Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 184 The dispute between Huaqi
—Huaqi Street is about to undergo a complete transformation.

This news caused an uproar among the major businesses in Zhangye Prefecture, with some rejoicing and others grieving.

At first, some people suspected that this was a hoax to fool them, just like when Huaqi Street was first built. Back then, in order to attract merchants in the county to invest money, some government officials deliberately created a mystery and secretly promoted the idea that this place would replace Xiangling Street and become the most prosperous market in Zhangye County. This prompted Tan Li and others to invest heavily, thinking that they had gained an advantage.

Unexpectedly, the plan was suddenly changed. It was announced that all the gambling dens, brothels, human slave dealers, and the rampant, unregulated black markets in the entire prefecture would be moved there. With the promulgation of the rules for selecting imperial merchants, those "first-mover advantage" businesses were truly in dire straits.

People whispered among themselves that although the street had a bright and pleasant name, it was not a place to do business openly. In reality, it was a place to clean up the trade in places like Xiangling Street and Yunhe Xiangjie, to make room for small vendors who hid in the shadows and shady businesses, and to make room for legitimate businesses that paid large sums of money and had close ties with the government.

As for why this was done, it was naturally to give the pre-selected merchants a better chance of being nominated as imperial merchants.

Merchants like Tan Li are, frankly speaking, among those who are abandoned. It's pitiful that he thought he had curried the right person and learned the inside story in advance, but little did he know that he was being used as a stepping stone by others.

So he was very glad that he cut his losses in time and found a sucker like Tan Huai Ke, who paid him a large sum of money with just a contract of servitude and willingly took over the mess on Huaqi Street.

But who could have imagined that at the most crucial moment of the selection of imperial merchants, another reversal would occur?

Everyone frantically searched around, trying to find out where the news came from, whether it was true or false, and whether there would be any changes later. Finally, they received confirmation.

This was authorized by the King of Qin; it is absolutely true and will not be changed.

In an effort to gain a clearer understanding of the situation, the threshold of Shentu's residence has been worn down by visitors over the past two days. On one hand, county magistrates and assistant magistrates from various regions have come to Shentu Zhuo, an old friend of the King of Qin and a court official, to inquire about the intentions of the higher-ups. On the other hand, the various business owners from the Guangli Chamber of Commerce have come to Tan Huai Ke to discuss countermeasures.

What was once a hot potato has now become a golden brick in one's arms. The word has spread among the shop owners in the Chamber of Commerce who own shops on Huaqi Street that listening to Manager Tan is definitely the right thing to do.

Not long after, the King of Qin issued a formal edict, and the anxiety of some people finally subsided, while the anxiety of others was rekindled.
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Shen Tu Zhuo and Tan Huai Ke explained to those who came to inquire: The King of Qin believed that the initial intention behind establishing Huaqi Street was good. With the opening of new trade routes in the western border, more markets were indeed needed to support more trade. However, the practice of enticing merchants to invest money in construction, only to renege on the agreement after completion, causing merchants to suffer losses for nothing and preventing them from participating in the selection of imperial merchants, was truly despicable to him.

The King of Qin was furious and ordered a thorough investigation into who was behind the scheme and how many merchants had been deceived. The investigation quickly uncovered two county officials and three merchant firms that had bribed government officials. These individuals had conspired to spread false information, first maliciously inflating shop prices, then transferring their own shops at exorbitant prices, thus extricating themselves from the fray. They not only made a fortune but also prevented their competitors from participating in the selection of imperial merchants.

Now, all the corrupt officials have been caught in one fell swoop, the officials and yamen runners involved have been imprisoned, the businesses involved have had their property confiscated, and the owners have been sent to guard the border. The King of Qin also severely reprimanded the governor of Chi County for his lax management.

The renovation of Huaqi Street is imperative, and the industries here will also be reorganized. Now that they have shed the stigma of engaging in dishonest businesses, in order to compensate those deceived merchants, the King of Qin has restored their eligibility to participate in the selection of imperial merchants, as long as the industries they operate meet the requirements.

