Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 185 The Impotent Fury of the Shanxi Merchants

Yang Tiancheng stopped and noticed the group of merchants gathered at the entrance of the Shanxi Merchants Guild Hall.

Some of them wept as if they had lost their parents, while others carried machetes and hammers with angry expressions. Some even took out swords meant to ward off evil spirits from somewhere and were about to chop at the guild hall's gate.

"Fan Yongdou, you son of a bitch! You old dog who gave birth to a child without an anus!"

"Why does this thieving rat dare not face us!"

"You old dog, give me my money back!"

These people cursed and even waved at the stone lions at the entrance of the Shanxi Merchants Guild Hall.

"These old dogs are always showing off. They dare to use stone lions that ordinary families wouldn't dare to use! And nobody cares about this overstepping of bounds! If we smash these stone lions, we'll smash the wealth and power of Fan Yongdou and his ilk!"

One person, seeing that the gate was tightly closed, set his sights on the small stone lion at the entrance.

Since the Han Dynasty, these stone lions at the gate have been a symbol of wealth and power, and could not be used by anyone other than imperial relatives, officials, or ancestral temples.

However, during the Wanli era, social customs gradually opened up, and the imperial court and government officials turned a blind eye to it.

Even the small stone lions at the entrance of the Shanxi Merchants' Guild Hall were specially permitted by the imperial court to reward the Shanxi merchants for their contributions to the Ming Dynasty.

However, the merchants, caught up in their emotions, didn't care about such things and started hitting the half-person-high stone lion with their weapons.

Some of them were even born in Shanxi, yet they were still swindled out of a lot of money.

After a series of clanging and banging sounds, the merchants, who were used to living in luxury and were powerless, did not manage to harm the stone lion at all.

One of them said through gritted teeth, his voice filled with fierce determination.

"This stone lion is as stubborn as a turtle, but don't be discouraged, everyone. Lend me your chisels, I'm going to castrate this stone lion and put a castrated dog at the gate. Let's see how these three make money!"

Stone lions are usually arranged with a male on the left and a female on the right. The male lion is standing on an embroidered ball, while the female lion is standing on a cub.

One thing is particularly important: the male lion must have "power." If it lacks a "phallus" and loses its masculine energy, it is no better than a eunuch. That is not a good omen.

Merchants believed in these things, so they naturally came up with the most ruthless method: to castrate the male lions in front of the Shanxi Merchants' Guild Hall.

Thus, a strange scene appeared on the streets of the capital.

A bloated merchant, holding a chisel and hammer, was frantically thrusting his weapon at the "phallus" of the male lion in front of the Shanxi Merchants Guild Hall.

Stones flew everywhere, the lion's imposing presence shattered, and the surrounding merchants cheered loudly.

Seeing this scene, Yang Tiancheng couldn't help but laugh.

These merchants are truly disgraceful!
A crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the spectacle, and some well-meaning people began to chatter among the crowd, explaining the situation to them.

Yang Tiancheng couldn't help but ask as well.

"Old man? Why are these merchants shouting and killing today?"

"You're not from the capital, are you?"

The middle-aged man glanced at Yang Tiancheng with some disdain, but still couldn't help but start explaining.

"But you don't know? Something big has happened in the capital recently~"
It is said that the merchants of this Shanxi Merchants Guild Hall took over the Xishan Workshop in order to deal with Zhang Shiyuan, the Assistant Magistrate.

They deliberately hoarded briquettes produced in Xishan, driving up their prices, hoping to bankrupt Xishan through speculation.

"It was them? No wonder I couldn't buy briquettes lately. It's all thanks to Emperor Taizu Gaozu that these merchants deserve to die! I think the old emperor is also incompetent, allowing such people to persecute loyal ministers!"

The middle-aged man shivered and took two steps away from the man, seemingly not wanting to get involved with him.

He turned to look at Yang Tiancheng and said.

"I only heard this from others, young man, and I told you this because you look kind."

That Magistrate Zhang is extraordinary; he possesses extraordinary abilities, a reincarnation of the Heavenly Star, comparable to Jiang Ziya of the Zhou Dynasty!

Upon hearing the name "Tianji Star," Yang Tiancheng nearly lost his composure. He had only heard of such a star in the "Bu Tian Ge" (Song of Stepping to Heaven), but had never heard of any Tianji Star.

Also, when did Zhang Yunxiu become Jiang Ziya?
People in the community are very clear about their likes and dislikes; good people are extremely good, and bad people are extremely bad.

Seeing that the people around him were listening with great interest, the middle-aged man was quite pleased with himself and continued to boast.

"If Magistrate Zhang is not a celestial being, how could he possibly resolve the calamity of the Western Mountain's water veins?"
How could you mere mortals understand such a principle? The Western Hills belong to the water element and contain hidden water veins; mining these veins in this way is going against the will of Heaven.
I heard that it was Magistrate Zhang who personally invited the Fire God from heaven.”

This middle-aged man's rambling manner is precisely what makes more and more people believe his explanations.

