Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 240: A Merchant Family That Made Great Contributions to the Qing Dynasty's Entry into China
"News came from Sun Heihu that Qin has remained calm since being convicted and imprisoned, and doesn't seem like someone who would be executed by slow slicing at all!"

When will the execution take place?

"It's set for four days from now!"

"So fast?"

"This is a heinous crime of matricide, and it also involves the government; therefore, it should be dealt with swiftly!"

In a courtyard house opposite the Southern Prison, a group of people gathered.

Inside Chaotian Palace, more than twenty skilled Taoist priests have regained their freedom. They dared not resist after being interrogated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Those with minor injuries are now lined up, their robes occasionally stained with blood but their eyes are firm. Those with serious injuries are temporarily recuperating in a side hall, waiting for an order to attack.

On the other hand, Sun Weixian, apart from the dozen or so trusted secret agents he brought from Southern Zhili, dared not call upon any other men from the Northern Garrison. In fact, many people had joined him after arriving in the capital, but he dared not use them in this operation, fearing they might be spies sent by Wang Zuo. For a time, the elite troops under this vice commissioner were not as numerous and powerful as this group of wounded Taoist priests.

As for the Yixin Society, only Haiyue, Yan Shifan, and Zhao Wenhua came forward.

The same group that tracked down Li Yuanshe last time.

In his excitement, Yan Shifan glanced at Zhao Wenhua with disdain.

Zhao Wenhua was simply ecstatic.

The leader hasn't forgotten me!

This opportunity for such a monumental achievement has actually come with me!
Compared to the jubilation and excitement of the crowd, Haiyue was much quieter.

Theoretically speaking, once the traces of organizations like the Liyuan Society and the White Lotus Sect are discovered, their annihilation is not far off. Moreover, this is the capital city, where there are countless traps to be set up.

But the actual actions did not reflect this.

Not to mention the difficulty in unifying one's own forces, with each side vying for credit, it would be difficult to conduct a large-scale manhunt once the enemy breaks up into smaller groups and scatters.

After all, this battle was not like the Jinyiwei's annihilation of the Hawks in the past, where they were directly trapped in their lair and their escape route was blocked, so they could be completely wiped out.

So he closed his eyes to rest and waited silently.

Waiting for news from our inside contact.

This tranquility infected those around them; even the most restless Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua quieted down considerably. Sun Weixian's elite guards silently wiped their weapons, while the Taoist priests of Chaotian Palace began to meditate and regulate their breathing.

Finally, two figures climbed in one after the other; it was Tao Dianzhen and Tan Jing, who were keeping an eye on each other.

Tao Dianzhen approached Haiyue and respectfully presented the letter: "This is a letter left by my friend at the agreed location these past few days. I have not opened it yet, so please take a look, Scholar Hai!"

Tan Jing gave Sun Weixian a look, indicating that the other party had indeed not opened it, and Sun Weixian quickly came closer.

There were four blank envelopes, each thin. Haiyue opened them and found that the contents contained only a few words: "West City Inn, Shang Fan Family, Zhangjiakou." "East City Inn, Shang Fan Family." "Outer City, Fan." "Outer City."

Although the text is short, the handwriting is neat and does not appear messy or rushed.

Sun Weixian pondered, "The inn in the west of the city is where we stay! The Shang Fan family must be a merchant family with the surname Fan! Zhangjiakou, are they merchants from Zhangjiakou?"

Haiyue asked, "When did the most recent letter arrive?"

Tao Dianzhen said, "Just yesterday."

Sun Weixian frowned: "It seems that this group of people has moved from the inner city inn to the outer city, which makes them even more difficult to capture."

Unlike the well-planned inner city, the outer city was originally a settlement formed by people spontaneously migrating to the southern suburbs due to the dense population of the capital.

Over the years, houses and shops have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and now their scale is comparable to that of the inner city. However, the streets and alleys are crisscrossed, and the chaos of the market is far beyond what the inner city can match – there are not only rows of shops and taverns, but also dark alleys and shabby rooms that hide dirt and filth.

With only a few dozen skilled fighters, it might be possible to encircle and capture them in the alleys and houses of the inner city, but in the outer city, it would be a drop in the ocean and simply not enough.

When in the inner city, there are at least inns and foot shops as key locations. But when you get to the outer city, there is only a wide area left. How can you capture people there?

In light of this, Sun Weixian's gaze sharpened, piercing Tao Dianzhen: "Since your inside man has already tipped you off, why didn't you also tell him the exact whereabouts of the thieves?"

"Yes!"

Yan Shifan nodded: "Since you dared to leave a letter as a warning, what's wrong with writing a few more words? Just saying 'outer city' is so vague, it's like you're deliberately making us search for a needle in a haystack!"

Tao Dianzhen's expression changed immediately, and he hurriedly said, "My friend has already risked his life. If he could tell me the location in detail, he would not have been so vague. There must be another reason. I hope that Scholar Hai will understand!"

Hai Yue nodded slightly: "Don't underestimate these words. They were indeed delivered at the risk of one's life. It is truly a great achievement!"

Tao Dianzhen breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed in greeting.

'The Fan family... the Fan family of Zhangjiakou... could it be the same family as Fan Yongdou?' Haiyue looked at the letter again, a coldness rising in the depths of her eyes.

Altan Khan fought with the Ming Dynasty for decades in order to establish tribute relations. After many ups and downs, including the Longqing Peace Treaty, they finally reached an agreement. In contrast, the Jurchen people in the northeast, who established the Later Jin Dynasty, faced an even greater shortage of military and living supplies.

