Chapter 705: The World Is Busy—All for Profit

Although Fuxu Bathing by the Sun was once one of the famous scenic spots in Yangcheng during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and Emperor Hongwu of the Ming dynasty chose this place to hold sacrifices when enshrining the God of the South Sea, the Market Supervision Office was later moved to Huangpu Town due to the gradual siltation of Fuxu Port, making it difficult to navigate. Most tribute ships from Champa, Siam, Ceylon, and other places stopped here in Guangzhou, trading with local merchants in addition to presenting their tributes. Thus, during the more than twenty years when the Market Supervision Office was reestablished during the Yongle era, merchants from home and abroad brought countless business opportunities to this small town, turning it into a bustling and prosperous commercial hub.

The Market Supervision Office was located at the eastern end of Huangpu Town, just one street away from the market street where foreigners and merchants did business. The prevailing sea breezes made it suitable for returning voyages, so ships kept arriving continuously. Many foreign merchants stayed here, along with many local wealthy merchants. Most of them had heard that the new emperor had reopened Ningbo Port for overseas voyages, so they hoped Guangzhou could also lift the final ban. After all, although the current business opportunities were good, the control was in the hands of others, which was not as good as operating independently.

The weather in Guangzhou was hot. It was only early April, yet the windows of the large restaurants already had green screens installed to keep mosquitoes out. Although the private rooms were on the third floor of the Jubin Building, the hot wind still blew in, causing the four or five merchants present to sweat profusely. But at that moment, no one cared about that; they all stared at the man in the blue silk cross-collar shirt sitting at the head of the table.

“Brother Wu, everyone knows you have some connections with Eunuch Qin from the Market Supervision Office. Now that you’ve come, please give us some insight—what are the imperial rules? If possible, we could also spend some money to have Eunuch Qin lobby on our behalf.”

“Don’t count on that old eunuch. I just sent someone reliable to gather information from the north. It’s very likely that the person in charge of the Market Supervision Office will change. Over the years, that old eunuch has taken so much advantage of us. Now that he’s about to be replaced, he still dares to extort money—forget it! If you trust me, don’t waste any more money on him, or it will all be in vain!”

After hearing what Merchant Wu said, everyone exchanged glances. Even the fat man who had been fanning himself vigorously because of the heat stopped. After a while, someone cautiously asked a question.

“Brother Wu is naturally not on par with us. After all, that eunuch Qin has only been in office for three years. Though greedy, he still has weaknesses, making him easy to deal with. If anyone should be replaced, it should be that Li, the supervisor. He’s utterly unyielding and often gets entangled in disputes with those foreigners over resource allocation. Just because of this, how much money have we lost over the years?”
His words immediately drew many nods of agreement. Although the merchant surnamed Wu also nodded, his face showed a look of helplessness. Standing up and pressing his hands together, he spoke up to remind them, “Since the Yongle era, the supervisor of the Maritime Trade Office has been nothing but a figurehead. Under that eunuch Qin, how much power does this Li really have? Not to mention the supervisor of the Maritime Trade Office, even the provincial governors in our office haven’t been as influential as those eunuchs who took turns governing it! It’s a pity my connections are limited, and I can’t find out the specifics, but there is one thing I can remind you all about.”
The merchants in this private room were either relatives or fellow townspeople, so they always acted as one. Hearing this, they quickly fell silent. Seeing their focused expressions, the merchant surnamed Wu was naturally very satisfied.
“In the past, the Maritime Trade Office operated independently, outside the jurisdiction of the provincial governors. But this time is different. Our new provincial governor hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m sure you’ve all heard of his reputation—he’s the infamous Zhang the Headhunter! From Shandong to Ningbo, then to Xinghe beyond the Great Wall and the key city of Xuanfu, he’s killed countless people along the way. And that’s not even including the recent rebellion led by the Han King—he simply ordered executions, resulting in hundreds more heads rolling! He’s not like those previous provincial governors. With just one word from him, no matter who’s in charge of the Maritime Trade Office, they’ll have to be cautious!”
At that moment, the fat man next to him, fanning himself, quietly took over the conversation, “Since this man has achieved such great feats, he should be more than enough to be made a marquis or prime minister. Why does he have to come to Guangdong? There are so many provincial governments in the world, and Guangdong is just an average province. Why does this God of Killing choose it…?” After muttering a few words, he suddenly slapped his thigh and said, “That’s right! I remember he once submitted a petition to lift the sea ban. The opening of the Ningbo Maritime Trade Office was also under his supervision. With him here, the Guangzhou Maritime Trade Office will surely follow suit. From now on, we won’t have to cater to those damned foreigners anymore!”

