Chapter 321: Commoners Seek Profit; Blocking Is Worse Than Allowing Flow

The Xilai Inn suddenly housed over a dozen guests, arousing envy and jealousy in the other inns along Wu Xiang Old Street. Although all inns hired fewer workers in winter than in summer—by more than half—the costs of firewood, rice, and other supplies remained roughly the same. If income fell short, they had to rely on previous profits to make up the difference.

Seeing the frugal owner Chu Yun sending his workers early in the morning to buy large quantities of vegetables, meat, and alcohol, they longed to lure those guests to their own inns. Hu Erniang, the boss of the usually unruly Fulin Restaurant, even took the opportunity to slander Xilai Inn outside its door. After shouting a few insults, a man with a expressionless face rushed at her. His cold, murderous gaze scared her back immediately.

Now, she stood in front of her own small inn, spitting insults: “Is that murderous look from a guest? To me, it looks more like bandits or pirates! I’ve seen many guests before, but I’ve never encountered such fierce ones. They’re nothing but thugs! If it weren’t for fear of damaging relations with the neighbors, I’d report Xilai Inn to the authorities for harboring criminals!”

“Hu Erniang, if that’s the case, why don’t you go report them? Well, everyone envies the good luck of the Chu family. But since the guests are already there, even if you stir up trouble, they won’t move to your inn. Better save your energy! I saw their carriage the other day—it was covered in floral cotton trim on all sides, and its harnesses were nothing ordinary. Clearly, they’re wealthy and discerning people!”

“Hmph, they’re indeed lucky. How much must it cost to accommodate nine people in an inn? But if those fierce guys stay, who knows when they might bring trouble to his inn…”

As three or four people were engrossed in their conversation, one of them suddenly spotted a carriage slowly approaching from the other end of the street. Seeing this, none of them had the mood to chat anymore. They all went to greet the guests in hopes of securing business. But when they saw the markings on the carriage, the locals lost hope—only to become curious again.

What could the richest family in the area, the Yangs, be doing here?

The carriage came to a stop just in front of the Xilai Inn. Two servants got off first, followed by a young man dressed in green clothes, looking quite elegant. The master and his two servants went straight into the main gate, while the carriage was parked at the back. At that moment, everyone, including Hu Erniang who had already suffered a setback, followed behind and watched from a distance. After a while, an old shopkeeper saw Fan Gouer, an employee of the Xilai Inn, coming out and quickly called out, “Fan Gouer, who from the Yang family has come to your inn?” Since he was temporarily free from the predicament of being fired, Fan Gouer was in high spirits and said with a smile, “It’s the son-in-law of the Yang family. He came here specifically to meet an old friend. The guests staying at our inn and that son-in-law are old acquaintances.” Hearing this, someone immediately cast a sidelong glance at Hu Erniang and sneered triumphantly, “Erniang, you’ve miscalculated this time. Since he knows the Yang family’s son-in-law, he must be from a wealthy family. How could he be some bandit or foreign invader as you claimed?” Hu Erniang was so angry that she trembled all over; it seemed even her thick layer of makeup couldn’t withstand the shaking, threatening to fall off at any moment. With a furious sneer, she raised her shrill voice and said, “Since he has an old relationship with the Yang family’s son-in-law, who knows—he might move into the Yang family’s mansion right away! Everyone knows the Yang family’s mansion is built in a sheltered spot, keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer. With such a free place available, why would anyone stay in your shabby inn?” The people around thought Hu Erniang, who was usually fierce and bold, would curse loudly, but they weren’t expecting her to say such things. After thinking it over, they all showed smug smiles. Fan Gouer, who had been ordered by the owner to go buy wine, also lost his earlier confidence. Glaring angrily at the crowd, he suddenly turned and ran back into the inn, and no one came out for a long time. By then, everyone felt that the situation inside had been disrupted by Hu Erniang’s outburst. After laughing for a while, they scattered. Although Fang Qing wasn’t in official service, he came from a wealthy family and was particular about his living conditions. As soon as he entered the room, he saw a large bed against the wall in what was supposed to be the best room, along with a somewhat old-fashioned cabinet. The basin stand and table nearby were all rather vulgar. The only thing of any value was the large dressing table.

Frowning slightly, he then smiled at Zhang Yue and said, “Everyone thought the lord was in Nanjing now; who would have guessed he had already arrived in Songjiang Prefecture. In such a freezing weather, staying in such a humble inn is truly too harsh. If the lord has no objection, how about staying at the Yang family for a few days? Although I’m not very talented, my father-in-law should be able to assist the lord on this journey.”

Although they appeared to differ greatly in age and experience, after several interactions, Zhang Yue had figured out this man’s habits. He asked directly, “Since you say it can help me, I actually have something to ask you. I heard from the owner of Xilai Inn that the Yang family’s prosperity stems from three jars of gold unearthed while renovating their ancestral home. But when I asked what assets the Yang family has now, he wasn’t very clear, only saying they have a lot of land. Relying on land to pass down wealth is fine, but it’s hard to become the richest family in the area just through that. As a son-in-law, you must know well how the Yang family became wealthy, right?”

