Chapter Fifty-Two: Partnership Shares

Li Yanqing hired a bovine cart and returned to Lushan Town. Along the way, he pondered this matter. His actual intention was to find something for his father to do; compiling the village chronicle and the clan genealogy would take at most a year or two, but what about after that? From a long-term perspective, his father needed a stable, long-term source of income.

Lately, his father had been obsessed with clan affairs and worked exceptionally hard. Li Yanqing completely understood this mindset—he was desperate to regain his dignity and restore his reputation, but simply working blindly was not enough. To win the respect of the clan members, one had to approach the matter from the perspective of mutual benefit.

Take Li Dongdong, for instance. He could not read a single character, yet everyone respected him. Why? Because self-interest always came first. If one’s pockets were bulging and one could bring benefits to the clan members and neighbors, their respect would naturally follow.

Li Yanqing arrived at Lushan Town by evening. Instead of going straight home, he headed directly to the clan leader's residence. The servants there recognized him and promptly led him to the guest parlor to sit for a while. Before long, Li Wenyou emerged upon hearing the news.

"Qing'er, didn't your father say you went to the county town?" Li Wenyou asked as he walked into the parlor.

Li Yanqing bowed respectfully to the clan leader and said with a smile, "I went to the county town this morning and came right back after finishing my business."

Li Wenyou had also learned from Li Daqi about Li Yanqing earning money by writing books, so he was not surprised. With the great ancestor possessing him, what couldn't he accomplish?

Li Wenyou motioned for Li Yanqing to sit and instructed a maidservant to serve tea. He smiled and said, "Originally, I was worried about how you would manage without anyone to take care of you while your father accompanied me to the capital. But now I'm not worried at all. If you can even earn money, how could you fail to find a place to eat?"

"The clan leader is right. Such trivial matters are indeed nothing to worry about. The reason I'm here today is actually to discuss something with you, Clan Leader."

"What is it?"

"What does the clan leader think of Li Dongdong?"

Li Wenyou thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, I don't much care for him. The man loves to brag. He merely runs a small, humble tea shack on the dock outside Kaifeng City, yet he insists on boasting that he runs a grand teahouse on the Imperial Street. Do you take me for a fool? Would a person like him ever get to open a shop on the Imperial Street?"

"Actually, the clan leader should try to understand him. Everyone wants to save face. Which person returning to their hometown after being away wouldn't boast a little?"

"What you say is true, but why bring him up?"

Li Yanqing then recounted his encounter with Li Dongdong in the county town, shared his own thoughts and plans, and finally concluded, "Actually, I think if Li Dongdong truly has connections in the capital, the clan could provide the capital to procure goods, and he could sell them in the capital. This is indeed a viable way to make money. Once we make a profit, we can use it to support the younger generation of the clan in their studies and cultivate capable young men, so that the clan can prosper step by step. What does the clan leader think?"

Li Wenyou firmly believed that Li Yanqing was possessed by the great ancestor. Seeing that Li Yanqing was constantly considering the prosperity of the clan, he became even more convinced that this was the will of the great ancestor. He quickly nodded and said, "Qing'er's suggestion is entirely correct. I will carry it out just like that!"

Li Yanqing waved his hands with a smile. "I've merely put forward a suggestion. As for the specifics, we still need to discuss them thoroughly. I have some ideas, and the clan leader has experience. Let's both share our thoughts."

Li Wenyou was an extremely astute man. It wasn't that he hadn't considered this matter before; rather, he didn't trust Li Dongdong, which was why he had delayed giving an answer. However, since Li Yanqing brought it up, it was an entirely different story.

Li Wenyou stroked his beard and mused, "Actually, this Li Dongdong didn't tell you the whole truth. The reason he didn't want to run a teahouse is that he invested all the money he saved over the years into a black-market deal involving illicit wine. In the end, the government confiscated the contraband, and several of the parties involved faced lawsuits. Li Dongdong lost his entire fortune and had to pawn his teahouse. Driven to desperation, he wanted to become a middleman. I was afraid he would use my money to pay off his debts, which is why I refused to lend him money."

"Does he still have debts outside?" Li Yanqing asked, somewhat surprised.