After taking over the fiefdom, the King of Qin will come to inspect the four commanderies in Hexi, establish an exclusive trade zone for trade between the western border and Da Xuan, and redefine the rules for collecting taxes in this area.

Based on current trends, Huaxi Street is to be developed into such a trade zone.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with Shen Tu Zhuo's mission, after the new trade route was opened, accommodations would be provided for the Hu people entering the pass within the four commanderies, allowing them to live and work in peace within the territory of Da Xuan, instead of being bullied and sold by bandits and human traffickers. These measures were very popular in the four commanderies, giving hope to many people of Da Xuan and the Hu people. Everyone eagerly awaited His Highness the King of Qin's inspection tour, hoping it would bring more prosperity to the local trade.

Of course, some people are heartbroken by this.

For example, Tan Li.

Although he was a victim of the Flower Rest Street scam, he was not happy after the culprits were punished.

If those shops were still in his hands, the new decree would be like a godsend, not only solving his immediate problem of being unable to participate in the imperial merchant selection, but also revitalizing the entire Tan family business. That was an exclusive trade zone with reduced taxes, a place favored by the imperial court; with shops there, it would be hard not to make money!

He used to own ten shops, almost half a street, but what about now?
If he hadn't been deceived, hadn't paid a high price to acquire those shops, and hadn't even considered seizing the opportunity, he wouldn't be so frustrated. If he had gritted his teeth and swallowed that huge loss, holding onto the shops tightly instead of selling them cheaply to Tan Huai Ke and that foolish, rich merchant from Andu, he would be overjoyed right now, just waiting for his wealth to flow in.

But he kept making mistakes, losing money one after another, watching great opportunities slip away from his eyes. The former "sucker" turned his fortunes around, making a fortune in his original shop and even being able to continue participating in the selection of imperial merchants...

It was more painful than having his heart ripped out.

Tan Li drank herbal medicine for three days before finally recovering.

Recalling what Tan Huaike had said at Yanzhisi, he said in a hoarse voice, "She knew...she knew all along that Huaqi Street was going to be redeveloped! Cough cough, Prince Qin, Shentu Zhuo...Guangli Chamber of Commerce, they were all in cahoots...in cahoots!"

Tan Anfeng had been confined at home recently, unable to get a single penny and unable to go to the gambling den. He could only stay by his father's side. Now, he was finally willing to put his mind to the family business and said, "Grandpa, we're all family. Let's talk to Huai Ke again. At worst, we can take over two more rooms from her and sell them to her, and get her to give us a discount."

Tan Li took a sip of water to moisten his throat and retorted, "You make it sound so easy. Is she... is she even family with us? I forced her to take over those five shops back then, clearly making it impossible for her to participate in the selection of imperial merchants. Do you think she has some compassion now? Besides, there's no shortage of shops to sell on Huaqi Street these days. Many merchants are willing to pay high prices but still can't buy them. Do you really expect her to sell them to us at a low price?"

"Then let's raise the price a bit."

"Raise the price?" Tan Li was furious. "Do you know how much money we spent to pay off your debts? Cough cough, do you know how much money we still owe on goods? We're already short of cash, and the shops won't lend us any money... Where are we going to get the money to raise the price to buy a shop? Do you think money will fall from the sky?!"

"Then...what should we do? How about we exchange the shops we have for some money?" Tan Anfeng pondered. "Sell those few half-dead shops I own, and once we have the money, we can stop going after that ungrateful wretch and go find some sucker in Andu to buy from. Grandpa, didn't you sell five shops on Huaqi Street to that merchant?"

“That’s a good idea…” Tan Li pondered. “At least you’ve suggested something useful.”

Tan Anfu calmly brought in the medicine, concealing the scheming in her eyes.

Why should Tan Huaike reap the benefits without lifting a finger? Unlike her father and brothers, she doesn't bully the weak and fear the strong. She'll take back what she lost out on!
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Next chapter: I've found you a box of serene beads.