Chapter 609: The Hidden Dragon Descends Underground

“How did you think of opening a bank?” Hu Peiyun asked in surprise.
Seeing his astonished expression, Chang Jin smiled and said, “There’s nothing strange about it. Since the completion of the Tangzhi Road, the travel time from the Central Plains to Anxi has been reduced by 40%. Trade with the West has grown increasingly prosperous. Although the government does have a bank, it’s state-run and only one exists, which is inconvenient for many small and medium-sized merchants. By leveraging our geographical advantages, we can establish a multinational bank to handle savings, lending, currency exchange, and withdrawals from other locations—overall, to expand our business.”
“A multinational bank?”
It was the first time Hu Peiyun had heard such a term. Though he understood its literal meaning, he wasn’t familiar with its specifics. Just as he was about to ask, a clerk rushed in in a panic and whispered something in Chang Jin’s ear.
Chang Jin immediately stood up and said, “Our master is here. Let’s go greet him!”
……
Outside Rehai Residence, hundreds of cavalry blocked off Lingxi Alley tightly. Li Qing’an stood in front of the main gate, accompanied by a dozen clerks and Hu Ji, who stood respectfully beside him. Li Qing’an was a regular customer there, and they all knew him.
In Li Qing’an’s arms was a little girl around two years old—his adopted daughter, Li Siyue, also Zhang Yue’s daughter. Her original name was Zhang Si. She regarded Li Qing’an as her father and Wu Yi as her mother, so she changed her surname to Li. To honor her father, Li Qing’an added the character “Yue” to her name, giving her the full name Li Siyue. She was titled Lady Jinman. The little girl held Li Qing’an’s hand and occasionally looked up at him. Having grown up with her wet nurse without a father’s care, she now had a father who loved her, filling her heart with affection for him.
Behind Li Qing’an stood his second wife, Jiang Wu Yi. Earlier that morning, Wu Yi had taken their daughter to Cien Temple to make an offering, then went to Li Linfu’s former residence to see where she used to live. Although Li Linfu’s children were spared exile to Lingnan thanks to Li Qing’an’s intercession, they were all demoted to commoners by Li Longji and driven out of Chang’an. Li Longji also had Li Linfu’s body exhumed from his mausoleum, listed ten crimes against him, ordered his body to be whipped, stripped of his fine robes, and buried in a mass grave.
Most of Li Linfu’s children were scattered across the Tang Dynasty. His former residence was now abandoned. Wu Yi stayed in the courtyard where she had lived for nearly ten years for a while before leaving Pingkang Fang. Coincidentally, she met her husband, who was coming out of Pei Zunqing’s residence in Chongren Fang.

