Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 43 Spreading bait
Shun inherited the Ming system, especially the Dashun Dynasty, which was founded by refugees. Naturally, when he sat on the throne, he was extremely wary of refugees.

The Baojia system was strict during this era. While it was difficult to tell the difference between rural residents and city dwellers, most households had household registration cards. To leave the house, one had to take the household registration card to the government office to apply for a travel permit. Even if ordinary people had a reason to travel far, they couldn't afford to feed the government clerks. Dream on!

Mrs. Xing's eyes were full of inquiry. Chen Siyuan stood up and bowed, saying, "Auntie, wait a moment."

After saying that, he stood up and went to the study, and after a while he found a household card.

"Aunt, please look."

Mrs. Xing took the household registration card and glanced at the Jiangdu County official seal on the lower left corner. She asked in surprise, "Why do you carry your household registration card with you, my brother?"

As the name suggests, this household sign is used by each household.

Chen Siyuan said bitterly, "Aunt, you don't know. If it weren't for my nephew agreeing to split up the family, how could my stepmother be willing to let my nephew go on such a long journey?"

As the saying goes, "Money makes the world go round." Chen Siyuan's real body had long been tortured to death, but he simply paid a few dozen taels of silver to the clerk to obtain this official household registration card—to prevent anyone from finding it. Now it was perfectly put to use!

Seeing that Chen Siyuan looked frank and showed no sign of panic, Mrs. Xing couldn't help but criticize the eldest master for being too cautious - when they first met that day, Brother Yuan even brought her cousin's token, so how could it be fake?

Then he sighed in a feigned manner, "That second wife is truly vicious! My brother, study hard. When you have achieved success in your studies, you will certainly show her off!"

As she spoke, Mrs. Xing folded the household card and put it in her sleeve pocket. Since she could not read many words, she had to show this thing to the eldest master, Jia She.

After the investigation was over, Mrs. Xing asked a few questions about his food, clothing, and daily life. Suddenly, she remembered what Wang Shanbao had said just now, that Yuan Ge'er had returned in a carriage.

He immediately asked in surprise, "Brother Yuan has just arrived in the capital, how could he have so many friends? I heard that Brother Yuan just returned in someone else's carriage?"

"That's right," Chen Siyuan said with a smile after thinking about it. "What a coincidence! Master Sun was a private tutor in our family in his early years. Later, he became an aide to Governor Yan, in charge of finances and grain. My nephew happened to run into Master Sun on the way before leaving and mentioned that he was coming to seek refuge with his aunt. Unexpectedly, Master Sun arrived just a dozen days after he left."

Who doesn't know the butcher Yan Gengyao? Back when he was the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, he brought misfortune upon many noble families, including seven or eight children who were exiled. I've heard the eldest master, Jia She, mention this in his spare time: the noble families were so frightened of him that they recommended him and sent him to Zhejiang as governor.

Madam Xing pondered this and casually asked, "Since Sun Muyou is in charge of finances and grain, why isn't he staying with Governor Yan? Why has he come to the capital now?"

Chen Siyuan was secretly delighted, but frowned hesitantly as he looked at Mrs. Xing's two maids.

Mrs. Xing's heart skipped a beat, and she wondered if there was some other secret.
He waved his hand and said, "You guys go down first. I want to have a private chat with Brother Yuan."

The two maids bowed in response, and Chen Siyuan glanced at Xiangling and Hongyu, and the four of them left the main room one after another.

Only Chen Siyuan and Madam Xing were left inside. Chen Siyuan leaned forward and said in a low voice, "Aunt, do you know about the opening of Songjiang port?" "Oh... I did hear about it. What's the matter? Was it Governor Yan's idea?" Madam Xing's words were vague, and in fact she had no idea about it.

Chen Siyuan said, "That's right. Auntie, you don't know that opening a port is just a matter of an imperial decree from the court, but when it comes to the local people, there are actually thousands of things involved. Enclosing land, building docks, establishing banknotes, and winning over merchants from all over the place, which one of these things doesn't cost money?"

"Yes."

"Although Jiangsu and Zhejiang are rich, the imperial court imposes the heaviest taxes, leaving even the governor's office with little money. But this matter... the decree has finally been issued, so how can we not act? Aunt, you've probably heard about Governor Yan's temper?"

Madam Xing knew this and quickly said, "I've heard that this man has a very violent and stubborn temper. I've heard that even saints would be left speechless by his words."

"That's right!" Chen Siyuan's voice deepened as he spoke, "The Governor's Office was short of money, so Governor Yan had no choice but to send Master Sun to the capital to raise some." He paused, and seeing that Madam Xing didn't seem to be paying any attention, he added, "Governor Yan intends to send a few ships of goods to Fusang at the end of the year. If the trip goes smoothly, it will be more than enough to cover the cost of opening the port, and even the Governor's Office's annual expenses."

Madam Xing blinked, a gleam in her eyes, and called out, "Sea trade?"

What's the most profitable business these days? Private salt and private mining, and then there's maritime trade! Private shipping is innumerable, and despite repeated crackdowns, it persists. Yet, even so, the Guang and Quan customs offices still rake in hundreds of thousands of silver coins annually. This demonstrates the immense profits of maritime trade!
The powerful officials in the capital saw this and were naturally jealous. However, a powerful dragon cannot defeat a local snake, and after several attempts, they all failed and gradually died down.

It’s different now. Songjiang is a newly opened port, and maybe people from the capital can get involved!
Mrs. Xing was very excited and asked hurriedly, "What does Sun Muyou mean by that? Could he share the profits from the wharf?"

Chen Siyuan scolded her, "Aunt, you're overthinking it... It's hard to say what's going on with the dock, but Governor Yan is trying to use this as a leverage to lay eggs." He paused, then continued, "Master Sun said yesterday that Governor Yan had been secretly exchanging letters with the Fuso Shogun—"

Having said that, Chen Siyuan stopped talking.

Mrs. Xing pondered for a moment, then shifted her focus and said cheerfully, "Since he has a personal relationship with the Shogun, wouldn't it be profitable to sail there? Oh, my boy, I wonder what Sun Muyou has to say?"

Chen Siyuan feigned bewilderment and said, "Aunt, why are you asking this? Master Sun means one thousand taels per leg, and we'll ship before the New Year, and the profits will be distributed based on the number of legs in February of the following year. I don't quite understand, but from what people at the table were saying privately, at worst, they're going to get a 50% profit."

"Fifty percent?" Mrs. Xing exclaimed in surprise, almost leaning over. Then, realizing it belatedly, she covered her mouth and sat down, whispering, "Brother Yuan, I think I've treated you well. I wonder if I could give you a hand?"

Chen Siyuan looked suspicious and said, "Auntie still has to save up for Third Aunt's dowry, so where would she get any extra money?"

Madam Xing flung her handkerchief and cried out in grievance, "Isn't it still not enough? Auntie has two thousand taels on hand, which is reserved for your Third Aunt. Since Mr. Sun has promised a fifty percent interest, in half a year, the two thousand taels will become three thousand taels. Wouldn't that be enough for your Third Aunt's dowry?"

Chen Siyuan hesitated and said, "This... As the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry. I think Auntie should be more cautious."

Madam Xing stood up and said, "Why are you being so cautious when you don't seize this golden opportunity?" She paused, frowned, looked at Chen Siyuan, and said, "Brother Yuan, let me ask you, how does your aunt treat you?"

(End of this chapter)