Chapter 526: Who Monitors Who?

In the bitter cold of winter, merchants no longer had to endure the cold wind in front of the general’s residence but could sit in warm halls—a tremendous boon for them. The owner of Deqing Tower and all its staff were equally excited. Though they were busy running around to take care of everything, sweating profusely, it was well worth it.
With just a casual gesture from Lord Zhang, such a great opportunity fell upon the unassuming Deqing Tower. Once their restaurant became known as the best in Xuanfu, business would surely thrive.
Despite having a second chance, and with more merchants arriving, plus concerns that some might bid but fail to deliver the required grain, Zhang Yue claimed that Deqing Tower had limited seating and postponed the auction by three days. He then issued an order using the governor’s seal, requiring each merchant to pay a deposit of 500 dan of grain.
Grain was chosen because although the Yongle era had minted some coins, they were not widely circulated among the people. Gold and silver were not official currency, and treasure notes were practically worthless. Thus, despite the inconvenience, he had to use grain—the most urgently needed commodity—as collateral. If a merchant won the bid for salt quotas, the 500 dan of grain could be deducted from their obligation. If they failed to win, they would have to repay an additional interest amount after next autumn. Those who won the bid but did not purchase would have their deposit confiscated by the government. Fortunately, the arriving merchants were well-prepared, leading to another spectacular scene of grain being delivered to the four major granaries in Xuanfu.
Therefore, Zhang Yue, who was presiding over the auction once again, wasn’t overly nervous. He could imagine that, with the previous example, the merchants would be more cautious this time, resulting in higher bids.
Dividing the salt from Lianghuai, Liangzhe, and Changle into reserve and regular shares was an idea borrowed from past generations. Originally meant to address the difficulties in the Ming dynasty’s salt administration, it was now adapted by him. In the past, the auction price was set upfront, and grain collection didn’t consider whether salt production had been advanced for decades or even centuries. Now, the Ministry of Revenue allocated the expected annual output of each salt field to various military units in fixed proportions, determined the auction quantity and minimum price, and then allowed merchants to bid—whichever offered the highest price won. This approach minimized shortages. Thirty percent of the output was reserved each year to meet the needs of large-scale military operations.

But all of this must be based on a situation with few border threats. In other words, if it weren’t to supply border towns and strengthen defense, a monopoly system for salt merchants could be implemented directly—why go through all the hassle? Moreover, if there were too many border threats and allocations had to be made frequently, merchants would surely pass on their losses in salt prices to the common people. So ultimately, it still comes down to the military.
“Sir, the time is up!”
Hearing Niu Gan’s reminder behind him, Zhang Yue stood up. He was on a high platform in the center, allowing him to see everything around. After repeating some clichéd words, he solemnly announced the start. Seeing several specially selected clerks walking around, collecting documents from the merchants and sticking them on the whiteboard in the center, and noticing the anxious expressions on the merchants’ faces, some even wiping sweat with handkerchiefs, he subtly glanced in the direction of the Wang family in Taiyuan Prefecture. The pale-old man there, like the others, had a flushed face, seemingly unaware of anything else.
With the precedent from last time, prices soared again this time—the first bid was as high as three stones and five dou. Under such unprecedentedly high prices, even the usually calm merchants began to struggle, and a buzzing sound gradually filled the quiet hall.
What was even more alarming was that prices remained high even after three stones and five dou. After listing a long list of names, Fang Qing counted on his fingers and found that the amount of salt subscribed to had reached 40,000 dan, yet the price was still above two dou. Even though Zhang Yue had agreed that the 2,000 dan of salt was extra beyond the official quota, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
Even though the merchants present had suffered enough from waiting in line, this was utterly crazy! But it was understandable—salt could be sold for 300 wen per jin, and 400 jin per dan meant 120,000 wen. With that amount, one could buy over a hundred stones of rice, yielding enormous profits. Yet no profit could compare to decades of waiting in line. Who wouldn’t pay a high price for immediate supply?
Since the grain coupons used for payment couldn’t be transferred, salt merchants had to wait their turn. Now that a system of nominal transfer had been established, many merchants who couldn’t deliver 500 stones of grain immediately were waiting outside Deqing Tower for news. The government had set a deadline of February of the following year to deliver the grain. If prices inside rose and someone bid but couldn’t fulfill the order, wouldn’t they be able to share in the profits? Thus, the two tightly closed black doors at the front of the ground-floor hall were slightly opened, and a crowd rushed in.

