Chapter 1493: Chapter 1493

Sang Han looked at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan bowed slightly, appearing neither arrogant nor humble.

Sang Han asked, "Can I trust you?"

Ye Guan nodded. "You can."

"Why do you say that?"

Ye Guan replied, "If you never trusted me, I would be dead by now."

Sang Han nodded. "You are indeed smart. Being just a bodyguard would be a waste of your talents. From now on, you will stay by my side. Officially, you are my bodyguard, but secretly, you are my advisor, answering only to me."

Ye Guan said, "I will obey, Governor."

Sang Han added, "You will handle those merchants. Remember, I need to raise ten million Star Spiritual Crystals as soon as possible."

With that, she turned around and left.

Ye Guan suddenly said, "I'll need some authority."

A token floated before him, with a single word on it that said, "Han."

The corners of Ye Guan's mouth lifted slightly. With this token, he could do many things.

Let's go and kill the Great Daoist Brush Master!

He didn't want to wait, even for a moment. Before that, he had to deal with the merchants first.

Ye Guan returned to the main hall. The merchants were still there. Seeing him, they surrounded him with smiles plastered across their faces. The elderly man at the helm asked, "How should we address you, sir?"

Ye Guan said, "Just call me Ye Guan from now on."

Of course, no one dared to call him directly by name.

The elder said, "Young Master Ye, about this matter..."

Ye Guan said, "The Governor has agreed."

At these words, everyone smiled.

Ye Guan asked, "When can you gather ten million Star Spiritual Crystals?"

The elderly man looked troubled.

Ye Guan fixed his gaze on the elderly man. "Everyone else, leave."

At his words, the merchants looked at each other in surprise, and then they turned to the elderly man.

Ye Guan frowned, and a terrifying sword intent swept across the hall, shocking everyone.

"He's a swordsman!" someone exclaimed.

The elderly man waved his hand. "Everyone, leave."

The others followed his lead, and upon hearing his order, they withdrew.

Soon, only the two of them remained in the hall.

The elderly man smiled and said, "Young Master Ye, please speak freely."

Ye Guan calmly remarked, "Elder, I'll give you a piece of advice: do not try to be clever at a time . You must understand where you stand right now."

The elderly man frowned.

Ye Guan added, "The empire is at war with the Celestial Clan. Madam has tried countless ways to raise funds. What does that mean? It means the war is not going well for us. And in a major war, numbers and elites aren't enough; money matters, too.

"The fact that she's borrowing money from you shows that the situation is urgent. If you can't understand your place, do you know what will happen?"

The elder's face darkened.

"To raise money, Madam has two options: target the merchants or the commoners. Unless absolutely necessary, the commoners won't be touched, as doing so risks a rebellion.

"Since they can't go after the people, they'll come after merchants like you. Why? Because you're 'stuck in the middle...' Do you understand?"

The elderly man said in a low voice, "Please explain."

Ye Guan looked at him. "Being 'stuck in the middle' means you have money but little power and are no threat to the empire, no influence over its leaders. Hence, the decision-makers won't stand on your side.

"And because you are not really close with the common people, if you get slaughtered, they won't pity you at all. They might even celebrate your deaths."

The elderly man's expression grew uglier.

Ye Guan said, "Your position is awkward. But the good news is... it's not too late. You can still save yourselves."

The elderly man looked at Ye Guan intently.

"Be smart. Sacrifice some of your interests now for greater profits later."

The elderly man no longer showed any disrespect toward Ye Guan and respectfully said, "Please instruct us, Young Master Ye."

Ye Guan slowly said, "This war concerns the fate of the Empire. The empire will stop at nothing to win. If the war drags on, they'll employ extreme measures. If you step forward to help now, you'll earn goodwill and secure a good ending.

"If you refuse to help, they will teach you a lesson, and by then, it'll be too late."

The elderly man's face turned pale.

"If you put your full effort into supporting Madam and the empire, although you'll lose some wealth, once the war is won, Madam and the empire will remember your favor. Helping in times of need is rare and most valued.

"When that happens, your business won't be limited to just this province; you can expand across the empire. And if you assist Madam now, once she rises in rank, and she surely will rise in rank, she will never forget you by then.

"The Governor is young and ambitious; her future path is limitless..."

The elderly man quietly said, "But if the war is lost?"

