Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 113 Enemies meet on a narrow road
As fate would have it, when Zhang Dai returned to Huixunfang, he encountered Wei Jian and his family inspecting his villa and assets, which were already loaded onto several carts and being hauled away. Coincidentally, Wang Yuanbao also appeared among his family's group.

Being suddenly demoted from a promising official position in the Ministry of Personnel to a lowly official in Jiangnan—and this was already the best outcome he had achieved after much effort—would not be in a good mood. When Wei Jian saw Zhang Dai riding the fine horse he had previously given him as compensation from outside the ward, his expression darkened even more.

Zhang Dai did not rush forward to cut in line, fearing he might get into trouble again.

Having experienced the personnel upheavals he had just gone through, he felt even more strongly that strengthening himself was the right thing to do. This world is not all benevolent, but if he becomes strong, much malice will be unable to harm him, and he won't even dare to show it.

Unlike Li Linfu, Wei Jian did not lack manners and glare at Zhang Dai while cursing him. Strictly speaking, he was not defeated by Zhang Dai, but rather by Prime Minister Li Yuanhong.

Previously, the fact that the Zhongshu Menxia had allowed the appointment to pass made him mistakenly believe that Li Yuanhong's current focus was still on cracking down on Zhang Yue's remaining forces. However, he did not expect that Li Yuanhong wanted everything and took advantage of their misfortune to weaken both sides, thus establishing his authority as the ruling prime minister.

However, if Li Linfu hadn't been defeated by this kid before, Li Yuanhong wouldn't have been able to get involved in the Censorate at all, and thus wouldn't have been able to carry out such an operation!

Thinking of this, Wei Jian's resentment deepened. Even though he had already walked past with a gloomy face, he couldn't help but turn back and glare at Zhang Dai again, only to find that the young man had already ridden away and ignored him completely. His mood worsened in an instant.

More than three months later, Zhang Dai returned to Huixunfang Villa. The overall layout of the villa had not changed much, but the details of the decorations were richer and more exquisite.

It's clear that Madam Zheng really loved this villa and put a lot of thought and effort into decorating it, wanting to live a good life for her family here. It's just a pity that her unfilial son Zhang Dai was like a persistent ghost, becoming more determined with each setback, and they were forced to move away from here.

Yingniang led the servants to sweep and clean inside and outside, while Ding Cang went to the storeroom to check the valuables in the mansion.

Zhang Dai had just settled down in the courtyard when a servant came to report that Wang Yuanbao had come to visit. He then gestured for the man to be led in.

"Congratulations, Young Master Zhang! Congratulations, Young Master Zhang! You have won first place in the Jingzhao Prefecture Examination. Passing the Provincial Examination next year will be a piece of cake!"

As soon as Wang Yuanbao walked in, he laughed loudly in an exaggerated tone.

"When did Wang Er arrive in Luoyang? How is the situation in Xijing being handled?"

Zhang Dai gestured for Wang Yuanbao to sit down, then asked with a smile.

After Wang Yuanbao sat down, he bowed again and replied, "It has been several days since I arrived here. I heard about your meritorious service as soon as I entered the city. I originally wanted to come to your mansion to offer my congratulations, but I was afraid that a mere merchant like myself would defile your grand hall. So I am only able to meet you now. Please forgive me for being too informal."

After exchanging pleasantries, before Zhang Dai could ask any questions, he quickly added, "Master Wei and Master Wei Jian have also heard about the money-spreading incident in the two capitals. Now that they have been demoted from the court, they wish to send their family property back to Chang'an. Because of their criminal record, they dare not stay out for long, so they invited me to their home to entrust them with the money matter. If you think this matter is not appropriate, I will refuse."

Zhang Dai was amused by this, but seeing Wang Yuanbao cautiously asking for instructions, he said with a smile, "As long as he is willing to take a commission and pay interest, what's wrong with that? We must do it, and there's no need to worry too much. The money-making project is currently underway, so there's no need to let other matters interfere."

The rapid development of the money-making business is inevitable. It goes without saying that the demand for this kind of business among the wealthy in Beijing and Tianjin is strong. Previously, it was just that no one had integrated resources to provide such an option. Now that it has been provided, everyone naturally wants to try it.

Especially given the recent natural disasters and torrential rains, even Zhang Dai and his entourage were stranded on their journey for several days. Wealthy merchants naturally felt the inconvenience and risks of long-distance transportation of money and goods more acutely, leading to a surge in demand for such services.

Wang Yuanbao spoke of this with great enthusiasm, praising Zhang Dai repeatedly: "Young master, you possess such wisdom and resourcefulness, you are truly a genius! Since the Chang'an money exchange opened, it has received over two million strings of cash since May. Since summer and autumn, all goods in the capital have become expensive, and everyone wants to send money to the capital to buy up the best goods from all over the country..."

While it's astonishing that the Prince of Qi's family possessed nearly two million strings of cash, it was still a considerable sum. When the wealth of so many wealthy merchants in Chang'an was drawn to it, even if they weren't entrusting their entire fortunes like the Prince of Qi's family, but merely had cash on hand for investment, it was still quite substantial.

Hearing that Chang'an had absorbed so much capital in such a short time, Zhang Dai was deeply impressed by the considerable wealth of the Tang Dynasty.

According to Wang Yuanbao's previously set commission rate of 25% to 30%, if all this money were paid out, it would be a profit of hundreds of thousands of strings of cash, which would be even faster than robbing money!
This enormous profit was undoubtedly due to the initial boom period of a new industry, compounded by the impetus provided by this natural disaster. If many merchants from Chang'an had been able to be among the first to transport goods from Guandong back after the disaster, their profits would likely have been many times greater!