Li Qing’an put the mother and daughter on the carriage and they went to Rehaiju together. Pei Wan’er stayed at her parents’ home to keep vigil for her grandfather’s seventh day after death and did not come along. Knowing that Wu Yi was visiting for the first time, Li Qing’an smiled and introduced her, “This is a shop run by Chang Jin. I used to come here often.”
“Oh! So it’s run by Uncle Chang.”
Wu Yi recognized Chang Jin and smiled gently, “His daughter, Chang Yu, is even my student! I wonder if she’s in Chang’an. I should ask her.”
At that moment, Chang Jin and Hu Peiyun rushed out and bowed to Li Qing’an together, saying, “Saluting the Great General!”
“So General Hu is here too. I thought you’d come at noon.”
Hu Peiyun blushed and said, “I returned to the office first to handle some urgent matters and just arrived.”
“That’s good! Come and see something with me in a moment.”
Li Qing’an then smiled at Chang Jin, “Are your wife and daughter here?”
“Yes! They’re all here.”
Chang Jin saw Wu Yi and quickly stepped forward to bow, then ordered someone to call his wife and daughter. Soon, Chang Jin’s wife, Feng Shi, and his younger daughter, Chang Yu, hurried out.
Chang Jin had three sons and one daughter. His youngest daughter, Chang Yu, was only thirteen years old and learned the zither from Wu Yi in Suiye. Feng Shi also often visited Li Qing’an’s residence, so they were quite familiar with each other. They were overjoyed to meet in Chang’an. Feng Shi picked up Li Siyue and said with a smile, “Madam, come with me to the back house! It’s almost time for dinner.”
Wu Yi glanced at Li Qing’an, who nodded and smiled, “Go ahead! Take the opportunity to test your student’s zither skills and see if she’s forgotten.”
Wu Yi was delighted and said, “Then call me when it’s time to leave. I’ll go first.”
The women chatted and laughed as they headed to the back house.
After they walked away, Li Qing’an followed Chang Jin and Hu Peiyun into the room. He sat down and said with a smile, “Coming back here feels like being at home.”
Chang Jin poured a cup of hot tea for Li Qing’an and said with a smile, “This place is originally the master’s home.”
“Mm! That’s right.”
Li Qing’an took a sip of tea and then asked, “Has the matter regarding the bank been settled?”
He explained to Hu Peiyun, “It was my decision to call it a bank. They originally wanted to call it a ‘money house,’ but both the Arabs and the Byzantines don’t use money but gold and silver coins. We in Anxi also use silver coins, so it’s more appropriate to call it a bank.”
“I understand. Indeed, calling it a bank is better—it sounds grand and natural.”
Chang Jin reported, “It’s already settled. We plan to open six banks first: one in Baghdad, the new capital of the Arabs, one in Samarkand, one in Suiye, one in Constantinople, one in Chang’an, and another in Guangzhou.”

“How could one think of opening one in Guangzhou? Could it be for maritime trade?”
Li Qing’an reacted quickly, immediately thinking of maritime trade. He had received intelligence that Port of Turan, located at the southernmost tip of Punjab, had been repaired at the beginning of the year, funded by Sogdian merchants to facilitate their maritime trade. Trade ships from Persia and Arabia began to dock there to trade with Sindh. Two months ago, a fleet of over 300 large ships carried two million dan of Sindh grain to Guangzhou in the Tang Dynasty.
This was the main reason Li Qing’an wanted to build Port of Turan: first, to establish a maritime trade route with Sindh in India; second, to transport Sindh’s abundant grain to the Tang Dynasty. There were no large-capacity transport vehicles for land routes, and the journey was difficult, resulting in significant losses en route, leaving little by the time it reached Chang’an. By sea, however, large quantities could be transported.
Chang Jin said with a smile, “Exactly. Maritime trade is now quite prosperous, on par with land trade. I heard there are already hundreds of thousands of Arabs in Guangzhou, so we decided to open a bank there as well.”
Li Qing’an nodded. “You’ve thought this through very well. The court has already established a maritime trade supervision office in Guangzhou to collect taxes. Last year alone, it generated nearly one million guan in tax revenue, showing just how prosperous maritime trade is. Opening a bank there is a very wise move.”
Chang Jin took out a document and handed it to Li Qing’an. “Lord, this is an official document signed by the eighteen families, all agreeing to dissolve the Hidden Dragon Society.”
“Ah! Dissolve the Hidden Dragon Society?”
Hu Peiyun beside him was shocked, his eyes wide with astonishment. Dissolving the Hidden Dragon Society? He was almost stunned.
Hu Peiyun was a younger member of the Hidden Dragon Society. Having stepped back from its affairs and missed the annual meetings for two years, he was not aware of the situation within the society. He only knew that the Hidden Dragon Society had endured centuries through many generations. How could it be dissolved so easily? Now, usually composed, he was completely flustered and asked urgently, “What exactly is going on? Why dissolve the Hidden Dragon Society?”
In fact, the Hidden Dragon Society had been in meetings for three days, making many important decisions. The 25 members of the society, representing the 18 families who had once escorted Princess Jianing to Suiye, included Li Qing’an and four who held official positions. A total of 20 people attended these three days of meetings that determined the fate of the Hidden Dragon Society.
Seeing Hu Peiyun’s distress, Li Qing’an knew he was anxious and said to Chang Jin with a smile, “Tell him! Help him regain his composure as soon as possible.”

