Chapter 523: Brother-in-law’s Revenge, Unexpected Gains

Hundreds of years earlier, when Shanxi’s coal bosses still hadn’t stepped onto the historical stage and Shanxi’s banking houses hadn’t yet appeared, today’s Shanxi merchants had already embarked on a path to wealth by taking advantage of the Ming Dynasty’s salt monopoly system. However, compared to the extravagant spending of the wealthy families in the Jiangnan region, the Shanxi merchants were much more stingy. Yet at critical moments, they were willing to spend heavily—only not on themselves, but on those who held power. Thus, the eldest son of the Marquis of Baoding endured for two full days before finally losing his patience.

“These people keep giving gifts—can’t we even go out anymore? Last time, the Marquis of Wu’an sent troops to keep them at bay, but this time they just block our way shamelessly!”

Meng Jun, who was usually so gentle as to seem almost emotionless, threw away his polite facade early on due to the endless stream of gifts. He became extremely angry: “They sent a live pig, and inside, wrapped in oilpaper, was a box of gold! They sent a box of pastries, all filled with pearls! They sent two maids… and that so-called maid turned out to be a man in women’s clothes! Third brother, can’t we send someone to warn these wealthy landlords that if they keep this up, they’ll be thrown out?”

Zhang Yue had seen quite a bit in his life, but facing those gifts these past two days, he felt his face had gone completely stiff. Apparently, the Shanxi merchants also knew that acting recklessly would bring trouble, so they sent local products—as a way of speaking, the women of Datong could also be considered a type of “local product.” But all these bizarre gifts were simply too much to bear. Hearing the phrase “a man in women’s clothes” made his lips twitch instantly.

“Brother-in-law, you know very well that people believe that nothing gets done without respect. Besides, what I need to do now isn’t just about establishing the salt monopoly. Xuanfu has already issued orders banning all trade caravans from leaving. But you should know that intelligence from the military headquarters clearly states that if anything major happens in Xuanfu, the Tartars will find out within days. It’s easy for me to turn against them, but things get complicated on the other side.”

Meng Jun merely grumbled under his breath. Hearing Zhang Yue’s words, he could only shake his head helplessly and sit down with a sigh. “Anyway, I’ve made up my mind. Living with you, a man of such fame, means sharing misfortune as well. People visiting in the middle of the night, others blocking the door during the day—ever since I left the general’s residence, people keep approaching me. Even some colleagues mysteriously offer to introduce me to good places… I know these people well. Women in Datong are well-known, but for court officials to frequent brothels is a serious crime. In ancient times, Hua Mulan disguised herself as a man and outshone heroes; now, they simply pretend to be women—disgusting beyond description! I’ve already written back, asking your elder sister to come and spend the New Year with me. Otherwise, I’ll go crazy!”
Just as Zhang Yue had sighed in sympathy, he suddenly heard this and quickly asked, “Is that really possible?”
“What’s not possible? The Marquis of Wu’an even sent people back to the capital to bring his concubine, Lady Zhang. Most of the soldiers in Xuanfu have their families here locally. It’s no big deal for us to bring our families here for the New Year!” At this point, Meng Jun suddenly looked at Zhang Yue with a fake smile, saying thoughtfully, “But let me remind you—what the Marquis of Wu’an brought back was a concubine. Although I’m bringing back your elder sister, even if the emperor finds out, at most he’ll scold me for being worthless. But you’re different. Not only might the emperor scold you for being too emotional and lacking heroism, but your father-in-law hasn’t yet escaped danger. With one thing on his mind, how can he come to Xuanfu calmly?”
Furious at Meng Jun’s malicious attempt to stir his interest only to douse it completely, Zhang Yue was itching to retaliate. He grunted angrily and left the room straight away. Only then did Meng Jun stretch lazily with a smile. Zhang Yue had made him too afraid to leave the office, so how could he not take some small revenge?
They say an unattended wife grows resentful… now he had become an unattended husband!
Since Xiao Jiu had gone back, the west wing room was occupied by a clerk sent from the general’s residence and a minor officer from the Jinyiwei. They were responsible for recording all the gifts brought over. With the Lian Sheng and Lian Hu brothers watching over them, a system of mutual supervision was in place. And since Zheng Heng had already said Zhang Yue didn’t need to worry about other military affairs and should focus solely on managing the procurement process, he had plenty of time to deal with these wealthy men.

Having just been greatly provoked by Meng Jun, Zhang Yue stepped into the banquet hall with an expression of gritted teeth, which naturally made the middle-aged merchant sitting there wary. dressed in neat clothes, Niu Gan and Zhang Bu stood behind Zhang Yue in a bold manner, following Peng Shisan’s instructions, giving them an air of personal guards.

“If I remember correctly, the Luo family in Pingyao County already bought three thousand dan of salt at the price of one stone per dan. Why compete with others this time? Besides, judging from previous prices, it’s likely that merchants participating this time will raise their prices significantly. The Luo family can make a huge profit from these three thousand dan of salt—don’t be too greedy.”