In this competitive world where time is money, if a mere 20-30% interest can give you a significant head start over others, it's definitely worth a try.

In short, this money-making scheme has already shown enormous potential for huge profits and a very promising future, even as it has just begun to operate. However, the fact that the shareholding and profit-sharing ratios are not yet clear has undoubtedly made those involved eager to get involved.

“Last night, the Crown Prince’s servant from the Duke of Huo’s household came to visit…” Zhang Dai thought for a moment and then said to Wang Yuanbao. He guessed that Wang Shouzhen had done this to intimidate him and thus secure a larger share of the profits.

Wang Yuanbao was unaware of this matter. After hearing this, he quickly added, "I am fortunate to be appreciated by Duke Huo and listed as a member of the same clan. However, as a mere merchant, I have little access to your esteemed court and am not well aware of the affairs of the Huo family. The matter of Huiwen's family having 500,000 strings of cash is kept completely confidential and has not been revealed in the slightest!"

He assumed that Zhang Dai suspected Wang Shouzhen was upset about the unequal distribution of profits, which was why he had come to cause trouble, so he quickly tried to explain.

Zhang Dai was surprised to hear this. He knew that the 500,000 strings of cash were an investment from the County Magistrate of Yunyang, not interest, and he was not afraid to confront others about it.

However, Wang Yuanbao's attitude surprised him. He had been told by Gao Lishi that Wang Yuanbao had recognized Wang Maozhong as his godfather and that they should have a close relationship. But now it seemed that Wang Yuanbao was also holding back from Wang Maozhong.

Seeing that Zhang Dai still seemed somewhat skeptical, Wang Yuanbao quickly lowered his head and said, "Young Master Zhang may not know this, but I, Wang Er, know in my heart that you have truly given me a second chance at life. I, Wang Er, have spent half my life as a merchant, mostly making a living along the river, crossing the Xiaohan Pass from Guanzhong, passing through the Sishui River, and heading towards Zibo and Qingzhou."

However, last year, the South Market suffered enormous losses with no return. Then came natural disasters and torrential rains; the river breached its banks, devastating both the north and south banks, severely impacting our past businesses. If it weren't for your guidance and investment in our business, this year would likely have been Wang Er's death day! Though I am but a merchant, I will always remember this principle of loyalty!

Zhang Dai hadn't thought about this part before, but now that Wang Yuanbao mentioned it, he understood.

For a business of this size, losing one or two new investments is not a big deal, but if the business on which they rely also suffers a blow at the same time, they may really be unable to recover.

Although Wang Yuanbao had Wang Maozhong as his backer, he still had to work hard and find solutions on his own when his investment in Nanshi failed. This shows that it was quite difficult to get direct help from Wang Maozhong.

If the entire business is severely impacted and hit, then there's even less reason to expect Wang Maozhong's help; he might even preemptively seize all of Wang Yuanbao's remaining wealth.

It's quite interesting that Wang Yuanbao is now helping him conceal the 500,000 strings of cash he gained. As he said, it might mean repaying kindness, but there must be other implications as well.

Previously, when Zhang Dai speculated about Wang Yuanbao's backer, Gao Lishi bluntly stated that the high-ranking officials of the southern province looked down on him as a mere merchant and could only rely on a lowly official like Wang Maozhong. But now, Zhang Dai, as the son of a high-ranking official, has he become acquainted with Wang Yuanbao?

Zhang Dai, entrusted by Gao Lishi, was tasked with suppressing Wang Maozhong's illicit profits. Before he could even make any arrangements, Wang Yuanbao, the other party's trader, took the initiative to extend a friendly gesture. Whether Wang Yuanbao wanted to benefit from both sides or was planning to switch sides, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

"The Crown Prince's servant comes from a powerful family and does act somewhat recklessly and frivolously, but as long as you can reason with him, it won't be difficult to get along with him. You may not have known each other before, so some suspicion and misunderstanding are inevitable. In the future, you can invite him to a gathering, speak freely, and settle the details of the money-making scheme."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Dai added that because the backgrounds of those involved in Feiqian were all too powerful for him to control, he didn't care much about it anymore.

But since he was the instigator, and the pie was already so big, it was natural that he needed to take the lead again when none of the parties could sit down and frankly discuss the distribution plan.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuanbao quickly nodded in agreement, knowing that the Prince of Qi's fortune was still being held by the eunuchs and had not yet been handed over to him.

This is also one of the reasons why Wang Maozhong's side is even more anxious. In order to pay off the Qi Wang family's wealth in Chang'an in time, Wang Yuanbao not only used his own money, but also a considerable amount of it was raised by the officers of the Northern Army. They also need to give them an explanation.

Wang Yuanbao wasn't sure whether Zhang Dai had understood his hint.

Since their acquaintance was still short, he dared not be too eager to express his feelings. He only hoped that Zhang Dai would realize that he was willing to befriend him and make money together peacefully, rather than seeing him as a representative of a hostile party and becoming wary and distant.

"Does Wang Er have any novel or interesting items? I wish to visit a distinguished person, but I have no suitable gift at home. This person is extremely wealthy and does not care much for money or silk. If I could present him with something pleasant and interesting, I think it would please him."

He was going to visit Consort Wu Hui to express his gratitude for what had happened before, and also to ask her for a few men to back him up. No matter how eccentric Wang Maozhong's son was, would he dare to act arrogantly towards the emperor's woman?

"Yes, yes, I will have someone bring the roster immediately for you to choose from!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuanbao quickly nodded and said that he had already collected many rare treasures and stored them in the two capitals for use as gifts in social interactions. Since Zhang Dai wanted them, he naturally dared not refuse.

(End of this chapter)