The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 438 Xue Baochai's Fate
Datong.

Jiedushifu (military governor's office).

Gu Shi personally sought out Zhang Yuncheng. Since the military governor, Zeng Zhi, and Yan Zhongzheng were all in Taiyuan, Zhang Yuncheng was in charge of the affairs of the military governor's office, and there wasn't much to do.

Datong Prefecture has been stable in recent years, and we can proceed with the usual routine.

Apart from some unexpected events.

"According to the information we received, Miss Xue should be arriving in Datong soon. Unfortunately, the military commander is not in Datong. After much thought, I believe we must give her a grand welcome."

Gu Shi offered his opinion.

Zhang Yuncheng was somewhat troubled and unsure of what to do, wondering, "Will this affect the rules?"

"What rules?" Gu Shi asked back.

Zhang Yuncheng remained silent.

Gu Shi said earnestly, "Miss Xue did bring 500,000 taels of silver with her on this trip, but it's not real silver; it's 5 million yuan in banknotes from Yongxin Bank."

Five million yuan!

Gu Shi couldn't help but sigh, the Xue family was damn rich.

Zhang Yuncheng was also amazed and admired Miss Xue's boldness even more. She donated 500,000 taels of silver without hesitation. This was not 50,000 taels, but a full 500,000 taels.

"Moreover, you and I should both know that the significance of Miss Xue's actions goes far beyond just 500,000 taels of silver; the benefits behind it are immeasurable."

Zhang Yuncheng had no way to refute Gu Shi's words.

The military governor's office was always running a deficit. The only solution devised by the military governor that could fundamentally solve the problem was to promote ten- or twenty-year bonds. Other methods were suitable for remedial purposes, but could not reverse the situation.

Bond futures are essentially using the future revenue of the military governor's government as collateral, requiring the wealthy to have faith in them.

That is, to build trust.

The wealthy believed in the future profits of the Jiedushi Mansion, so they were willing to buy it.

What is trust?
It wasn't just the strength of the military governor's office; it encompassed various aspects. While the military governor's southward expansion to Taiyuan increased its territory and power, it also greatly provoked the imperial court, making the conflict between the two sides increasingly irreconcilable.

Anyone can spend other people's money without batting an eye.

However, when it comes to spending their own money, from the richest man to an ordinary citizen, everyone is careful and meticulous, and dares not easily invest if there is any risk.

Therefore, although the bond issuance launched by the Jiedushi government was highly anticipated, people were hesitant to invest real money and remained in a wait-and-see mode, hoping to gain a clearer understanding of the situation.

They can wait, but the military governor's office cannot.

Therefore, the military governor's office could only accelerate the internal reforms in Shanxi, which not only stimulated the local powerful families, but also led to an increase in memorials impeaching the military governor's office, making the imperial court even more dissatisfied with the military governor's office.

With the Xue family taking the lead and investing 500,000 taels of silver, this has given the market tremendous confidence.

If things go smoothly, it will encourage many people to buy, which will give the Jiedushi (military governor) a lot of money to spare, and they may even be able to plan to expand their army.

The Jiedushi Mansion has reached its current scale by supporting commerce. Understanding and operating commerce is common sense that the high-ranking officials of the Jiedushi Mansion need to know. Therefore, both Gu Shi and Zhang Yuncheng knew the great significance of Xue Baochai's trip.

Therefore, Zhang Yuncheng did not easily reject Gu Shi's suggestion, and was quite hesitant.

"This matter should be decided by the General himself."

"Given the high position the military governor holds, he has no personal matters to attend to. Moreover, the military governor has always encouraged the military governor's office to do things independently rather than relying on him. I believe we must greet Miss Xue with the utmost seriousness."

Gu Shi said firmly.

Zhang Yuncheng sighed; this was also his biggest hesitation.

He was the last to arrive at the governor's mansion, and as an outsider, he had a clearer view of the situation.

The powerful military governor's office was composed of people from other places, with very few locals. In the beginning, this was manageable, but as the military governor's office expanded to Datong and even Shanxi, more and more locals would be integrated into it.

Zeng Zhi and the others liked Jia Huan, not only because Jia Huan was outstanding.

There are so many outstanding young people.

Even if Zeng Zhi and his group had no selfish motives, they wouldn't go to such lengths to cultivate every outstanding young man they saw. That young man was not only the younger brother of the military commander's fiancée, but also a native of the capital.

As for the Xue family.

Moreover, being a merchant family, they were more welcomed by the local forces in Datong.

After all, the pace of business development today far surpasses that of traditional farming and wealth accumulation, so most of the local forces in Datong have started to engage in business or open factories.

This is not shameful; the military governor's office even encourages them to do so.

Forget it.

Zhang Yuncheng decided to put the future aside and focus on the present.

A cavalry force of two hundred men arrived in Guangchang County to await Miss Xue's arrival and personally arranged her escort.

The governor's attitude spurred the merchants to act even faster.

Some merchants also followed the cavalry to Guangchang County and prepared a lavish banquet. Considering that Miss Xue was an unmarried woman, they not only brought their families, but most of them also brought their daughters. Those who did not have daughters would choose nieces from their relatives.