Seeing no one around responding, his suddenly raised voice gradually faded. Only then did he realize everyone was staring at him as if he were an idiot, making him even more embarrassed. The merchant surnamed Wu found it amusing and said irritably, “Is it only now that Fat Chu thinks of this? Everyone else has thought of it long ago. Don’t you see that Guangzhou is already suitable for ships from our country to dock and return to Ningbo? However, the benefits from that person aren’t easy to obtain. There will likely be strict rules and harsh conditions as soon as we approach. If those in power are so domineering, life will be tough for us. If even the Maritime Administration bows to them, how can we people get by?”
As the saying goes, a corrupt county magistrate can ruin a family; a domineering official can destroy an entire household. This naturally made everyone nod in agreement. The merchants believed in not relying on just one source of income, as dependence on a single party meant being at their mercy with no room for negotiation. So, they sat there discussing and most agreed to first connect with familiar merchants in the market streets to prepare in advance and avoid being caught off guard. With this concern on their minds, hardly anyone enjoyed the delicious food on the table.
It wasn’t until the late afternoon that people gradually left the banquet hall, with Fat Chu being the last to leave. He stood at the door until everyone had gone, then helplessly scratched his head and sighed. It was only when his servant reminded him that he noticed his large mule-drawn cart waiting for him. He quickly climbed in, but found the interior stuffy and raised the curtain high. As they passed by the Huaiyuan Post Station in town, he casually glanced at several horses parked outside and took a second look, but didn’t pay much attention.
The afternoon sun was already scorching. Although there was a partition overhead, Fat Chu’s plump frame still made him feel extremely hot, so he fanned himself vigorously. After what seemed like a long time, he suddenly heard someone calling out.
“Master, there are quite a few people gathered on Fan Si Street ahead.”

Hearing this, Chu Pangzi, who had been somewhat displeased, immediately snapped back to his senses. Before the carriage even stopped, he poked his head out to look. He saw that the Provincial Administration Office in the middle of Fansi Street was already crowded with onlookers inside and outside. He quickly ordered the coachman to pull over and then jumped down swiftly. Impatient to send a servant to inquire, he grabbed some copper coins and asked a passerby, only then learning that the new provincial governor had arrived that day. Remembering that everyone at the banquet had discussed how to deal with this famous Lord Zhang, he hurriedly sent his servant to clear a path and managed to push his way to the front.

After about fifteen minutes, a commotion came from under the archway at the west end of Fansi Street. Soon after, a group of riders surrounding several carriages approached. The men at the front stopped their horses in front of the eight-character wall in front of the Provincial Administration Office. The leader gave a command, and everyone dismounted in unison, clearly in a military manner. Seeing this, the officials waiting for some time, such as the left and right counselors, stepped forward. Xu Tao, the leading counselor, greeted them with a cheerful smile, but his expression suddenly stiffened upon hearing what the leader said.

“Thank you all for waiting so long. My lord passed by Huaiyuan Post Station and decided to take a look, so he will arrive a bit later!”

There were many post stations in the world, but Huaiyuan Post Station was unique. Built in the third year of the Yongle era, it only served foreign envoys from neighboring countries and never other officials. Even the post master and staff were separately appointed and received far better treatment than ordinary minor officials. These foreigners from countries like Champa and Siam were often generous, readily giving away coins and silver coins they had minted abroad, which made the post master position highly coveted. The current post master, Ma Fang, had been able to hold the position steadily for three years only because of his connections with Qin Huaijin, the eunuch in charge of the Maritime Trade Bureau.

Since it was used to host foreign guests, the post station was naturally spacious and grand. Aside from the post master’s office, there were seven or eight dozen rooms in four courtyards, sufficient to meet the needs of all foreign visitors. But since it was not the busy season for sea ships arriving at the port, it was much quieter than usual. So even though these were uninvited guests at Huaiyuan Post Station, Ma Fang still did not dare to neglect them. When he heard that they were referred by the Maritime Trade Bureau and were merchants from Jiangnan who wanted to do business with the foreigners and gather information about them, and when they showed Qin Gonggong’s token, he secretly rejoiced that he had not been rude.

