Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 222: This Thousand Household Has Respect
Sun Keding's political integrity really gave Pei Yuan a headache.

Look at Wang Chang. Although he is also a coward and his abilities are mediocre, he has good political integrity.

When Liu Jin was arrogant, he was content to be the Minister of War in Nanjing; when Liu Jin was finished, he directly submitted seven memorials asking for his resignation.

Regardless of whether he is willing to accept defeat or is worried about political persecution, he is very clear about his own position.

Politics doesn’t care about your attitude or what you think; it only matters the results of your actions.

With Wang Chang's political integrity, it was easy for Pei Yuan to make a judgment when he encountered difficult situations.

If we compare it to Liu Jin's model, once something happened to Pei Yuan, the "Pei Yuan-Wang Chang" political alliance would break down, and Wang Chang would most likely step down because of this.

In other words, as long as the temptation is lower than Wang Chang's political career, Wang Chang will not betray easily.

But then again, if things really get to the point where one could lose their heads, who else could be trusted, let alone Wang Chang?
So Pei Yuan was very happy to strengthen Wang Chang's strength.

And what about Sun Keding?
As soon as Gu Dayong received the imperial edict and turned around, this guy ran away.

Pei Yuan had never seen such a shameless person in politics.

If rotten wood didn't have its uses, Pei Yuan would have ignored this kind of stuff long ago.

But Pei Yuan felt unwilling to let him fail out of thin air.

no way……

I can only look for opportunities to get more evidence in my hands.

Considering Gu Dayong's political life and the eunuch's vengeful character, with this document in hand, Pei Yuan could at least control Sun Keding throughout the entire Zhengde era.

Sun Keding wrote down what happened honestly.

Pei Yuan took it and glanced at it, then circled the parts where Sun Keding avoided the important points and glossed over them vaguely using the Spring and Autumn style of writing, and asked Sun Keding to rewrite them.

Sun Keding secretly cursed his bad luck and had to honestly recount the details of his escape.

After Pei Yuan finished writing, he was quite satisfied with the description of the whole facts.

He thought for a moment, and then said to Sun Keding, "Based on this, add your feelings at the time."

"What do you mean?" Sun Keding was a little dumbfounded.

Pei Yuan calmly instructed, "For example, when you write about your escape from the military camp, tell us what you were thinking at the time and why you wanted to escape. When you write about your later inquiry about Eunuch Gu's whereabouts, tell us what your plan was."

Sun Keding's face flushed immediately, and he gritted his teeth and refused, "I can't write this."

This is basically equivalent to putting into practice those dark thoughts that are obvious at a glance but cannot be expressed out loud.

If he writes this, how will others view him?

Pei Yuan shouted in a decisive voice, "Write it!"

Then Pei Yuan slapped the paper with his confession and said, "You can't even take care of your life, so what's the point of having a face?!"

Sun Keding's face turned red and white, and he obediently went back to the table to write.

Perhaps because of what he had just experienced, Sun Keding wrote this time without any concealment, directly and nakedly analyzing his own vulgar and dark heart.

At this moment, he had already figured out what Pei Yuan wanted.

If one wants to protect his present life, he must hold the handle of his future.

Can't we get by for a long time between the present and the future?
Moreover, if Gu Dayong lost his power, this thing would be just a piece of waste paper. If Gu Dayong could really make a comeback, he would make things right again, and it would be nothing more than being a little more careful in front of Captain Pei.

Besides, Captain Pei is a member of the Imperial Guard, so he might be able to be relied upon in the future.

You have such a big hold on me, if I get into trouble, you won't help me, right?
Sun Keding's low political integrity enabled him to complete his psychological construction smoothly.

After Sun Keding finished writing, Pei Yuan was satisfied with it and asked him to copy it neatly again.

Since receiving the Book of Chen, Pei Yuan was no longer polite to him.

Brother Sun?

Brother Sun, you are good enough!
Pei Yuan even asked someone to bring ink and asked Sun Keding to put his hand print on it.

Perhaps Sun Keding understood that the other party had completely defeated him, so he did not say a word the entire time.

Just at this time, Chen Toutie was found by Song Chunniang.

Pei Yuan said to Sun Keding, "Keding, I still have some things to deal with. Once I'm done, I'll go to the army in person and help you resolve this matter."

Sun Keding was already very confident at this moment, and he stopped calling him "brother" and said directly, "Then I would like to thank Captain Pei."

After sending Sun Keding away, Pei Yuan looked at Chen Toutie and asked, "Where is the letter this guy sent last time?"

Chen Toutie understood that Pei Yuan was talking about the letter that he had tricked Sun Keding into writing to flatter Gu Dayong last time.