Seeing everyone shouting and asking about the bottom price, the clerk who had come out to post the announcement immediately stepped back, then cleared his throat lightly before puffing out his chest proudly and saying, “Listen well! The highest bid this time is three stones and five dou, and the lowest bid is two stones and seven dou!”
Despite the noise in the crowd, everyone could hear that loud voice. Even those who didn’t hear clearly had others repeating those astonishing figures. In an instant, the entire street seemed to erupt in chaos. Thirty or fifty merchants who couldn’t get in were either amazed, clapping their hands, shaking their heads in exasperation, or gritting their teeth. Several tea houses nearby, which were originally meant for people to rest in, were almost empty. It seemed that only by standing in the cold wind could people cool down their overheated heads.
In a cheap tea house diagonally across Deqing Tower, there were still three or four customers, but the noisy scene also affected this quiet place; even the staff peeked out at the commotion. Yu Qian sat at a table by the counter. At that moment, he picked up his teacup and drained the tasteless tea in one gulp, though his face showed hesitation. Meanwhile, the murmurs of the two customers at the table next to him could also be faintly heard.
“That Lord Zhang really is impressive—capable of turning the tide at will. This time, the amount of grain collected will probably be about three times that of last time!”
“Originally, the imperial guards needed to issue more orders to raise military grain, but it seems that won’t be necessary this time. Actually, judging from the emperor’s actions, it’s clear—he already allocated 60,000 strings of Huai salt in one go, and now he’s adding another 60,000… Tsk tsk, isn’t this clearly giving Lord Zhang carte blanche to take matters to the end? Those merchants are like wolves smelling meat. If they weren’t united, how could prices soar so high?”
“Merchants are driven by profit—how could they ever be united? Have you heard? The Tatars in the north are having internal conflicts. Many tribal leaders are dissatisfied with Arutai’s resistance against our Great Ming Dynasty, so they’ve sent envoys to show goodwill to our court! In my opinion, maybe the emperor won’t even need to lead an expedition—the Tatars might collapse on their own!”
“I’ve heard about that too. It seems he’s not at the general’s headquarters now, but with Lord Zhang…”

Hearing this, Yu Qian’s brows furrowed even more. He left some money on the table as payment for the tea, then stood up and left. He paused at the entrance of the teahouse, glanced at the crowded scene outside, and sighed deeply. Including this time and the previous one, Zhang Yue had already gathered about 150,000 dan of military rations. Based on the consumption during the previous two northern expeditions, this was enough to supply the army for a month, greatly reducing the burden of transporting supplies from the south. The question was, would the rising price of salt affect the common people?

Although he was currently staying in an inn, Yu Qian was a probationary censor, so he had met the imperial censor stationed in Xuanfu. Thus, although his information wasn’t entirely up-to-date, it wasn’t completely outdated either. At this moment, what puzzled him even more was that if it were the Tatar chieftain who sent envoys, they would surely report to the court immediately. How could rumors have spread among the common people first?

With these doubts, he walked back to the inn where he was staying. As soon as he turned into the alley, he noticed several riders standing in front of the unassuming small inn, which surprised him. As he got closer, a shout was heard, and those men turned toward him, quickly surrounding him.

If it weren’t for someone reminding him, Lu Feng would have completely forgotten that besides him and Zhang Yue, Yu Qian had also come to Xuanfu. Now, looking down at this young man arrogantly, he suddenly raised his eyebrows. “Isn’t Censor Yu in Kaiping? When did you secretly return to Xuanfu? You’ve already achieved merits before. This time, you should at least greet my lord and Lord Zhang. After all, we’re connected by fate, right? Or is it that Censor Yu has his eyes set on us and plans to spy on us secretly?”

Throughout their journey to Xuanfu, Yu Qian and Lu Feng had spoken less than ten words in total. Now, faced with Lu Feng’s aggressive questioning, he frowned slightly before bowing and saying, “Reporting to Lord Lu, the grain reserves in Kaiping have been inspected. I was ordered by Chief Censor Liu to stay in Xuanfu temporarily to assist Censor Liu. As for spying, as a probationary censor, it’s my duty anyway. There’s nothing secret about it. If any officials in Xuanfu engage in illegal activities, I will certainly report them!”