“Your Excellency is absolutely right. I’m not greedy; I just want to try my luck again. The Fang family in Lu’an Prefecture also plans to bid higher. Seeing Zhang Yue frown slightly at the mention of the Fang family, he quickly came up with a number and, mustering courage, added, “I know the Fang family may have helped Your Excellency in the past, but such a small family is nothing in the vast Shanxi region. What they can do, I can do too. Even if I can’t, there are still several merchants in Pingyao County willing to serve Your Excellency.”

“I only care about the bidding process now; nothing else,” Zhang Yue interrupted him with a wave of his hand, speaking nonchalantly. “Whether it’s the Fang family or other Shanxi merchants, the rules are the same for everyone. I won’t show any favoritism. Besides, Shanxi merchants are renowned for their wealth. I know you have other ways of doing business. There’s no need to focus solely on my path or keep bringing up others. Many Shanxi merchants have succeeded—can’t they survive without salt?”

Zhang Yue had used this same rhetoric over the past two days to deal with seven or eight Shanxi merchants who came to see him. Those were all highly astute people who revealed very little, so he hadn’t held much hope. He merely hoped to use the clues obtained from Wang Guan’s confession to conduct a thorough investigation through the Jinyiwei while those merchants were less vigilant. Yet, to his surprise, the middle-aged man’s expression stiffened upon hearing this, and he soon showed signs of panic.

“Your words truly leave me utterly ashamed. My entire family has been engaged in this salt trade; we are no match for those wealthy merchants who conduct large-scale business beyond the borders!” As soon as Luo Qian finished speaking, his face turned bright red. “My ancestors have been in this salt trade since the Hongwu era. We own hundreds of acres of fertile land near Xuanfu, where we’ve recruited displaced people to cultivate it—those lands are now fully utilized for our own needs. If it weren’t for the Tartars constantly harassing our borders, we would have made a decent profit every year. That’s why I hate those damned Tartars the most, especially those who sneak goods across the border!”
Zhang Yue didn’t care whether this man resented the Mongol invasions that destroyed his crops or was dissatisfied due to envy of the huge profits from cross-border trade. He only knew that even though Fang Qing had already provided a detailed list of merchants involved in such trade, he couldn’t afford to overlook this opportunity that came his way. With a quick thought, he grew stern.
“One of the crimes punishable by beheading is engaging in illegal trade beyond the borders. Is there such a crime among the common people as well?”
Luo Qian had always envied and resented those wealthy competitors. Now, seeing that Zhang Yue, though stern, seemed convinced by his words, a malicious impulse took hold of him. He lifted the hem of his robe, knelt down, and vowed defiantly, “If I lie even half a word, may heaven strike me with lightning and deny me a peaceful death! Among the two families that bid the same amount as me last time, the Wang family from Taiyuan Prefecture and the Fan family from Pingyang Prefecture have particularly close ties with those beyond the borders. In addition, the Qin family from Lu’an Prefecture, the Li family from Pingyao County, as well as several other families like the Lu, Gao, and Wu families, all send goods out to varying degrees—some of which are even tea bricks of unknown origin.”
“So many families?” Hearing that there were even some not on Fang Qing’s list, Zhang Yue was startled. He cursed angrily for a moment before showing a hesitant expression. “Ignoring imperial laws is indeed despicable, but right now, it’s a critical time before the emperor’s northern campaign, and we can’t allow this to disrupt the overall situation…”
“But the Wang family from Taiyuan Prefecture not only sends tea bricks illegally across the border but also colludes with the Tartars!”
After shouting those words, Luo Qian realized there was no turning back. He had to go down this dangerous path. After all, the anger he had suppressed for so long could no longer be contained. Gritting his teeth, he resolved to spill everything.

“When the Tartars withdrew from the Central Plains at the end of the Yuan dynasty, the Wang family from Taiyuan Prefecture followed them into the desert. Later, those Han people who followed the Tartar emperor returned one by one, but the Wang family did not return. It was even said that they held a high position in the government and married a noble Tartar woman. There were rumors that they died, but no one knew for sure. Not to mention anything else, every time the Tartar grand tutor’s delegation returned from paying homage to the capital, they would plunder along the way. The Wang family suffered the most severe losses—just one of their estates was burned down—but every household lost at least several thousand guan, and some even tens of thousands!”
Luo Qian was now ready to go all out, and Zhang Yue had also dropped his pretense at this point. This was an unexpected discovery, but it was extremely exciting. Holding a high position in the Yuan dynasty and then fleeing to the desert was not enough to be considered a crime or a reason for suspicion. His great-uncle, Duke Rongguo Zhang Yu, also had a similar embarrassing past, but the last part of his story seemed highly suspicious.
“Are there any other proofs? I don’t want possibilities or maybes—I want solid evidence!”
Originally thinking Zhang Yue was just skeptical, hearing such a serious tone made Luo Qian’s determination burn even brighter. After swallowing hard, he said word by word, “This humble person knows one more thing: there is a Tartar in the inn rented by the Wang family right now!”