Because Cheng Leixiang has stronger personal abilities, Pei Yuan has consciously trained Cheng Leixiang and Chen Toutie as one inside and one outside.

All the correspondence documents and some confidential information, except for the big killer of fat brother Ouyang Bijin, were given to Chen Toutie for safekeeping.

Chen Toutie immediately replied, "Is it well collected?"

Pei Yuan was satisfied and handed over the letter of self-introduction that Sun Keding had just written.

Chen Toutie was imprisoned in the East Factory for ten years, and he had to take notes personally, so he was somewhat literate.

He took a quick glance at the things he was going to store and couldn't help but say "Hey".

If it were just this "self-report", it would only anger Gu Dayong and provoke his revenge.

However, if this "self-recommendation" was put together with the previous letter Sun Keding wrote to Gu Dayong in which he flattered and recommended himself, it would be enough to destroy Sun Keding as a person.

Chen Toutie clicked his tongue twice and put away the letter of self-introduction.

Chen Toutie not only had no resistance to Pei Yuan's use of such despicable means to control his subordinates, he even felt that it was safe for a Qianhu to do his job.

Because he is one of Pei Yuan's original team members, a real legitimate one.

What is the original team? What is the pedigree?
Compared with these unreliable outsiders, people like me who once watched Pei Baihu being dragged into the bushes and experienced those miserable years of being despised together are the original team and the ones with a good pedigree.

Even Cheng Leixiang joined only after Captain Pei got close to Captain Han.

Thinking of this, Chen Toutie even felt a sense of pride.

Pei Yuan thought about Gu Dayong for a while before saying to Chen Toutie, "I'm sure you know that Captain Han took people away. We have to divide the 80,000 taels of silver quickly, or we'll be in big trouble."

"Try to meet Wang Chang and tell him to stop vying for credit and withdraw his troops from Taoyuan as soon as possible so that we can divide the money first."

When Chen Toutie heard this, he immediately responded, "Okay, I'll go as soon as possible."

Pei Yuan had no other instructions and asked him to leave.

Pei Yuan thought about it and wondered if he had missed anything. He patted his head and remembered something.

There are still matters concerning the Yangzhou merchants that have not been dealt with.

Since you have taken the money, you have to do your job. I promised to protect them as they go to the north. I can't just send them to Huai'an and leave it at that.

Moreover, the rebels in Bazhou fled to Henan, and from here through Shandong, into Beizhi, the trade route was basically smooth, and it was a good time to do business. Pei Yuan was still thinking about cultivating this trade route.

The current governor of the Grand Canal is Zhang Jin, a second-rank civil official and the Right Censor-in-Chief.

Before, I could seek his help because of the tax money, but now all the tax money will be divided up. How can I be qualified to negotiate with such a person with my status?
Pei Yuan thought about it but couldn't think of any good solution.

Huai'an Wei had said hello to me before, but now Huai'an Wei's plan was ruined by me. Even if they didn't know that this matter was related to me, they were in a bad mood.

It might not be a good time for Pei Yuan to come to the door now.

Pei Yuan thought for a while and thought to himself that he was not short of money anyway, so why should he ruin his reputation?

Just return the money to those merchants.

Moreover, who knows how many good things the Bazhou Army has that cannot be converted into cash.

They can't sell, but they can do it themselves. It's not convenient for them to buy supplies, but they can do it themselves. So it's very important to maintain a reliable trade route.

So Pei Yuan asked Song Chunniang to call Sun Keding back.

Sun Keding was still feeling nervous after just going out, but when he heard Pei Yuan was looking for him again, he hurried over to meet him.

Pei Yuan asked him, "I got 1,500 taels from the Yangzhou merchants. How much did you take?"

"Ah?" Sun Keding thought Pei Yuan wanted to take the money, and said quickly, "I left early, so I don't know the exact amount. I have to ask my old servant. I will give it to you when the time comes."

Pei Yuan glanced at him unhappily, "What are you thinking about? We are now busy with Eunuch Gu's affairs, how can we have the energy to care about these things? I plan to return the money to him, so as not to ruin his reputation."

Sun Keding heard this and almost subconsciously advised, "Don't do that. Most of those merchants are not up to par and can't cause any trouble."

"That won't do." Pei Yuan still has his own moral red line, "If you take the money, you have to do the job. If you don't do the job, you have to pay it back."

Besides, what a great opportunity to improve your reputation.

"This..." Sun Keding hesitated.

Pei Yuan glanced at him, and Sun Keding said quickly, "Okay, I will definitely get this done."

Pei Yuan was afraid that this guy was not honest, so he asked Song Chunniang directly, "Where are those merchants?"

Song Chunniang replied, "Before, they were scattered around the towns doing business, but later when they heard that the Bazhou Army was coming, they all gathered at the Yangzhou Chamber of Commerce. They should still be there now..."