“The lord is truly as perceptive as ever.”

Fang Qing hadn’t intended to hide anything, but since Zhang Yue brought up the question so directly, he still felt a bit awkward. In business, deception is common, with secrets revealed gradually. Yet Zhang Yue always preferred to lift the lid completely, wanting to see everything clearly. Despite the teacup in his hands still being warm and a charcoal brazier burning in the room, his fingers felt stiff from the cold, and he instinctively lowered his gaze.

“The Yang family started out by selling a shipment of goods at sea. By then, they only had their ancestral home left. My father-in-law then decided to pawn the house for some silver, used it to buy a ship in the south, and purchased cotton cloth at the lowest price in Songjiang Prefecture. He then secretly hired experienced sailors to transport it to Ryukyu at a high price. The journey was extremely dangerous, but the ship loaded with cotton cloth returned filled with jars of gold. After three such trips, he redeemed the ancestral home and staged a show to make it seem like gold had been discovered. Since both the Hongwu and current dynasties strictly prohibited wealthy families from owning too much land, my father-in-law found it difficult to manage his family and never wanted to give up this source of wealth, so…”

Even without Fang Qing finishing, Zhang Yue already understood what came next. Although it involved the risk of execution, compared to the huge profits, it was certain that ordinary people would ignore the sea ban and set sail anyway.

If it weren’t for his attempt to impose a maritime ban this time, the chain of consequences resulting from the Ming Dynasty’s maritime ban would have been obvious. The imperial court cracked down severely on smugglers, and driven by greed, these smugglers colluded with pirates and foreign forces to resist and harass the authorities. From the early Ming to the late Ming, most of the pirates plaguing the southeastern coast were actually domestic pirates; there weren’t many true foreigners among them. How much national strength was wasted as a result? Of course, even the coastal defense forces were in terrible condition back then. Over 200,000 troops were stationed along the coast, yet chaos still reigned. The Ming Dynasty’s elite soldiers and generals deteriorated at an alarming rate.

It’s better to guide people toward profit rather than blocking it. Just as Zhu Yuanzhang executed corrupt officials, there were still too many of them to eliminate—so long as people have selfish desires, strict laws cannot suppress their instinct to seek profit.

Seeing Zhang Yue deep in thought and unwilling to speak, Fang Qing grew anxious. He had returned only after hearing that his father-in-law was seriously ill, so he brought his wife to visit. Who would have thought they would encounter such a tricky situation? He naturally knew how his father-in-law had become wealthy, but as a son-in-law, he wasn’t in a position to give advice on such matters. Now, both his father-in-law and his eldest uncle wanted to pause their activities temporarily, but his second uncle refused stubbornly, leading to a family split. He was caught in the middle and utterly at a loss.

“Although the Yang family violated regulations in the past, I’m not here to investigate those matters, so I can ignore them,” Zhang Yue said. Seeing Fang Qing’s immediate relief, he raised two fingers. “I only need to know two things. First, for the Yang family to rise from smuggling to become the wealthiest family in the region, there must be someone backing them. I want to know who that person is. Second, due to the maritime ban, all ports along the coast except those used by treasure ships have been abandoned. I want to know where the Yang family sets sail from.”

“It’s not that I refuse to tell you. After all, I’m an outsider to the Yang family, and I truly don’t know those two things. If it weren’t for my father-in-law’s serious illness and your desire to keep your identity hidden, I would have asked my father-in-law or my eldest uncle to come and meet with you in person,” Fang Qing said. He put down his teacup, stood up, and bowed deeply to Zhang Yue. “Sir, please accept my earlier offer to stay at the Yang family’s mansion for a few days. The Yangs are experts in maritime affairs and will surely not disappoint you. Moreover…”

He gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and ignored Zhang Yue’s expression as he spoke slowly and clearly, word by word: “As far as I know, there are quite a number of families in Songjiang Prefecture who secretly engage in overseas trade, and many members of the Du family are involved in this business. If you visit the Yang family, you’ll learn far more than if you send countless people to investigate. After all, many secrets in this line of work are kept hidden.”

When leaving the capital, Zhang Yue had sent Hu Qi to meet Yuan Fang, who had informed him that the Du family members in their hometown of Zhangyan Town were not peaceful. So he wasn’t surprised by Fang Qing’s words, though he was somewhat displeased. However, after hearing the underlying truth, his expression eased slightly. He had originally planned to start with the Du family, but now this unexpected obstacle turned out to be easier to deal with than the Du family, which was part of his wife’s clan. After all, his relationship with Fang Qing was purely based on interests, unlike a blood-related relationship.

“It’s fine to visit the Yang family’s mansion, but no need to stay. But have you discussed this matter with your father-in-law?”

“I came right away after receiving the invitation. My wife will handle things with my father-in-law later. Sir, my father-in-law has long intended to step back. If he meets you in person, he will surely reveal everything.”