The Later Jin people could not receive official tribute, so what could they do?

The only way is to go through unofficial channels.

They obtained it through the trade market in Zhangjiakou. Historically, Fan Yongdou, the top of the eight great merchants of Shanxi, and seven other merchants started doing this kind of business.

According to the "Wanquan County Annals" from the Daoguang era, "The eight merchants were all from Shanxi. They came to Zhangjiakou for trade at the end of the Ming Dynasty. They were: Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Fan Yongdou, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang, and Huang Yongfa. Since the rise of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong, these eight families have been the main owners of the merchants who sent people to Zhangjiakou to trade."

Because these eight merchants made great contributions to the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, after the Qing Dynasty was established, Emperor Shunzhi did not forget the benefits of the eight merchants. He held a banquet in the Forbidden City to entertain them, bestowed upon them clothing, and conferred upon them the title of Imperial Merchants.

The banquet was not recorded in the official records of the Shunzhi reign, which has been questioned by later generations. However, it is basically certain that Fan Yongdou, who was in charge of the business, was appointed to oversee trade affairs and was "granted property in Zhangjiakou as a hereditary property". The other seven families were also granted titles and rewards.

That happened more than a hundred years later in history, so it's not necessarily true that we should label the current group of Shanxi merchants as traitors, but the Fan family is truly different.

As early as the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Fan family had been doing business with the Mongols in Zhangjiakou. After seven generations, when it came to Fan Yongdou, he became a wealthy Han Chinese merchant in Zhangjiakou who traded with the Manchus and Mongols. People at the time said that he was "a merchant in the border city, known for his integrity and trustworthiness".

To put it bluntly, this reputation was built up over generations by doing business with people from other ethnic groups. They were incredibly influential and powerful in the local area.

For businessmen, there is no concept of nation-states; capital knows no borders, and making money is the only truth. However, any people or nation based on agriculture would abhor such acts of aiding the enemy.

Haiyue initially had doubts about the division of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, but after experiencing various events, she increasingly felt that putting aside the first three, it was absolutely necessary to place merchants at the end of the list in an agricultural country.

During the battles between the Ming Dynasty and the Mongols, countless soldiers and civilians died, but the Fan family made a fortune from it, accumulating wealth over generations. Compared to conspiracy theories, historical records clearly show that the Fan family established close economic ties with the Jurchen ruling class. When the Qing army entered the pass, the Fan family frequently traveled between the pass and the interior, providing the Qing army with military supplies and intelligence.

Later, in the seventh year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the Qing court bestowed upon Fan Yongdou's grandson, Fan Yuqian, the position of Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, with the attire of a second-rank official, making him the only merchant to be included in the "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty".

The Fan family is certainly not as developed as it once was, but if the White Lotus Sect were to establish a stronghold outside the pass, the Fan family of Zhangjiakou would be the perfect choice to provide them with supplies and goods immediately.

Combined with Yan Xiu's summary of the Sanyuan Hall at that time—

"The Heavenly Market provides the source of wealth. It is said that they are involved in salt merchants, canal transport, and even trade with foreign vassals. They even dare to operate trade routes on the Mongolian grasslands, all for the sake of continuously acquiring wealth..."

Everything does connect now.

"Liyuan Society, Tianshiyuan, Fan Clan of Zhangjiakou!"

Hai Yue's cold glint faded, and her thoughts returned to the capture plan: "We tentatively believe that the Shang Fan family in Zhangjiakou are the members of the Liyuan Society who came to meet with the White Lotus Sect. So why didn't they make contact in Zhangjiakou?"

Sun Weixian said, "Because both sides are wary of each other, they can't operate in the open in the capital, but once they reach Zhangjiakou, it will be the territory of the Liyuan Society, so the White Lotus Sect naturally doesn't want to be passive."

“What Vice Commissioner Sun said is absolutely right!”

Hai Yue nodded slightly: "If that's the case, then the Li Yuan Society won't leave so easily. The White Lotus Sect's emergence from seclusion is a big business opportunity. They failed to make contact, but they haven't been exposed. If they wanted to leave, they would have left long ago. The fact that they are still lingering here is likely because they are waiting for the next batch of White Lotus Sect members to arrive!"

Sun Weixian said helplessly, "But we can't let these thieves stay in the outer city forever, otherwise it will be difficult for us to capture them!"

"This might also be why the inside man didn't write down the specific location. He was worried that we would act rashly, so he simply didn't write down the location and only kept correspondence to prove that the situation was still under control. His handwriting also shows his composure and calmness!"

Haiyue reminded, "Don't forget, even the Qin family member who was about to be executed by slow slicing in prison wasn't flustered. What's wrong with us trusting these two and waiting a bit?"

Everyone looked at each other.

With the thieves within reach, why are they being made to wait any longer?
Haiyue wasn't asking for advice; she said to Tao Dianzhen, "Keep a close eye on the news from the inside, and send it over as soon as the next letter arrives."

Tao Dianzhen nodded emphatically: "Yes!"

Haiyue then looked at Sun Weixian: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is short-handed, but we can allocate crossbows and other weapons. If necessary, we can also equip the Taoist priests of Chaotian Palace with them. We should finish the battle in one fell swoop!"

Sun Weixian took a deep breath: "Okay!"

Three more days passed in the agonizing wait.

It was the day before Qin was to be executed by slow slicing.

The fifth letter from the inside agent has arrived.

“The Fan family, who live in the four seas east of the city.”

Haiyue opened the document, glanced at it, slammed her hand on the table, and decisively ordered, "Action!"

(End of this chapter)