Lu Feng initially didn’t take it seriously, but upon hearing Yu Qian speak in such a manner, his face turned pale. He couldn’t help but grip the handle of his whip tightly before sneering coldly, “Good, good. Truly, you’ve just passed the imperial examinations this year and are full of youthful arrogance! But don’t forget—although the Censorate is indeed in charge of supervising officials, you’re not yet a full-fledged censor. And when it comes to supervision, the Censorate can’t compare to the Jinyiwei or the Eastern Depot! Go ahead and supervise as much as you like; we’ll see who ends up supervising whom!” With those harsh words, Lu Feng whipped his horse hard and rushed ahead, with the others quickly following. Yu Qian watched their retreating figures for a while, unfazed by the dust thrown up by the horses covering him head to toe. Only after a long while did he turn around and brush off the dust from his clothes. Looking up, he saw his servant Dabao standing in front of the horse-tying stone, holding a horse by one hand and a large bundle in the other. The inn’s doors were shut, but through the gaps, he could see moving figures inside. “Master, that innkeeper is truly despicable! Just because of the Jinyiwei, he claimed this place couldn’t accommodate someone as important as you and forced me to leave!” “They’re just ordinary people—how could they possibly offend the Jinyiwei?” Yu Qian shook his head dismissively before asking, “We’ve been here for several days. Have we paid for the lodging and food?” Dabao, knowing Yu Qian’s temper, quickly explained, “Everything’s been paid for! The innkeeper initially refused, but I knew you wouldn’t accept that, so I paid him 160 coins in total.” Since the lodging fee was settled, Yu Qian said nothing more. He didn’t get on his horse either but instead turned and walked out along the alley. Lu Feng’s words didn’t scare him. Ever since he decided to accept Yang Shiji’s recommendation to join the Censorate, he had prepared himself to remain calm regardless of honor or disgrace. After all, even if Lu Feng had the support of the Jinyiwei, it was a time of turmoil in Xuanfu—why would they pay attention to him? After searching the entire western part of the city, Yu Qian and his servant failed to find an inn to stay at. It wasn’t that Lu Feng had ordered them to be refused, but rather most of the large inns were occupied by merchants who had come to Xuanfu, leaving the smaller inns filled with other traders and laborers. Apart from a shared bed for 10 coins per night or a private room for 150 coins per night, finding a room was almost as difficult as climbing to the sky. As dusk fell, frustrated Dabao simply blocked Yu Qian’s path.

“Sir, how about we go see Lord Zhang or Inspector Liu? We need to get through this night first! The military and civil branches aren’t under the same authority—we can’t turn to the military headquarters, as they’re all civil officials. They should help each other!”
Yu Qian did want to meet Zhang Yue and ask about the rumors he had heard earlier, but thinking of his mission to assist Liu Guan, he abandoned the idea. “Then let’s go see Inspector Liu.”
Zhang Yue, however, didn’t know that Yu Qian was searching for a place to stay after being exiled. He had just left the military headquarters at sunset. Although his current title was Supervisor in charge of military affairs in Xuanfu, which was independent of the military headquarters, he considered himself young and had the support of the experienced Marquis of Wu’an, Zheng Heng. So, he naturally rushed to report such good news right away. Thinking of Zheng Heng’s surprised and delighted expression, he smiled slightly and tightened the piece of paper with the exact figures in his hand.
Passing through the archway in front of the military headquarters and around the screen wall, he saw Niu Gan and Zhang Bu leading horses over. He walked quickly toward them, but after a few steps, he heard a shout from the side: “Sir, good news!”
Zhang Yue quickly turned around and saw Zhao Hu, who had gone out on errands earlier that morning. He smiled and asked, “You look so excited. What good news?”
Zhao Hu ignored all forms of courtesy and pulled Zhang Yue aside, then said in a hushed voice, “The emperor sent Prince Shouguang to guard the imperial tombs in Fengyang! Prince Shouguang refused to obey and knelt in front of the Qianqing Palace, revealing many private affairs of the Han princes. As a result, the enraged emperor ordered him to be beaten. It is said the emperor supervised the punishment personally—no one knows exactly how many blows were given, but the bluestone pavement turned red!”
As he spoke, he licked his lips excitedly, then lowered his voice again. “Lord Yuan sent word that the emperor seems to have changed his mind. It’s likely that Lord Du will be released soon!”
Zhang Yue let out a sigh of relief, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes. How many years had passed since that arrogant imperial grandson started causing him trouble? Zhu Zhan Tan, who had plotted against him, was dead now—so it was time for Zhu Zhan Qi to experience what it meant to be dealt a fatal blow!