Yang Tiancheng sighed helplessly. "Why does this sound like a storyteller?"
He lost interest and was about to leave when he saw constables from Shuntian Prefecture approaching.

Who is causing trouble here?

The constables were not to be outdone; they mobilized all of them and swarmed forward, punching and kicking the group of merchants.

Merchants aren't scholars or officials; they can't just kick people around and expect the common people to cheer.

The head constable was a middle-aged man who looked like he came from a military background.

He raised his thick eyebrows and said, "Under the Emperor's nose, how dare you make such a racket!"

Upon seeing the constables arrive, the merchants immediately resorted to shameless behavior, collapsing to the ground and wailing in pain.

"Oh dear~ I can't live anymore~ Ten thousand taels of silver~ You can all beat this old man to death!"

"I still owe the money lender money~ Now I'm going to be bankrupt~ I might as well die!"

"My lord! My lord! You must do us justice! I want to denounce them! I'm going to see Magistrate Zhang!"

The merchants started making a fuss, which gave the constable a real headache.

But for some reason, he didn't care at all about the merchants' grievances, and he didn't even want to set foot in the Shanxi Merchants' Guild Hall.

The constable drew his sword from his waist and said angrily.

"Anyone who causes trouble again, arrest them all and bring them to the Shuntian Prefecture government office. This constable suspects that these people are colluding with the White Lotus Rebellion and plotting a rebellion!"

At a command, many constables jumped into the crowd and arrested several leading merchants.

The merchants panicked immediately, their previous arrogance vanished, and they scattered like a pile of loose sand, fleeing in all directions.

"What a mob."

Even Yang Tiancheng could see that with these people's methods and cunning, they were really incapable of accomplishing anything significant.

The clinic was busy with many affairs, and after watching the commotion, he no longer wanted to get involved and quickly left.

A secluded mansion in the suburbs of Beijing.

This mansion, nestled against green mountains and facing a clear stream, boasts flying eaves, bracket sets, and vermilion gates, all showcasing the owner's immense wealth and refined taste.

Overstepping authority? This isn't the Hongwu era anymore; why would the government officials come to the outskirts of the capital to cause trouble?

At that moment, the wooden door to the mansion's cellar creaked.

The dim yellow light of the kerosene lamp illuminated the damp walls, reflecting three tense figures.

They stared at the mountain of coal briquettes. They had been buying coal briquettes in large quantities over the past few months and hadn't had time to find a suitable storage place, so they had piled them up here.

However, this place is nestled between mountains and water, making it extremely humid. In less than three months, many of the coal briquettes were already covered with a layer of damp ash, and some were even badly damaged by the moisture.

In the confined space, the three felt increasingly short of breath and dared not look each other in the eye.

"Let's go."

Li Mingxing used a cane, but his steps were unusually swift.

"Let's go into the lobby to talk."

Upon returning to the main hall of the courtyard, the three sat down, and before they had even taken a sip of tea, the oppressive atmosphere instantly became even more tense.

"Manager Wang! You boasted that you would definitely take over the Xishan workshop within three months. All our silver and manpower were under your control. Now that such a big mistake has occurred, you, Wang Dengku, cannot shirk your responsibility!" Fan Yongdou slammed his fist on the table and stood up first. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was a mess. His disheveled appearance clearly showed that he had encountered a lot of trouble on his way out of the capital.

Wang Dengku was equally adamant: "What a hypocrite! You, Fan Yongdou, think you're so innocent! We agreed to be of one mind and one heart, but who had selfish motives? And yet you have the nerve to blame others for secretly selling briquettes? You traitor, you sold the most!"

"If I hadn't sold some briquettes beforehand, I would have truly lost all 110,000 taels of silver, which would have ended up entirely in Zhang Shiyuan's pocket!"

Fan Yongdou's veins bulged, and he stomped his feet in anger. In all his years of business, he had never suffered such a loss.

Even so, it only recovered a loss of thirty to forty thousand taels!

He spread his hands and said angrily.

"I've practically worn out the threshold of the Prince Lu's mansion. How could you possibly know how much favors and money I've spent on these visits?"

"Favor?"

But Wang Dengku pulled out a newspaper, slammed it on the desk, and tapped it hard with his long fingernails.

"Take a look at the front page of the Wanli New Daily. The Wanli Emperor has gone to the Western Hills. The two have reconciled and are having a very pleasant conversation. The Emperor even got out of his sedan chair to accompany them."

You, Fan Yongdou, boast of your good relationship with Prince Lu and your ability to speak to the Emperor, and this is the result?

"Shut up!" Fan Yongdou smashed his teacup and pointed at the other man. "It's clearly your greed and recklessness that caused this mountain of unsold goods! If you had sold them earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Ah!"

Wang Dengku sneered.

"No matter how advanced my business acumen is, Zhang Shiyuan has the emperor's support and all sorts of unpredictable and magical weapons. How can I possibly defeat him?"

For a moment, the two engaged in a heated argument, almost turning the lobby into a bustling marketplace.