As the vice-chairman of the Hidden Dragon Society, Chang Jin also had the duty to explain some of the meeting’s decisions to Hu Peiyun and the others. Since Li Qingan had spoken up, he said, “Actually, this is something we’ve discussed for a long time. If the lord ascends the throne, then the Hidden Dragon Society will fulfill its century-old dream and carry out the wishes of our ancestors. So what should we do then? Is it still necessary for the Hidden Dragon Society to exist? Three months ago, my grandfather asked for an oracle at the spirit altar of the Hidden Prince. The prediction was ‘The flying dragon soars in the sky; the hidden dragon sinks into the earth.’ This was the Hidden Prince’s message. We decided to dissolve the Hidden Dragon Society, but the lord believes it should be dissolved without truly disappearing…”

Hu Peiyun nodded silently. He had begun to understand and asked, “My elder brother must have signed as well!”
“Yes, your elder brother Hu Peiquan has signed on behalf of the Hu family on the dissolution document.”
Chang Jin showed Hu Peiyun Hu Peiquan’s signature and added, “By ‘dissolved without disappearing,’ we mean the Hidden Dragon Society will change its purpose—stopping to interfere in politics and turning into a commercial conglomerate. The society’s assets will be divided into eighteen parts, with each of our eighteen noble families holding one. In the future, when major business decisions need to be made, the eighteen families will vote together. Your elder brother Hu Peiquan will likely talk to you in detail tonight.”
Hu Peiyun nodded. He finally understood that the Hidden Dragon Society was changing its purpose. For over a century, the goal of these eighteen families had been for the Hidden Dragon to ascend the throne. Now that this goal seemed within reach, the society either had to be dissolved or transform itself to continue existing. Emotionally, these eighteen families had shared honor and disgrace together for over a century, and no one wanted to dissolve it. Forming a large business group was also a solution—this was also a way for Li Qingan to repay the Hidden Dragon Society.
“What will be our main business going forward?”
“Trade, mainly international trade, including land and sea routes. Qi Huaiyuan has already gone to Guangzhou to prepare the Tongji Society’s maritime company and the Tongji Society’s Guangzhou Bank. I estimate that within half a year, our Tongji Society’s first fleet of merchant ships will set sail.”
“Tongji Society?”
“Yes. The Hidden Dragon Society will be renamed the Tongji Society. Everyone agreed on this name, meaning that the eighteen families will work together through thick and thin. In the future, the lord will have no connection to us anymore, and the president will be elected by vote among the families.”
Hu Peiyun nodded silently. He then asked, “So another main business will be banking, right?”
Li Qingan laughed beside him and said, “That’s right—trade and banking. I hope the Tongji Society will become the greatest business conglomerate in the world. By ‘the world,’ I mean not just the Tang Dynasty, but also Arabia, Byzantium, and even the more distant West.”

In fact, this was also a carefully considered decision by Li Qingan. The Hidden Dragon Society would greatly assist his ascension to the throne, but as someone who ruled over the entire country, he did not want the Hidden Dragon Society to continue as a political force—it had to be disbanded. Considering the society’s mysterious and formidable financial power, Li Qingan thought of later-era financial conglomerates like the Rothschilds and Rockefellers. Perhaps the Hidden Dragon Society could transform into such a powerful financial group, infiltrating the West economically and, in turn, allowing the Western spirit of contract to influence the East, thereby gradually changing China’s traditional clan-based mindset. This was Li Qingan’s carefully thought-out decision. He wasn’t sure if it would succeed, but he had to give it a try. He put down the documents in his hand and smiled at Chang Jin, saying, “Next, I’m going to take a look at the financial strength of the Tongji Society.”