"Whether he has debts or not, I don't know. I simply don't care much for his character. However, if Qing'er thinks he is viable, we can give it a try."

Li Yanqing pondered for a moment and said, "My only concern is whether he truly has connections in the capital."

Li Wenyou smiled slightly. "There's no need to worry about that. His father-in-law is a middleman with extensive connections. This time, when he returned to his hometown to buy medicinal herbs, he was entrusted by his father-in-law. It's just that his father-in-law despises his incompetence and refuses to lend him a single coin. I already sent someone to the capital to check his background, and he wasn't lying; he simply refused to mention his father-in-law out of shame."

Li Yanqing understood the situation now. It seemed that the clan leader and he shared the same thought—they both wanted to utilize Li Dongdong's network, which was why the clan leader had sent people to investigate him.

Recalling the night of the clan ancestral sacrifice when the clan leader had deliberately ignored Li Dongdong, Li Yanqing realized he had been dangling a hook to reel him in. It seemed the clan leader was also a cunning and seasoned old fox.

Thinking of this, Li Yanqing smiled faintly and said, "Clan Leader, I'd like to make another suggestion."

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

Li Yanqing said slowly, "Why don't we set up a commercial firm for this venture? The clan leader and I will provide the capital, and Li Dongdong will contribute his network as his share of the investment. The three of us will hold respective shares. Even if we suffer losses, our liability will be capped at our initial capital, and any profits will be distributed according to our share percentages. In addition, we can hire a few clan members to work for the firm, and their living expenses will be deducted as operational costs. Once the business grows larger, we can set aside a portion of the profits to help clan members with their studies and provide relief. How does the clan leader find this idea?"

What Li Yanqing described was essentially a corporate structure, though explained in layman's terms. Li Wenyou understood completely, nodded, and asked with a smile, "How much money does Qing'er have?"

Li Yanqing took out a promissory note and placed it on the table. "This is a promissory note from the Hongdeng Silver Shop in Daming Prefecture. It contains two hundred taels of silver, which will serve as my investment capital."

Li Wenyou was extremely surprised. Two hundred taels of silver was a huge sum of money! Even in Xiaoxiang Village, very few families could produce such an amount.

Li Wenyou thought for a moment and said, "Very well! Let's set the initial capital at one thousand strings of cash. I will make up the remaining eight hundred strings of solid cash. I will hold a fifty percent share, Qing'er thirty percent, and Li Dongdong twenty percent."

Li Yanqing considered this and said, "Li Dongdong's twenty percent share is a bit too small; it won't motivate him enough. I'll yield another five percent of my share to him."

"There is no need for you to yield yours!"

Li Wenyou said decisively, "I will yield ten percent of mine to him. I'll hold forty percent, Qing'er thirty percent, and Li Dongdong thirty percent. Let's settle it at that."

Although the framework and equity of the commercial firm were settled, there were still many details to deliberate, such as financial management, logistics, business scope, and supply-and-marketing authorities. These principles had remained consistent through the ages, differing only in terminology.

In particular, this matter also involved Li Dongdong's father-in-law. Since Li Dongdong intended to rely on his father-in-law's connections to conduct business, how would his father-in-law's interests be calculated within this arrangement?

Li Wenyou was an extremely astute person; how could he allow his and Li Yanqing's money to go down the drain? There were certain matters he needed to confirm clearly with Li Dongdong without any ambiguity.

That very night, he sent someone to deliver a message to Li Dongdong, instructing him to come see him the following day.

However, there was one thing Li Wenyou intentionally or unintentionally overlooked: he did not inform Li Wengui. The industries of the Li clan were all controlled by Li Wengui, and he did not want his brother to meddle in this business.

***

Ever since Li Daqi took his son to sweep the grave of his deceased wife, a heavy burden in his heart had been lifted. However, he still wanted to relocate his wife's grave back. In the past, the Ding family was too powerful and he had no other choice, but now that his fortunes were gradually turning around, under no circumstances could he accept the reality of his wife being buried in her natal family's graveyard.

Li Daqi knew the situation like the back of his hand; he understood that the Ding family's attitude was beginning to change fundamentally because of his son. If he wanted to relocate his late wife's grave, he still had to rely on his son.