Xuanfu harbored hostility towards Datong, so Xue Baochai traveled through Baoding Prefecture and entered Datong via Zijing Pass.

Guangchang County suddenly became lively.

Two hundred cavalrymen escorted them all the way, with Xue Baochai's carriage among them.

"coming."

"I saw it."

The waiting crowd smiled.

"This is Miss Zhang Hui, the manager of the shop."

"This is Miss Li Dexing, the shopkeeper."

The older generation watched from a distance as a dozen or so girls greeted Xue Baochai with restraint. Under the introduction of Lan Huai, the general manager of Yongxin Ticket Office, Xue Baochai greeted them one by one.

The girls nervously performed the curtsy, whispering, "Greetings, Sister Xue."

"Good sister."

Xue Baochai returned the gift.

Xue Baochai's gentle and generous attitude put the girls at ease, and they were even more excited, as this was their first time participating in such an event.

"I've only just arrived and am not yet familiar with you sisters. I wonder if it would be too presumptuous of me to invite you sisters to speak with me in the future?" Xue Baochai's black hair was glossy and tied up in a small, traditional Chinese style, adorned with a white jade ruyi hairpin. It didn't look extravagant, but it was still eye-catching.

The elders from each family, who were watching from a distance, nodded from time to time.

"This is true grandeur."

"They are not ordinary merchant families like ours. The Xue family are imperial merchants, descendants of Xue Gong, the Imperial Attendant."

Once Yongxin Tickets was launched, the Xue family went from being a competitor to becoming everyone's client.

Which business doesn't rely on Yung Shin Tickets these days?

Although other ticket offices have started to be established, who would dare to invest real money in a ticket office with someone they don't trust?
Regardless of whether they were jealous of Yung Shin Piao, when it came to which piao firm they trusted most, everyone undoubtedly chose Yung Shin Piao. Since that was the case, they would give Yung Shin Piao a second opinion, not to mention that there was another reason behind it.

Xue Baochai was somewhat surprised, and this surprise increased her inner pressure.

Despite this, she performed flawlessly, even astonishing the visitors, who felt that Miss Xue was exceptionally talented, and that everything seemed to have fallen into place naturally.

"How about it?"

Zhang Hui nudged Zhou Wen's arm, smiled at his colleague who was twenty years younger than him, and thought to himself that he and Zhou Wen's father had been competitors and partners for a lifetime, and he never expected that Zhou Wen's father would pass away.

Even more unexpectedly, it wasn't Zhou Gui who inherited the Zhou family business.

Zhou Gui.

The name reveals Zhou Shiming's expectations for his eldest son. He never imagined that a white-haired man would outlive his black-haired son, and even more so that the two of them would have vanished like smoke. Zhang Hui also wanted to test Zhou Wen's abilities.

Zhou Wen still has many businesses in Datong, especially in Juzhongchangli, where he remains the largest shareholder besides the Jiedushifu (military governor's office).

Zhang Hui was very envious of such huge profits.

I don't know if Zhou Wen can protect the family business. If he can't, then he can't blame me. It's better to benefit myself than to let outsiders benefit. I know the Zhou family business inside and out, and I must not let it fall into the hands of others.

Zhou Wen said calmly, "Our Zhou family has already bought the futures contract, but after a series of blows, our prestige has been greatly lost, so we were unable to help the Jiedushi's office, which is a great pity."

Zhang Hui frowned slightly.

Indeed, none of their families followed suit and bought anything just because the Zhou family bought it. The Zhou family was no longer the most powerful, and they were even beginning to question whether the Zhou family's reputation could be maintained.

However, Zhou Wen's move was undoubtedly a surrender to the military governor's office. With the death of Zhou Shiming, Zhou Wen did not seem to care at all about the conflicts of the previous generation.

"The arrival of Miss Xue was actually an opportunity." Zhou Wen said, a hint of envy in his eyes.

Making a small amount of money in business can be achieved through hard work, but seizing major opportunities depends on fate.

The appearance of the Xue family at this time, and the Xue family's influence in the industry, not only met the needs of the Jiedushi government, but also the needs of the merchants in Datong, who all urgently needed confidence.

The 500,000 taels invested by the Xue family, and the significance behind it, undoubtedly injected strong confidence into the market.

The Zhou family could also come up with 500,000 taels, but they wouldn't achieve the same effect. Instead, it would cause misunderstandings and confusion among others. Only the Xue family could achieve the same result.

"That's fate," Zhou Wen thought enviously, looking at the young ladies in the distance.
-
From Guangchang County to Datong City.

It seemed as if all forces were welcoming Xue Baochai.

Amidst flowers and banquets, Xue Baochai remained calm and composed, handling everything with ease. But when she was alone at night, under the lamplight, she would stare blankly at her reflection in the mirror.

What should I do if Wang Xin refuses?
To achieve his goal, he had built up momentum to this extent, and everything was developing in a positive direction, even exceeding his expectations, which made him somewhat flustered. But at least he didn't embarrass himself and won over more people's hearts.

But everything depends on Wang Xin.

