Chapter 515: A Great Boost to Morale and Great Satisfaction

When there were no battles, Xuanfu was indeed a truly wonderful place. Although it wasn’t as developed in the fireworks industry as Datong, which had many musicians maintained by the Prince’s residence, it still had tens of thousands of troops stationed within its walls, along with numerous brothels and entertainment venues. Many officers transferred here even grew fond of it, thinking it was more comfortable and enjoyable than the capital. Yet while it was a good place for men, it was rather dull for women.

Xiao Wu, who had come from afar, found that Zhang Yue had already recovered almost completely. Her medical skills were no longer in use, and she wasn’t good at treating injuries—she couldn’t help with Xiang Long’s injuries either. Moreover, Zhang Yue kept telling her what she could and couldn’t do, which left her extremely frustrated. That day, since it was the day when merchants went to the commander’s residence to submit reports, Zhang Yue left early in the morning. Left with nothing to do, she wandered around the house for a while before finally putting on men’s clothes and heading to the commander’s residence to see what was going on.

The street in front of the commander’s residence was called Bingfu Street, naturally named after the residence itself. It was wide and flat, usually allowing smooth traffic, but today it appeared quite crowded. One reason was the cold weather—although it hadn’t snowed, a thick layer of frost covered the roadsides, and ice formed in some puddles, making it slippery for both carriages and pedestrians. Another reason was a long line of carriages parked along the walls, taking up one-third of the road, with more on the way. Since they were all ordinary carriages painted black with flat roofs, it would have been hard to distinguish them without their colorful curtains.

Xiao Wu had only walked a few steps from Bazhen Street when she saw such a crowded scene and grew even more curious. She noticed that many people wrapped tightly in clothes preferred to stand in the cold wind, while a nearby tea stall was empty. Even more puzzled, she walked a few more steps and sat down at the tea stall. She took out some money for tea and, seeing the middle-aged stall owner smiling as he poured the tea, couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, “Uncle, why have so many people come to submit those things? In such cold weather, they could either ride in carriages or come here to rest—why stand in the cold wind?”

“Is the young lady here to watch the excitement too?” Seeing few customers, the tea seller put the teapot back on the stove, wiped his hands on his apron, and sat down across from Xiao Wu. “These are some of the richest people in Shanxi. If they weren’t confident, they wouldn’t have come here by themselves. What’s the point of sitting outside in the wind like this? As for my place, it only serves cheap tea at two coins a bowl. Usually, it’s just military officers coming and going. They have hot tea prepared in silver bottles in their carriages—would they even look at my stuff? I heard this recruitment process is different from usual, which is why they’re so anxious. Didn’t you see the clerks at the entrance posting each document on the wall? It’s the first time the government has been so open about it. Lord Zhang really knows how to handle things!”

“Lord Zhang certainly knows how to handle things. Otherwise, why would Marquis Wu’an entrust him with this task?”

It was an officer in a red jacket who replied. He stared at Xiao Wu for a while before licking his lips and smiling. “Recruitment has always brought the most benefits, like a naked woman—everyone wants to touch her. But this time, everything goes through the military headquarters’ warehouse, making it harder to manipulate things. Judging from your outfit, are you a servant of some wealthy merchant? Instead of watching this pointless spectacle, I know a great place, and I even have some information. How about we go there and have some fun?”

“Xiao Wu, so you’re really here!”

As Xiao Wu frowned, she heard a familiar voice behind her. She quickly turned around. Upon recognizing the person, she exclaimed in surprise and joy, “Brother Wan, how did you return so quickly!”

Wan Shijie didn’t even glance at the officer with the unpleasant expression. He smiled at Xiao Wu and said, “It’s because the higher-ups are pressing hard, and Lu’an Prefecture had already prepared the necessary personnel according to the Ministry of War’s orders. That’s why filling the military households is going so fast. After all, with war looming, no one dares to neglect such important matters. When I turned into this street, I was shocked. I originally planned to go in right away to report to Marquis Wu’an, but with Yuan Jie causing such a disturbance, it seems impossible to get into the military headquarters for now.”

“Yes, I don’t know what my brother-in-law’s head is made of—always changing his mind.” Xiao Wu nodded vigorously. Seeing Wan Shijie’s dusty clothes and grimy face, she couldn’t help but laugh. “You must have rushed along the way. Look at all this dirt on you. Shake it off, sit down, and have some tea to catch your breath. No one will blame you for delaying for a while.”

They escorted Xiao Wu all the way from the capital to Xuanfu. Although he had the chance to strike up a conversation with the beautiful lady, Wan Shijie, who was naturally unrestrained, still felt at a loss when talking to Xiao Wu. So now, faced with her concerned tone, he felt his mouth dry and didn’t know what to say; he had even been a bit dazed when he sat down.

The officer beside them, completely ignored, was extremely frustrated, but after listening to the exchange between the couple, he could only leave dejectedly. The middle-aged tea vendor also seemed to sense something and quickly poured a bowl of tea for Wan Shijie using the large teapot, then silently stepped aside, puzzled.