Ye Guan calmly remarked, "Well, it'll be over by then. Under a fallen nest, no eggs will remain unbroken. The empire would be devoured, and so would you."

The elderly man fell silent.

Ye Guan smiled slightly, "Don't even think about running. If you show any sign of fleeing, trust me, your entire family will be wiped out."

The elderly man let out a low sigh.

Ye Guan said, "Actually, this is also a rare opportunity for you. In the past, you had no way to interact with someone like Madam. But now, she had no choice but to visit you.

"If you seize the chance and help her now, once she wins the war, she will certainly rise high, and she will not forget you by then."

The elderly man shook his head. "We are merely merchants with a little money. Even now, she doesn't truly care about us..."

Ye Guan said, "All the more reason for you to stand on her side."

The elderly man looked at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan explained, "Later on, just a little favor from her would be enough to change your destiny."

The elderly man was visibly moved.

Ye Guan stayed silent, as he had said enough.

If he still couldn't understand it, then what awaited them would surely be Sang Han's blade.

Whenever rulers lacked money, they would either target merchants or the people. Dumb rulers would attack the people, forcing them to rebel and side with the merchant clans.

Wise rulers would attack the merchants first, as they lacked a solid foundation, which meant that, even if they were wiped out, no one would speak up for them.

Ye Guan wasn't sure how the war between the empire and the Celestial Clan was going, but judging from the situation, things were grim for the empire. If it worsened, the ruling class would resort to any means necessary.

The old man suddenly said, "I will contribute twenty million Star Spiritual Crystals."

Ye Guan snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him.

The elderly man stared at him. "No IOUs are necessary from the Governor."

"Then what do you want?"

The elderly man stared at him intently. "I want a promise."

Ye Guan shook his head. "I cannot make promises on her behalf..."

"Not her promise, your promise."

Ye Guan was puzzled. "Mine?"

The elderly man nodded. "Yes."

Ye Guan asked, "Why?"

The elderly man said, "Young Master Ye, I know I am not qualified to bargain with the Governor. As you said, trying to negotiate now would only anger her. Therefore, I can only talk to you. If we fall on hard times one day, I ask that you lend us a hand."

Ye Guan was silent for a moment. "All right."

"Then I thank you in advance." The elderly man smiled. He then handed over a storage ring. "Inside are twenty million Star Spiritual Crystals."

Ye Guan accepted it immediately after a quick check.

"To be honest, we were prepared for the worst. If the Governor tried to seize our assets by force, we were ready to flee. After hearing your words, I realized that if we were to escape, we would ruin ourselves."

He sighed again, and then he pulled out another storage ring.

Ye Guan was puzzled. "What's this for?"

The old man respectfully said, "Inside is one million Star Spiritual Crystals, a small gift for you."

Ye Guan shook his head. "There's no need."

The elderly man stood up and asked, "How should I address you?"

The old man said, "I'm Qin Yun of the Qin family."

Ye Guan nodded. "Elder Qin, please take the ring back."

Qin Yun hurriedly said, "Young Master Ye, it's just a small token—"

"Honestly, I do need money right now, but I won't take advantage of you. Go back and tell the others. Listen to me, and I'll guarantee you wealth and prosperity for generations."

With that, he turned around and left.

Qin Yun stared at the ring in his hand, dazed.

Ye Guan returned to Sang Han's hall.

He walked up to her and placed the storage ring on her table.

Sang Han glanced at the ring and then at Ye Guan. "Twenty million?"

Ye Guan nodded. "They said that in times of crisis, everyone must do their part to contribute to the empire's sake. They are willing to contribute an extra ten million Star Spiritual Crystals without asking for any IOUs."

Sang Han looked at him without speaking.

Ye Guan added, "Those were their exact words."

Sang Han nodded. "Understood."

Ye Guan bowed slightly and withdrew.

From behind Sang Han, a voice echoed. "He isn't greedy. He even refused a gift of one million Star Spiritual Crystals, and he didn't secretly take even a single crystal from the twenty million..."

"Could he have noticed that you were following him?"

"Impossible. He's too weak to notice me."

Sang Han closed her eyes. "If he's not after wealth, then he must be after something much bigger..."

"What about the merchants?"

Sang Han said, "Let them live."

"Let him live—for now," replied Sang Han.