Being able to hold this position for a longer time than his predecessors was thanks to his prudence. At that moment, he ordered tea to be brought, then sat down in the main seat. After giving a brief introduction, seeing that the other party was listening attentively, he couldn’t help but show off a bit.
“This young master, I’m not boasting—having dealt with foreigners for three years, I know them very well! Though they call themselves envoys, more than half of them are just impostors, eager for the rewards from our great empire! Take those staying at the post station now— they’re all merchants from Ceylon. The gems they bring are common goods back home, but here they’re valuable. Moreover, the court pays them twice the market price—so who wouldn’t want to come?”
As he spoke, Ma Fang took out a ruby from his sleeve to show the young man across from him. Seeing him examine it with great interest, Ma Fang explained, “This ruby may seem like a treasure, but to ordinary people it might be interesting, yet true wealthy families wouldn’t deem it valuable. Look at its color—this light purple is fairly good, but the rest are just a hint of light red and are utterly worthless. In comparison, Ceylon’s sapphires and cat’s eyes are truly fine…”
While others talked at length, Zhang Yue listened carefully, also pondering things in his mind. Guangzhou was over four thousand li from Nanjing and over seven thousand li from the capital. His journey had been extremely difficult, and coming suddenly from the dry, cold north to the humid, hot south, he found it hard to adjust. Moreover, as a newcomer, he hadn’t yet seen the boldness to eat anything here. Even Guangzhou, though prosperous, still fell far short of places like Suzhou and Hangzhou, let alone compare to the two capitals in the north and south.
“By the way, from your accent, you seem to be from Nanjing?”
Zhang Yue had traveled far and wide over the years and could speak some dialects. He had deliberately shown a hint of the Nanjing accent earlier. Now, upon being asked, he felt amused but pretended to be indifferent, nodding before returning the ruby to Ma Fang. Unexpectedly, Ma Fang showed no intention of taking it back and instead pushed it back at him with a smile.

“Since the young master is from Nanjing and was recommended by Eunuch Qin, his family must be of outstanding background. I happen to have a group of foreign merchants staying here, who are now waiting for favorable winds to return, bringing with them many fine items such as purple sandalwood, ebony, and agarwood. I can help facilitate a deal for him. It must have cost the young master quite a bit to gain Eunuch Qin’s favor; once this transaction is settled, he can give him more as a reward, which will help cover the taxes.”

Zhang Yue chose to take up his post in Guangdong precisely because of its geographical location and prospects. After all, with the emperor far away, things wouldn’t be so restrictive. He had already submitted a proposal to the Maritime Administration. But hearing Ma Fang’s relentless persuasion, he gradually frowned. The corvée labor in the Ming Dynasty was heavy, yet the taxes were not as high as those in the Tang and Song dynasties, especially for merchants—a tax rate of one-tenth was practically negligible. Moreover, those merchants trading with foreigners were extremely wealthy.

“Then, Lord Ma, could you advise what would be most suitable if I traded goods with foreigners?”

“Need I say? Since the young master is from Nanjing, it’s naturally silk! Silk is lightweight yet valuable. Additionally, due to the hot weather in Western countries, sheer fabrics are also very sellable. As for other items, it’s porcelain and tea. There’s an imperial ban on tea, so it’s tricky to deal with, but porcelain isn’t an issue… If one can get high-quality lacquerware, it’s even more valuable than porcelain!”

“I see. Thanks for reminding me, Lord Ma.”

Although he was well aware of the profits in overseas trade, Zhang Yue still patiently asked detailed questions, subtly inserting some crucial ones along the way. As Ma Fang got excited, he couldn’t help but boast, “If we’re talking about profits, there’s one thing that’s the greatest of all—people…”

Just then, a sudden commotion was heard outside, followed by movement in the bamboo curtains at the front of the hall. Several people rushed in, led by a middle-aged man with a long face and no beard.

“The world is full of surprises—someone actually dares to use our family’s name to deceive people?”