Chapter 279: Power and Wealth

Although someone had been killed just the day before, West Street in Qingzhou City was once again bustling with people. Most people avoided that dark red open space when walking. Restaurants and eateries remained open, with their callers and vendors shouting their offerings. Those who needed to eat did so, and those who wanted to listen to music continued to do so. Of course, when talking, most wealthy and influential people avoided certain words—after all, they weren’t as ignorant as ordinary folks.

Yanzi Tower was a three-story restaurant on West Street, its roof eaves shaped like swallow tails, which gave it its name. Inside one of the private rooms on the third floor, three middle-aged men in luxurious clothing sat slouched in their chairs, looking nervously at the young man sitting upright at the head of the table, treating him with even greater respect than their own parents. Seeing that the young man hadn’t responded after a while, the oldest of the men couldn’t help but call out, “Elder Sir…”

“Elder Zhang often travels between the East and West. Many matters handled by the Imperial Supervision Bureau have always been taken care of by our family. Things like screens, beds, wooden furniture, as well as decorations made of rosewood, ivory, ebony, mother-of-pearl, and more—these are all the responsibilities of the Imperial Supervision Bureau. Since you’re so eager, it wouldn’t hurt to assign you some of these tasks.”

Lu Feng sat with his feet propped up. Seeing the three men’s delighted expressions, he glanced at the boxes on the table, where countless pearls and jewels glowed brilliantly. He smirked and tapped the rosewood box twice with two fingers.

Although the court now prohibited transactions in gold and silver, allowing only paper money, merchants still valued real gold and silver. Naturally, he preferred such treasures too. Having seen many fine things in the palace, he wasn’t afraid of others using inferior items to deceive him. But for secrecy’s sake, he had only brought these two trusted eunuchs, without even any guards. His carriage was rented from a carriage service. So even though the pearls, jade, and gems dazzled his eyes, he remained dissatisfied.

“Yet you really don’t understand the rules. These gold and jade ornaments are fine for flattering ordinary people, but what do I need them for? It would take extra effort to convert them into silver—wouldn’t that cause me trouble? Keep them for yourself to use as dowries when marrying off your daughters. I’m not interested in these. Just issue a few proper bills, and this matter can be settled.”

Upon hearing this, the three men exchanged glances. One of them finally stood up, bowing and saying, “Your Excellency is right to scold us—we were so foolish as to forget the important details. We still haven’t prepared the money yet. If we ask you to make another trip, we would feel terrible. If Your Excellency would wait a moment, let the staff bring some food and drink while the three of us go home to fetch the money…”

“That sounds like a proper statement!” Lu Feng beamed with joy, closing the boxes casually and saying with a laugh, “I’m not in the mood to walk. You three go and handle this. Remember to get a large sum of money so that they can bring us fine wine and dishes.”

The three men were top-tier merchants in Qingzhou Prefecture. Even when going to the county government, they carried considerable influence. Though they were displeased by Lu Feng’s domineering attitude, they didn’t dare show any signs of it. They got up and left one after another, bowing at the door before departing. Only after the two doors were firmly shut did one of them let out a soft sigh. The other two quickly pulled him downstairs and gave strict instructions to the shopkeeper and staff.

Although the bustling West Street was right outside the main gate, they chose to use the less noticeable back door. In the unassuming alley behind the Swallow Tower, there stood a shiny black carriage with a flat roof. A coachman and several strong men were waiting there. After getting into the carriage and pulling down the curtains, the three men all bent down to examine the items in their hands.

“All these items together will require at least a silver note worth ten thousand taels. If we go back to our homes separately, we can certainly gather that amount, though it will take several notes. But since Lord Lu wants a large sum, won’t we have to go to the silver shop again when we return? In my opinion, we should take these items straight to Jixiang Silver Shop and exchange them for a large note of ten thousand taels first. After all, the Fang family and we have a decent relationship, so the shopkeeper will surely give us some face.”

“A decent relationship? The Fang family and the Wu family have become increasingly powerful over the years, taking over all the most profitable businesses. If it weren’t for the significant losses the Fang family suffered in salt trading, would we still have a chance in Qingzhou Prefecture? Just look at their Jixiang Silver Shop—how many hundreds of thousands of taels in silver do they handle each year? How much of our money do they use to build their businesses? I heard that salt production in Jiaodong has increased greatly. Once the Fang family recovers, we’ll be in trouble! They claim to be a scholarly family, but they’re just as greedy as us!”