Will he refuse?
If she refused, she would have to return to the capital in disgrace, no longer having the confidence to stand up to her brother. Did she really have to get married?

I'm already nineteen.

Xue Baochai couldn't help but touch her face.

She didn't want to wrong herself.

At least so far, I have never seen anyone better than Wang Xin.

If she had to get married, she would rather marry Wang Xin.

Day two.

Another cavalry unit of two hundred men escorted the Xue family's daughter's carriage from Datong to Taiyuan.

People from Taiyuan also came out to greet them.

Because the news had already spread.

On the day Miss Xue arrived in Datong City, the daughters of various families accompanying her took out money from Yongxin Tickets to subscribe to the ten-year bonds issued by the Jiedushi government.

In all these years, less than 400,000 taels have been sold, but on that one day, 3 million taels were sold.

Among them was Xue Baochai's 500,000 taels of silver.

The message from Wang Xin is that it can be used to purchase bonds, not donated to the military governor's office.

Three million taels of silver.

The banknotes were worth 30 million yuan.

The effect even exceeded Wang Xin's expectations.

He knew the merchants were wealthy, but their money wasn't circulating in the market; instead, it was stored in cellars as silver melons. However, he hadn't expected the merchants to be so enthusiastic about investing.

What does it say?
The commercial development of Datong has encountered a bottleneck, and a lot of pressure has accumulated at this bottleneck.

It's either an explosion or a breakthrough.

Xue Baochai's arrival and her investment in bond futures undoubtedly set a precedent, leading to a large influx of silver into the market, specifically for the purchase of bond futures.

With these three million taels of silver, the military governor's office will soon put them into the market.

It was spent through the hands of soldiers, merchants, and officials, and then circulated in the market.

Xue Baochai's trip.

This saved the Jiedushi government a precious year.

Wang Xin personally greeted them.

It was not only to thank Xue Baochai, but also to reciprocate the enthusiasm of the merchants.

Early the next morning.

Xue Baochai sat in the courtyard early in the morning, waiting for someone, I don't know.

"Miss, will Master Xin come?"

Ying'er didn't understand why her mistress would guess that Lord Xin was coming.

Miss Baoqin is, after all, an unmarried young lady, and it is really not easy for her to show her face in public now. Although Miss Baoqin has been out and about since she was a child, there are not many like her.

Modern learning was indeed flourishing in Jiangnan, and even the capital was beginning to hear about it, but it still hadn't become mainstream.

In Ying'er's opinion, why would Wang Xin suddenly come to visit Miss?

Xue Baochai shook her head.

Wang Xin was a smart man. He knew why he had come, and many others could guess it too. It was impossible for him not to guess. Even if he couldn't guess, the people around him would remind him.

If he doesn't come, then I'll have no face to stay in Taiyuan any longer.

"Miss, word has spread that people from the capital have arrived."

soon.

A maidservant came in to inform them.

The eunuchs from the capital came all the way from Shijiazhuang in Zhending Prefecture to Taiyuan.

Wang Xin was the military governor of Datong, yet the eunuch came directly to Taiyuan. This indicates that the capital knew Wang Xin had captured Taiyuan and guessed that Wang Xin should be in Taiyuan. Therefore, they sent the eunuch directly to Taiyuan instead of Datong, which further shows the urgency of the situation.

Xue Baochai sighed.

It seems Wang Xin won't be able to come today. Although it's a coincidence, it's fate. I feel a little sad, knowing I have to endure another day.

This suffocating wait was incredibly frustrating for her.

I was just about to go back.

"Lord Xin is here!" Ying'er announced excitedly.

Xue Baochai was both surprised and delighted.

Busy.

The two met in the courtyard. At this moment, Xue Baochai lost her composure and became like a nervous young girl.

At the age of nineteen, he would be a freshman in college in later generations.

"Does it have to be this far?"

It would be very unethical to say anything else at this time, especially for Xue Baochai. So Wang Xin asked directly to avoid making the young girl in front of him as nervous as a rabbit, which would be a bit pitiful.

Xue Baochai blushed with embarrassment and couldn't utter a word she had prepared.

What else is there to say?

There was one thing that needed to be made clear. Wang Xin said seriously, "My engagement with the Jia family cannot be canceled, not only because of Tan Chun and her brother, but also because of the Jiedushi Mansion's grand plan. So think it over. I can help you get the status of a secondary wife."

The most ridiculous thing is to be delusional.

Wang Xin did not believe that he could make Xue Baochai love him to the point of disregarding all worldly opinions.

There might be some attraction, but it's just attraction.

But is it necessary to take it so seriously?

No need.

They did so many things that benefited me, and I didn't ask for much in return. The important thing is that I took it, because I had no choice but to take it.

If you've done it, you have to admit it.

"To have a proper title, I..." Xue Baochai's face grew increasingly red.

"It goes without saying."

Wang Xin didn't let Xue Baochai continue speaking, even though the shy Xue Baochai was indeed unforgettable and captivating.

Moreover, he also had to find a way to appease the Jia family.

As for the eunuchs from the palace...

Wang Xin was somewhat annoyed.

(End of this chapter)