle Jia, send someone to the Luo residence to bring Luo Zhang here secretly."

As an old servant, Jia Youcai naturally knew of Luo Zhang's bravery. His eyes lit up, and he hurried off.

Qin Haidu returned to the back courtyard to continue practicing his spear techniques.

An hour later, He'er rushed over, "Master, the steward asked me to inform you that the person has arrived."

"Have him wait in the study and serve tea."

"Yes, Master."

He'er skipped away, like a cute butterfly.

Qin Haidu washed his face, changed into casual clothes, and headed out. He crossed the courtyard and followed the covered walkway to the front courtyard. The study door was wide open, and He'er was brewing tea. Jia Youcai was talking to a young man, who had a sturdy build and a serious face, looking troubled. It was Luo Zhang.

"I'm here," Qin Haidu stepped into the room.

"Meeting my cousin," Luo Zhang stood up and bowed, his eyes showing more warmth.

"Sit down, we're family."

Qin Haidu sat at the head of the table and saw He'er adding some strange things to the tea. He quickly called out, "Wait, what are you putting in there?"

"Master's favorite, salt, sesame, ginger, scallions..."

"Enough, don't put anything in. Just give me the boiled water and tea leaves."

He'er looked a bit hurt, as she had always done it this way, but seeing that Qin Haidu wasn't angry, she calmed down and quickly brought the water and tea leaves, placing them on the table in front of Qin Haidu.

Qin Haidu noticed that the tea leaves were not processed like in the future, just dried simply, and couldn't be brewed directly with boiling water. He suddenly realized this could be a way to make money. His eyes lit up, and he asked, "Uncle Jia, do you know where there are tea mountains?"

"There are two places, but they are quite far. We also have some on our estate."

Qin Haidu thought for a moment and instructed, "Arrange to buy a large amount of tea leaves secretly to prevent the price from rising. Also, have the estate select suitable land for planting tea trees and inquire about the prices of other tea mountains. This is very important, and it must be kept secret."

"But, this will require a lot of silver, and the residence..."

"Trust me, go ahead."

Jia Youcai, seeing Qin Haidu's confident expression, remembered the last time Qin Haidu had this look, and the next day, he had earned a thousand taels. He felt reassured and, as a steward, knew he couldn't disobey. He bowed and hurried off.

Qin Haidu turned to Luo Zhang, "I remember your family has two thousand acres of land, right?"

"Only a few hundred acres are left," Luo Zhang said, his eyes filled with anger.

Qin Haidu was shocked and asked, "What happened?"

"The Wang family used some means to take over the neighboring land, cutting off the upstream water supply. In a fit of anger, I confronted them and killed one of their managers. The Wang family made a big deal out of it, and I had to compensate with a thousand acres of land. Recently, I needed a large sum of money, so I had to sell some more, leaving only five hundred acres."

"The Wang family?"

"Yes, the Wang family! This grudge will be avenged. Why did you call me here?"

Qin Haidu frowned and asked, "Does the Emperor know about this?"

"Yes, the Wang family wanted my life, but the Emperor sent an imperial eunuch to order them to accept the compensation, or I would have lost my life."

"I see. What urgent matter required so much money?" Qin Haidu asked, feeling disdain for Emperor Taizong. Perhaps he had his reasons, but as an emperor, he chose to tolerate the Wang family's arrogance, which was unfair to the descendants of the nobility, lacking the spirit of those who had fought to establish the empire.

Luo Zhang sighed, "It's related to the Wang family, but there's not enough evidence. Never mind, let's not talk about it."

Every family has its own troubles. Since Luo Zhang didn't want to talk about it, it wasn't appropriate to press further. Qin Haidu suddenly thought of something. The Wang family was targeting the Luo family, and now they were targeting him. There must be support from other noble families behind this. Otherwise, Emperor Taizong wouldn't be so tolerant. He said, "Follow me from now on. We'll deal with the Wang family together."

"Really?"

Luo Zhang was taken aback. Seeing Qin Haidu nod firmly, he became excited, "The Wang family almost destroyed my family. This grudge must be avenged. Is Master planning to attack the Wang family? Count me in."

"Don't always think of brute force. Use your head more."

"I'll do as Master says."