“If it weren’t for this reason, why should we cater to that eunuch’s moods? The expenses for the imperial workshops have always been enormous. We’ll still need to find ways to obtain items like mother-of-pearl and ivory in the short term, but ebony and rosewood furniture has always been our strength. If we can create something ingenious that wins the emperor’s favor, what more will we worry about? Don’t hesitate—after all, the Fang family can’t get involved in this. Let’s go to Jixiang Silver Shop first to exchange for silver!”
Jixiang Silver Shop wasn’t far from Yanzi Tower, just separated by two alleys. The coachman, given the instructions, drove the carriage at top speed, and they arrived in no time. After getting off, they saw that under the shop’s golden sign, the three doors of the store were wide open. In the main hall, several flamboyant women were selecting jewelry, indicating busy business. The three stepped inside, and immediately a young clerk came forward. Seeing that they were three regular customers, he led them up to the first room on the second floor without hesitation.
That room was usually used to receive distinguished guests. On the wall hung a landscape painting in sky-blue silk with white edges, bearing a bright red seal—clearly signed by Songxue Daoren. On a side table stood a hand-painted beauty vase as white as jade, with exquisite porcelain craftsmanship and superb artwork—definitely not an ordinary item. The tables, chairs, and stools in the room were all made of carved lacquered red wood. After they sat down, a young servant brought them three silver-inlaid bamboo tea cups filled with Lu’an Guapian tea. Faced with such luxurious furnishings, none of them could afford to act arrogantly.
Before long, a middle-aged shopkeeper dressed in a green silk robe came out, repeatedly apologizing, “It’s truly a neglect to have such distinguished guests visit! My master sent someone over to talk just now, which is why there was a delay. May I ask, what brings these honorable gentlemen here…”
Pan Jinrong, the leader, gave his companions a glance and then pointed to the boxes on the central table, casually explaining their purpose. The middle-aged shopkeeper was stunned upon hearing this. After checking the items, he nodded and said, “I see. Since you’re all regular customers, this small matter is easily settled. Someone, go get ten thousand taels of Beijing exchange notes and also bring a contract!”
After giving these orders loudly, he smiled at the three and said, “This contract is just to ensure mutual understanding. The items will be kept here temporarily. Once you get the exchange notes, you can take them back anytime. There’s no need to calculate interest either—otherwise, if my master finds out, he’ll surely accuse me of being greedy! But these ten thousand taels are no small amount. Do these honorable gentlemen have some big deal?”

Knowing that Ma, the manager of this auspicious silver shop, was someone who would act immediately upon any news, Pan Jinrong refused to reveal the truth. He merely mumbled that the three of them were working together on a business deal. When the contract was delivered, all three signed their names, received the money, and immediately left. Ma personally saw them to the gate and didn’t return until the carriage was out of sight. He rushed upstairs to the second floor and entered the first room. Casually lifting the lid of the teacup, he sneered upon seeing its contents.

“Three vulgar fools who only care about money—wasting my Liu’an Guapian for nothing! Someone, pack up these things and send two servants to clean the room!”

After giving these orders, he went back upstairs to the third floor and approached the door of the innermost room. He knocked gently and reported in a low voice, “Master, those three left behind some gold and jewelry and took away ten thousand taels of money, saying they were going to Beijing to exchange it. Should we ask the appraisers to check the quality and origin of those treasures?”

Before he finished speaking, the door opened. A young boy took the contract, and soon a voice came from inside, “Good. Have the appraisers inspect them carefully. Don’t let them get damaged. Report back to me if there’s any news.”

Seeing Ma nod in agreement and head downstairs, the boy glanced around before closing the door. This room wasn’t as luxurious or elegant as the guest room on the second floor. The furniture was old, but there were several quite fine paintings hanging on the walls. Sitting at the main seat by the window was a young man in green clothes. After taking the contract and glancing at it, he looked up at the burly man sitting in the first chair on his left, feeling a strange sense of surprise.

Why was Zhang Yue staring at Lord Lu? With a quick thought, he smiled brightly and handed over the contract, saying, “Please convey to Lord Zhang that Fang Qing has fulfilled his mission successfully.”

Seeing the other man stand up, bow in gratitude, and leave without further words, Fang Qing couldn’t help but sigh. Since the original contract had been taken away, he would have to make a fake one. Once discovered, it could be covered up, and anyway, those three wouldn’t care once they got their goods back. Of course, if this matter were exposed, the Fang family’s reputation would be ruined.

However, just the 5,000 dan of salt that can be obtained by the end of this year already makes this deal a profitable one. Although Zhang Yue may never return to Shandong after leaving, the Fang family will still need to do business in Shanxi and Beizhili in the future. Today’s incident was most likely orchestrated by the three members of the Pan family, who bribed Eunuch Lu in an attempt to gain access to the palace. Yet these guys didn’t even consider that adding another spoon to a pot that’s already overcrowded with spoons can’t be resolved with just 10,000 taels.