Apart from being unwilling to elaborate on the reason for the loan, Li Yuangui answered all other questions as honestly as possible. He knew full well that in matters of financial planning and profit-making, his abilities were far inferior to those of the old foreign merchant. There was no chance of winning by scheming, so he simply saved himself the effort.
Now that they were discussing his area of expertise—and realizing that a Tang prince was seeking his help—Kang Su-mi, who had been bowing and scraping earlier, gradually straightened his back. While probing Li Yuangui about his expected future income from his fiefdom, he counted on his fingers, muttering to himself in his native foreign language. At times, he shook his head and sighed; at others, he chuckled to himself. Li Yuangui watched him nervously. Though he couldn’t understand the words, the man’s expressions made his heart sink further.
After a long while, Kang Su-mi indeed shook his thick-bearded head and shrugged, spreading his hands:
“Forgive old Kang for speaking bluntly, Fourteenth Young Master. Based on the fiefdom income you’ve described, even if I charged no interest, repaying the principal of fifty thousand bolts of silk within twenty years would be difficult for Your Highness. At my age, how many more twenty years do I have left?”
“Once I take up an official post outside the capital, I might serve as a prefect in several provinces…” Li Yuangui began, then trailed off. What good would that do? Under the current court regulations, imperial princes sent to provincial posts were only permitted to stay indoors and study. All governance and administrative duties were delegated to their subordinates—chief administrators and secretaries. Even if he wanted to extort and embezzle, he lacked the means. And even if he could, would he really stoop to such villainy, bringing harm to the common people?
The old foreigner’s dark green pupils gleamed with shrewd cunning as he hinted at whether Li Yuangui might have “additional income” in the future. After much deliberation, Li Yuangui still shook his head. Kang Su-mi spread his hands again: “Then there’s no way, eh. Don’t blame me for being stingy, Fourteenth Young Master. This deal simply can’t be done.”
Li Yuangui sighed in disappointment. Remembering Yang Xinzhi’s words before entering the temple, he asked, “What about forty thousand bolts? Could I borrow forty thousand?”
If he sold off his current assets, he might scrape together ten thousand to make up the difference… Before he could finish the thought, he heard Yang Xinzhi call out, “Fourteenth Young Master!” Looking up, he saw his trusted guard frowning, eyes wide with disapproval.
The two glared at each other for a moment before Kang Su-mi burst into laughter beside them. The old merchant chuckled and said, “No need to scowl at each other like fighting cocks, young masters. What’s really going on? Tell old Kang, eh? Even if there’s no loan, I can still offer some advice. It’d be a shame not to, after getting acquainted.”
Li Yuangui remained reluctant, but Yang Xinzhi ignored his hesitation and briefly explained to Kang Su-mi how the Fourteenth Young Master’s beloved had promised to marry Cheng Yaojin for fifty thousand bolts of silk to save him. The old merchant listened with great interest, even slapping his knee in admiration. “Such devotion! What a fine pair of lovebirds!” Li Yuangui initially wanted to stop him, but then reconsidered—if he couldn’t borrow from Kang Su-mi, there was no hope elsewhere. So he swallowed his words and stayed silent.
Once he understood the whole story, Kang Su-mi stroked his beard, pondered for a long while, and finally said to Li Yuangui:
“Fourteenth Young Master, old Kang could scrape together fifty thousand bolts for you. Converting it into gold, silver, or livestock would take about three to five days. As for repayment, I have an idea—though I’m not sure if it’ll work. You might want to consider it.”
“Please, tell me quickly!” Li Yuangui clung to this lifeline."These days, I've heard from Prince Consort Chai's family that Your Highness is going to Gaochang to marry a princess and become a prince consort?" The old Hu merchant grinned, his deep-set eyes narrowing into slits.
Li Yuangui suddenly had a foreboding feeling: "Yes... Kang Sabao is indeed well-informed..."
