Threads 59-Bao Qian 3

“So, with the correct arts and knowledge, metals and minerals can be induced to grow, restoring themselves in a time useful to humans,” Bao Qian explained.

They had been traveling for some time and at last, polite small talk had turned into something a little more interesting, that is, a discussion of why they were out here and what Bao Qian was doing.

“Secret family arts, I assume,” Ling Qi pointed out shrewdly.

“Of course,” Bao Qian chuckled. “We are not the only ones in the Empire with such arts, but there are not many. The methods do have their downsides. One must accept a sharp reduction in immediate productivity to use the Bao methods, and many prefer to go without and simply create new sites when old ones run dry. There are always more lands to exploit after all, or so the logic goes.”

“That was the reasoning behind the Hui settlement programs, if I recall,” Li Suyin said from atop her sedan.

“Right you are, Miss Li. For all that the maps have said that the borders have been the same since the usurpation, the reality is that the south was nigh unsettled. Of course, the Hui were just using it as a distraction to get their vassals out of court, so things were… not very well organized.”

“It was a chaotic and lawless period,” Du Feng put forward cautiously. “But many made their fortunes during that era. Many towns and cities were settled in those days.”

“And many more fell, even before Ogodei smashed things, and much of the later trouble arose from it,” Bao Qian said with a shrug. “A stable and well organized investment is superior to territorial knife fighting.”

“I would have thought you were more the type for risky ventures,” Ling Qi said innocently.

“There is a difference between personal risk and that sort of thing,” Bao Qian clarified. “It is admirable to have the right instinct for risk.”

“I suppose so,” Ling Qi allowed.

“Sis is weird about when she’ll do risky things,” Hanyi commented idly. Ling Qi shot her a look, and Hanyi stuck out her tongue.

“Ling Qi rarely overestimates herself,” Li Suyin put in, giving her a tentative smile.

Ling Qi was not so sure of that, but she was hardly going to say so. It only took one misstep for things to go awfully. She had been lucky the consequences had been so light so far.

<You took your lumps, but you won’t mess up like that in the material world. But not the time to get lost in your thoughts though,> Sixiang whispered.

“I have been very fortunate,” Ling Qi said aloud, politely dismissing Li Suyin’s praise. “Still, I would be interested to hear more about why you regard your time in the south as a stable investment.”

“Duchess Cai is a very thorough woman. Some might say implacable even,” Bao Qian elaborated, stroking his chin. “In recent decades, investment in the south of the province has only grown. New villages are seeing construction quite regularly, and if I can establish myself well, it should not be hard to make my fortune on prospecting contracts amidst the foothills of the Wall.”

“I had thought the Bao did not have much interest in expansion,” Ling Qi commented.

“Filling in what you already own is hardly expansion,” he shot back. “We merely think it foolish to grab at more when what we already have is so sparsely used.”

“A fair assessment, Sir Bao. Some of our peers are a bit too bloodthirsty, I think,” Du Feng agreed.

“It is more a matter of glory than blood,” Li Suyin said quietly, the talons of her glove clicking against the arm of her charm.

Ling Qi thought Li Suyin had the right of it. While she was hardly a master of imperial politics, even she could see that martial achievements seemed more valued than any others.

“Well, duh. Killing enemies is way cooler than digging up rocks or building stuff,” Hanyi said imperiously. “People don’t write songs about that kind of thing.”

“You should visit our clan hall then, young spirit,” Bao Qian said with a touch of amusement, “and listen to a rendition of the ballad our esteemed founder composed to court the Lady of Subterranean Wonders.”

“Hanyi should just try to get into less trouble, instead of picking fights,” Gui said.

“I think both pieces of advice might be useful,” Ling Qi said dryly. “That aside, I was more curious about your intentions toward my little brother, Bao Qian.”

“What phrasing,” he chuckled. “I would think it obvious. The xuan wu of the Savage Seas are the source of the vast wealth that allows the Xuan to function as a province despite their meagre lands. The legendary xuan wu are said to emanate vitality such that the seas teem with fish, and the mere silt churned by their feet can make even the poorest soil flourish.”

This book’s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Ling Qi was aware of those stories – she had studied xuan wu – but she was looking for a more concrete answer. “My Zhengui is not the normal sort of xuan wu though,” she pointed out, patting his shell. “You wouldn’t catch him trying to go for a swim any time soon.”

<Maybe if Lady Cui asked,> she caught the whisper of Zhen’s thoughts and restrained the urge to laugh. Poor Zhen.

“That hardly dampens my enthusiasm. It merely means that you have a wholly unique source of resources.” Bao Qian paused, holding up a hand to forestall her response. “I do not mean any offense in that. Just as you might charge a great deal to perform your songs at a noble gala, so, too, could your Zhengui charge a high price merely to stomp about a barony or viscounty’s fields in the fallow season or simply sell the ash he leaves behind in his wake.”