Their round bodies squeezed together on both sides of the eight-immortal table, pushing and shoving each other like two boars fighting for a mate.

"Enough! You two pieces of trash!"

An aged voice came from behind him. It was Li Mingxing, who had been sitting upright all along. He no longer had his former composure, and his words were filled with anger.

“When you are doing business, you will find shortcuts, or you will try to please the officials of the state and send them gold, silver and beautiful concubines, or you will find high-ranking officials in your clan, such as Zhang Ziwei, to use your power to oppress others.”

Now that Zhang Ziwei is no longer successful, you've lost your ability to do business?
He used to earn some money and thought he was invincible.

They also felt that Zhang Shiyuan was just a kid who could be easily taken down!

Even now, they're still arguing about who's right and who's wrong!

Fan Yongdou gritted his teeth and said, "It's not that Elder Li underestimated us, but rather..."

"Ai--"

He let out a heavy sigh.

But Li Mingxing didn't buy it. He glared at the other party with a cold glint in his eyes and said.

"I ordered you to send men to infiltrate the Western Hills to gather information, but what kind of information did you get? Not even a hint of the 'dragon sucking water,' and not a single word about Zhang Shiyuan hoarding briquettes!"

I, Fan Yongdou, stammered; he truly hadn't expected this.

Zhang Yunxiu was adept at winning people's hearts, and most of the refugees in Xishan followed his lead. It was extremely difficult for Fan Yongdou to place and bribe people in his place.

If one is not careful, the refugees they have painstakingly bribed will be exposed, and they will have to give up.

After several attempts, he finally learned about the reduced production and water seepage in Xishan, but he never expected it to turn out like this.

Li Mingxing was firing wildly today. He then looked at Wang Dengku beside him and said without any mercy.

"But don't be too smug! I'm telling you to keep a close eye on market prices, and pay special attention to any slight changes."

Nearly two million catties of briquettes were delivered to various parts of the capital region, and you reacted so slowly.

He is still culpable in this matter!

At this point, Li Mingxing could no longer suppress his emotions and used his cane to sweep all the food off the table.

With a loud crash, the lobby was instantly left in a mess.

Li Mingxing roared hysterically, "You two idiots have botched this whole thing! How can I possibly have the face to negotiate with that person in the palace?"

"A full two hundred thousand taels of silver!"

He staggered, grabbed the account book from the table, and slammed it onto the blue brick floor.

"And so it all went down the drain. Either the soldiers in the capital took advantage of it, or it was tricked by that brat Zhang Shiyuan! Or it ended up in the emperor's private treasury!"

Li Mingxing was still not satisfied and pointed at the two men, cursing them.

"If you two had been any more sensible, things wouldn't have come to this! The century-old foundation of our Shanxi merchants is about to be destroyed by you two unworthy descendants!"

He was really into his rant, and the two managers treated him like a grandson.

However, Fan Yongdou and Wang Dengku both had their own businesses, and their respect for Li Mingxing was merely out of respect for his seniority.

Therefore, after being scolded, Wang Dengku finally couldn't bear it any longer. He slammed his fist on the table, his face turning bright red.

"Old Li, you old fool! What did I say back then? This Xishan has all sorts of inventions and machines. How could Zhang Shiyuan be someone to be trifled with?"
It was you who insisted on doing things your own way! You insisted on talking about geomancy and feng shui, and look at the result now.
I think you, Li Mingxing, should take responsibility for this loss!

"You brat! How dare you speak to me like that!"

Li Mingxing's hands, which were holding the cane, were trembling slightly, and he looked like a rooster that had an epileptic fit.

"Manager Fan!"

He turned to look at Fan Yongdou, seemingly seeking his assistance.

But Fan Yongdou completely ignored him, turned his head away, and said leisurely.

"I think Elder Li should stop criticizing us. You didn't expect Zhang Shiyuan's methods either."

"you you!"

Li Mingxing almost couldn't catch his breath; he was about to die of anger right there.

"Alright, alright! Since that's the case, let's not discuss it anymore. Let's divide these hundreds of thousands of kilograms of briquettes into individual shares!"

He spoke, his chest heaving.

"Different road non-phase plan!"

It was clear that the once "unbreakable alliance" of Shanxi merchants was about to be completely shattered because of this small piece of briquettes.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard. It turned out to be Li Mingxing's personal butler, who was outside announcing something.

"Master, it's urgent!"

This announcement temporarily put an end to the tense atmosphere in the hall.

"Come in~"

Li Mingxing watched as Wang Dengku and Fan Yongdou, who were quite adept at handling the old man, found it easy. Naturally, the steward became their savior.

But after entering, the butler didn't mention anything else, but instead gave Li Mingxing a list.

Looking at the names on the yellow paper, Li Mingxing frowned and said.

"What's wrong with these people? Do they also want their silver back? Didn't I say that this silver is for personal profit and loss, and there's absolutely no reason for it to be returned!"

"No, no." The butler waved his hands repeatedly with a bitter face. He glanced at the two people not far away and said in a low voice.

"Sir, these three have hanged themselves."

(End of this chapter)