Since they were officials, why didn’t they care about proper boundaries between men and women?

The young couple, unconcerned about such boundaries, chatted and laughed at the tea stall, watching the bustling activity at the general’s residence. Meanwhile, Zhang Yue, standing at the entrance of the general’s residence in the bitter cold, kept rubbing his nearly frozen hands, his gaze fixed on the two walls that were almost completely covered with documents. He had originally planned to find a warm room where all the merchants could sit and wait, so that the documents could be read aloud one by one for them to copy onto a whiteboard. But Marquis Wu’an Zheng Heng just laughed at this idea.

“Among the four classes—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—the court needs the merchants’ money, but there’s no need to be too polite to them, lest they become overconfident because of their wealth. Besides, waiting outside in the cold could allow the Tartar spies to learn that our army has ample supplies, weakening their position. I’ve had the military messengers use backdoors, and the open space in front of the general’s residence is perfect for you to work. Once the documents are delivered, just stick them on the walls—no one will dare claim there’s anything suspicious.”

According to Zheng Heng, Zhang Yue should have been sitting in a warm hall, sipping tea and waiting for the final results. But since this was his first time handling such matters, he decided to oversee everything personally. After what seemed like a long time, all the documents were finally posted. Several clerks hurriedly sorted and arranged them, working hard in the cold wind until their foreheads were covered in sweat.

As the sun rose higher, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but stamp his numb feet and tighten his robe. Lian Sheng took the opportunity to offer him a hand warmer, but he shook his head. Those wealthy merchants not only wanted to read every document clearly on those two walls but also kept staring at him. He really didn’t want to stand there, drawing attention with a hand warmer in hand.

“Sir, they’re all sorted!”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue immediately felt energized, and those Jin merchants who had been sorting their bids turned around as well, rushing forward in a crowd, all pricking up their ears. The clerk, receiving Zhang Yue’s signal, stood up, picked up the thin piece of paper in his hand, and cleared his throat.
“Luo family from Pingyao County: one shi per dou, three thousand strings!”
“Wang family from Taiyuan Prefecture: one shi per dou, two thousand strings!”
“Fan family from Pingyang Prefecture: one shi per dou, two thousand five hundred strings!”
As these three numbers were announced, chaos ensued among the crowd, especially among the merchants from those regions. The starting bid was only three dou and five sheng, yet it had tripled instantly, with the total amount reaching seven thousand five hundred strings—more than one-tenth of the overall amount. Even those wealthy and generous Jin merchants were thrown off balance; some wiped sweat with handkerchiefs, some whispered to each other, and many sighed. As for the three merchants who led at first, they let out long sighs, ignoring the envious, resentful, or angry looks from their fellow townspeople.
“Fang family from Lu’an Prefecture: one shi, three thousand strings!”
“Feng family from Lu’an Prefecture: one shi, four thousand strings!”
“Qin family from Lu’an Prefecture: one shi, two thousand strings!”
“Wang family from Lu’an Prefecture: one shi, two thousand five hundred strings!”
While some still managed to stay calm with the first three bids, when Lu’an Prefecture offered four bids of one shi per string, the crowd erupted into chaos. Those who had hoped for luck watched in despair as their hopes faded, cursing those who raised prices fiercely, wishing them ruin. But after hearing the subsequent bids of nine dou and five sheng, nine dou, and so on, everyone gradually accepted reality, though their expressions became increasingly strange.
If not for having to deal with the capricious emperor Zhu Di all the time, Zhang Yue’s expression would surely have been even more striking than anyone else’s. He knew the bid prices would exceed the starting amount this time, but he had estimated them at seven to eight sheng per string—never expecting them to soar to such an astonishing level. While military rations would no longer be a concern, the pressure would shift to the salt fields in Lianghuai. Sixty-six thousand strings equaled two months’ worth of salt production from Lianghuai; he hoped Wang Xunliang would not disappoint.

At noon, when Marquis Wu’an Zheng Heng heard an unbelievable figure from Zhang Yue, he could hardly believe his ears. He decided to go through the thick stack of papers one by one. Having seen much in his life, he certainly didn’t think it was all thanks to Zhang Yue’s efforts. After questioning him carefully, he said thoughtfully, “It’s indeed tempting that the emperor has ordered salt to be distributed without following the usual procedures, but there must be others who are stirring the situation. However, the outcome is what matters most; the process is unimportant. With no worries about food supplies for the northern campaign, we must eliminate Arutai this time!”
Hearing the words “stirring the situation,” Zhang Yue felt a stir in his heart. Just then, a report came from outside from a personal guard: “My lord, an imperial envoy has arrived in the capital and has already gone to deliver the order to Eunuch Lu!”
At that moment, Zhang Yue’s heart skipped a beat. If this distribution of grain truly boosted morale, then whether things would turn out satisfactorily would depend on this news he had been waiting for for five days!