Pei Yuan was overjoyed when he heard this.

Isn't this a good opportunity to improve your reputation?
In this way, not only can he establish an image of himself as a trustworthy person in front of Yangzhou merchants, but he can also build up a reputation among other fat sheep, which is really great.

Pei Yuan said to Song Chunniang, "Get me 1,500 taels of silver and find a few people. I'm going to the Yangzhou Chamber of Commerce."

Song Chunniang immediately went out to make arrangements, and soon, two Jinyiwei soldiers brought over a small box.

Song Chunniang asked Pei Yuan, "Should I follow or should Cheng Leixiang follow?"

Pei Yuan thought about it and realized that the commercial tax money was in the Huai'an government office. Although there were people from the Huai'an Guards watching it, he would still feel a little uneasy without a reliable person watching over it.

In all aspects, Cheng Leixiang is much more reliable.

So he said, "Follow me."

Pei Yuan did not waste any time and took a few people to the Yangzhou Chamber of Commerce.

When they arrived at the place, Pei Yuan asked Sun Keding to find his old servant Sun Fu and ask him to gather the merchants.

Because of the banditry in Bazhou, many businessmen did not dare to go out to do business and stayed in this chamber of commerce.

Although Pei Yuan and others were wearing the official uniforms of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the leader had a kind smile on his face and did not look like someone looking for trouble.

After watching for a while, the merchants gradually became bolder and found tables and chairs on the first floor, sitting down in groups of three or four to see what was going on.

Pei Yuan's smile became more sincere.

When facing a fat sheep, you should naturally treat it like a spring breeze.

After a while, Sun Fu brought some businessmen over.

The leading merchants all knew Pei Yuan, and were surprised to see that it was him who came looking for them.

But they are not panicking because they have spent money.

Several people hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects and asked Captain Pei why he came here.

Pei Yuan came here to improve his reputation, so of course he would not hide anything. He immediately told the court that he had been assigned an important position and that he had to return to Beijing urgently.

Then, without waiting for the merchants to panic, he asked the Jinyiwei to open the box, revealing the white silver inside.

Those who could stay temporarily in the Yangzhou Chamber of Commerce were certainly not small businessmen. They had all seen money and took a few glances at the box. They were just curious and wondered what this Jinyiwei official was going to do.
Pei Yuan was not afraid of people knowing that he was greedy for money, so he immediately said to everyone, "I, Pei, have traveled the world relying on integrity. I will do the work if I receive the money, and I will return the money if I cannot do it. At the beginning, I promised to take them to the north to do business, but now the state affairs are in the forefront, and I really can't take care of both. Pei can only send them here."

"Here is 1,500 taels of silver, which is my share. I will return it to you now."

Pei Yuan's words immediately caused the merchants present to make an incredible noise.

Who would have thought that this Jinyiwei official actually came to return the money?

Which of these businessmen has never done something like spending money to get away with something?

It is because they have experienced it that they know how serious this matter is.

Many people have suffered from this. Wasting money is a small matter. Sometimes, if you are targeted by someone, you don’t know how terrible it will be to be exploited.

What is the reputation of Jinyiwei in the world?
He is definitely a lackey, the kind that is so bad that pus is oozing from the soles of his feet.

But no one would have expected that this Jinyiwei captain, who seemed the most untrustworthy, would be so particular in doing things.

Seeing that the merchants were standing there in a daze and no one dared to respond, Sun Keding could only speak up, "As for my share, I will ask the butler to return it in full later. We will definitely not take any of your silver for nothing."

The merchants who came to Huai'an with the tax collection team were led by a fat merchant named Ximen Daguan, who was in the cotton cloth business.

When he heard Pei Yuan say this, his long-standing instinct made him quickly refuse.

"Since the court has given the order, how can we blame you? It is a blessing for us to meet the thousand households this time. These silver coins can be regarded as our token of appreciation."

Everyone looked at the captain, and they all thought that maybe the captain had these words as a way out, and if he pretended twice more, he should accept it with a clear conscience, right?

Unexpectedly, the captain of the Jinyiwei was so straightforward. He shook his head and laughed, "What's the point of you getting to know me? How much can I help you?"

The Jinyiwei captain's frankness left Ximen Daguan speechless.

Just when I didn't know what to say to ease the embarrassment, I heard the captain of the Jinyiwei looked around at everyone and continued, "I don't care about personal relationships when doing things, I only follow the rules. If you take the money, I will do the job. If I fail, you have to return the money."

"Perhaps some people think that I am unkind."

"Haha, that's true."

"But I will not use any empty favors to get the silver in your hands."

"This thousand households are people who care about their reputation."

(End of this chapter)