Although Li Daqi knew this matter could not be accomplished overnight, not discussing it with his son felt as uncomfortable as being scratched by a cat. Thus, Li Daqi went to his son's room.

Li Yanqing was hunched over his desk working on his assignments. They had an eleven-day holiday, and classes would resume on the seventh day of the first lunar month. Their master, Yao Ding, had assigned them a mountain of calligraphy practice. In the past few days, Li Yanqing had been busy writing his book, which had delayed his studies. Seeing that school was reopening in just two days, he had no choice but to cram furiously.

"Qing'er, your father has something he wants to discuss with you. I'll take up just a moment of your time."

"It's fine, Father, please come in."

Li Daqi pushed the door open and saw his son hunched over his desk writing. Yao Ding placed great importance on his students' calligraphy and exercised strict discipline over it. The holiday assignments were primarily focused on calligraphy, especially for high-priority students like Li Yanqing. The idea of scribbling a few dozen pages just to pass inspection was utterly out of the question.

Li Daqi stood beside his son for a moment and could not help but nod inwardly. Compared to when he first entered school, his son's calligraphy had improved tremendously; passing the imperial examinations at the provincial level would pose no problem at all.

Looking at the content being written, it turned out to be passages from *Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals*. Li Daqi was momentarily stunned. *Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals* was an obscure text, unfamiliar even to him; why would his son choose to recite and transcribe this? Was this Yao Ding's requirement?

Li Yanqing did not raise his head, but he was well aware of his father's confusion. As he wrote, he explained, "This isn't a requirement from Master." Other students were writing out *The Analects* or *Mencius*, but Master felt I had already mastered those and allowed me to write whatever I pleased. We almost stumbled over *Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals* at the previous children's examination, so I want to make up for this gap."

"I see. Then continue with your writing; we can discuss other matters another day."

"What is on Father's mind?" Li Yanqing put down his brush and asked with a smile.

"I've been thinking that we ought to relocate your mother's grave back here. Our family has three mu of ancestral land, and the feng shui of one mu is quite good. I want to have your mother buried there, so that a hundred years from now, I can also be buried alongside her."

"Since that's the case, Father should go and negotiate this matter with the Ding family!"

Li Daqi hesitated and said, "I'm just afraid that if I go speak to them, the Ding family won't give me the time of day."

Li Yanqing smiled slyly. "Father is afraid of running into the Eldest Aunt, aren't you?"

Li Daqi's face flushed, and he glared fiercely at his son. "Stop talking nonsense! Your father has only your mother in his heart and will never remarry."

Seeing that his father was a bit annoyed, Li Yanqing withdrew his playful expression. After a moment of thought, he said, "Military campaigns distinguish between superior, intermediate, and inferior strategies. Relocating Mother's coffin back requires a strategic approach as well."

Li Daqi perked up. "What are the three strategies?"

"The superior strategy is to make demands based on reason. If Father stepping forward proves ineffective, we ask the clan leader to help negotiate. Generally speaking, that should resolve the issue. But if even the clan leader fails, we have to resort to the intermediate strategy."

"And what is the intermediate strategy?" Li Daqi quickly asked.

"The intermediate strategy is to appeal to the authorities and have the county magistrate issue a verdict. Magistrate Liu is a man who values propriety; he will not ignore such a violation of human ethics."

"What if the Ding family throws a tantrum, refuses to obey the official decree, and stubbornly stands their ground, leaving even the magistrate helpless?" Li Daqi worriedly asked what they should do if the intermediate strategy also failed.

"Then we would have no choice but to use the inferior strategy—employing extraordinary means to induce or coerce the Ding family into compliance. However, your child believes this is not such a major issue; we won't need to resort to the inferior strategy. The head of the clan stepping forward will be enough to accomplish it."

Li Daqi nodded. He had made up his mind to find a suitable opportunity in the coming days to discuss this matter thoroughly with the clan leader.

At this point, Li Yanqing wanted to talk to his father about establishing the commercial firm with Li Dongdong. Although his father lacked business experience, with the clan leader calling the shots, his father could at least handle the legwork.

"Father, there is also a major matter. Although it hasn't been finalized yet, I want Father to understand it beforehand, so that the day after tomorrow, we can go to Li Dongdong's house together."