"When will you set off, eh?" Kang Su-mi asked with a smile. "Gaochang, as Fourteenth Young Master knows, is a chokehold on the trade routes between the Central Plains and the Western Regions—a treasure land! Many of our people live there, and the holy religion thrives. Old Kang has passed through many times and always thought, how can I secure a foothold in Gaochang? With a base to oversee business dealings, prosperity would follow..."
Your ambitions likely extend far beyond just a "foothold," don't they? Li Yuangui thought gloomily as he eyed the old Hu merchant who chased profit across the world. Based on his usual tactics, once he identified a "treasure land," he would first pave the way with gold and silk, bribing local dignitaries to climb into the upper echelons. Then, he would manipulate the rulers for power while monopolizing markets for profit. From his tone, he was willing to lend Li Yuangui a fortune, but the price was to exploit his status as a Tang imperial prince and Gaochang’s prince consort to infiltrate that strategic city and stir up trouble.
"What does Fourteenth Young Master think?" Kang Su-mi asked with a smile. "It just so happens that Old Kang’s people here speak many languages. Accompanying Your Highness beyond the frontier to Gaochang would make the journey more pleasant, wouldn’t it? Once in the city, we know the land and the people well—just follow our advice, and we certainly won’t lead you astray."
The old merchant rambled on about how the Western Regions were filled with savage and diverse peoples, how the Gobi Desert was terrifying, and how Gaochang’s customs were bizarre and hard to understand. Only their merchant kin were accustomed to it, while Han Chinese from the Central Plains would lose half their lives if they ventured beyond the frontier. A pampered, inexperienced youngster like Li Yuangui, without a trusted entourage and only a few guards, would be swallowed whole—skin, bones, and all—within days of entering the vast royal city behind those rammed-earth walls.
He added that the Western Regions were still under Turkic rule, and the King of Gaochang, Qu Boya, was timid and foolish, obeying only Yehu Qaghan’s orders. Without someone to maneuver among the nobles and gather intelligence, even if Li Yuangui reached Gaochang safely, he might not be lucky enough to marry the princess. If the Turkic qaghan turned hostile, his very survival would depend on his ability to flee. Beyond Gaochang’s walls lay the endless desert, barren and scoured by knife-like winds—those who didn’t know the way would surely perish...
You might as well just say "the ogre is coming" to scare me into not crying at night, Li Yuangui thought bitterly. Maybe Kang Su-mi wasn’t lying, but such scare tactics were too crude. Still, who was he to refuse when he needed the man’s help?
After the intimidation, the old merchant proposed bringing his own people to "attend to His Highness" in Gaochang and demanded Li Yuangui’s complete submission to their control once there—"otherwise, his life would truly be in danger." Wasn’t this tantamount to selling himself? Fifty thousand bolts of silk to buy a prince consort’s title in a Western Regions kingdom... Quite the bargain.
Li Yuangui gritted his teeth and asked coldly, "Even if I agree now and Kang Sabao lends me fifty thousand bolts, how do you know I won’t renege once I reach Gaochang?""Hahaha, Fourteenth Young Master is indeed an honest man." Kang Su-mi clapped his hands and laughed, his demeanor completely relaxed, the initial humility nowhere to be seen. "If I'm not worried, why should you be? Ah, speaking of which, how should this loan agreement be written? We’ll need to think carefully—look outside, the rain is almost stopped. It’s not convenient to keep disturbing our hosts here, so why don’t you come to my home, Fourteenth Young Master? We can discuss this properly there."
Li Yuangui glanced outside and saw that the heavy rain had indeed lightened to a drizzle, gradually tapering off. Jing Xuan and the others seemed to have noticed they were discussing serious matters and, after serving them, had withdrawn without returning to interrupt.
It really wasn’t appropriate to keep occupying the reception hall of the Inner Sanctuary for their conversation. Li Yuangui steadied his emotions, stood up, and cupped his hands in salute:
"Please lead the way, Sart Kang. I’ll follow you to your residence."
Fifty thousand bolts of silk, he repeated bleakly yet resolutely in his heart. I must get my hands on it to buy back the freedom of the woman I love. As for everything else, I’ll leave it to fate and deal with it when the time comes.
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