Di Ming

Chapter 165 "Ziya Resigns from Office"

Besides the methods used by the Zhang and Liu families to deal with the Zhu family, there was another piece of intelligence.

Zhang Shixun's father, Zhang Xianyi, had been promoted after completing his examinations and had risen from Prefect of Guide to Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shandong, a high-ranking official of the third rank.

During the Ming Dynasty, the promotion of prefects was mostly to the position of Provincial Administration Commissioner, a third-rank official, or Salt Transport Commissioner, a third-rank official.

It's not uncommon for someone to be promoted two ranks to the position of Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, but it's not common.

Zhang Xianyi was a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and had served as an imperial censor. He did not start as a county magistrate, but instead served as an inspector in the Censorate before being appointed as a supervising censor, then as an assistant inspector, and finally as a prefect.

His background as a supervisory official already gave him a high starting point. Furthermore, as a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), his promotion from prefect to provincial inspector was a routine advancement and not surprising.

As one of the three provincial commissioners, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner was a high-ranking official. Fortunately, Zhang Xianyi was the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shandong, which was too far away to interfere in matters in Nanjing. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to counter the Zhang family.

In fact, Ning Caiwei had already been planning to take action against the Zhang and Liu families. As early as a month ago, after learning that the Zhang and Liu families were preventing the Zhu family from recruiting workers and threatening villagers to enlist, Ning Caiwei had already begun making secret arrangements.

Unlike Zhu Yin's espionage methods, Ning Caiwei's methods had a more commercial flavor.

In March of this year, she asked Tian Yi to write a letter and send it to the Zhou family in faraway Shaanxi, hoping to purchase the Zhou family's 500 mu of land in Qingqiao, at a price 20% higher than the market price.

Tian Yixin said that if the Zhou family was unwilling to sell their land, then they could exchange it. The Tian family owned land in Guanzhong and could offer a piece of it in exchange for the Zhou family's land in Qingqiao.

Both face and substance were given to the Zhou family.

The Zhou family would never refuse Tian Yi's request and wouldn't hesitate for long. Therefore, Ning Caiwei was fully confident that she could acquire these 500 acres of land.

The Zhou family moved to Shaanxi many years ago, so the chances of them returning to Nanjing are very slim.

As expected, the Zhou family will soon arrive in Nanjing.

Once the land seller sent by the Zhou family arrived, the Zhu family would no longer be tenants, but the owners of the land.

Therefore, the trick by which the Zhang and Liu families used the Zhou family's lease termination to drive out the Zhu family was exposed without any further action.

By the time they sent people to Shaanxi to find the Zhou family, the land had already been transferred to the Zhu family.

As for the prefect of Yingtian, it's one thing if he doesn't embezzle or break the law. But if he accepts bribes from both families and takes action against the Zhu family, his own official position will be in jeopardy before he even orders the demolition of the Zhu family's factory.

If my uncle-in-law issues an order in the name of the Nanjing Garrison Command, the Prefect of Yingtian will be suspended from his post pending investigation. At the very least, he will be demoted and transferred.

Ning Caiwei immediately summoned Zhang Naizhu and made some arrangements. Zhang Naizhu then went to find Gong Ji of the White Lotus Sect, and together they went to Zhenjiang.

Weren't the two of them trying to contact refugees from Zhenjiang to come to the Zhu family to beg for food?
Let them come and beg!
Come to Qingqiaoli for a big meal!
Then Ning Caiwei took out a secret book, opened it, looked at it, and then summoned Kangxi.

"How are the arrangements for the maritime trade going?" Although Ning Caiwei already had a general idea, she still wanted to confirm it one more time to ensure the plan would be foolproof.

The so-called maritime trade plan was launched a month ago and is now almost complete.

Kangxi said confidently, "Reporting to Lady Caiwei, all the goods from both families have been loaded onto the ship. The tribute satin, brocade, and Songjiang velvet from the Nanjing Textile Bureau are all tribute items procured by the palace."

"As of yesterday, the value of the goods loaded onto the ship was 300,000 taels. Thirty percent of it was misappropriated imperial tribute cloth, and forty percent was goods from other wealthy households and merchants. The two families' own goods accounted for only thirty percent."

“Three hundred thousand taels. Such a big deal, and it’s the first time for both of them to do it. They should have had many concerns. But Lady Caiwei’s calculations were accurate, and they still did it.”

"Hehe, if those ships are really robbed by pirates and we don't get a single tael of silver back, the two families will probably be heavily in debt."

Ning Caiwei was completely relieved upon hearing this. She fanned herself, wiping the sweat from her face, and smiled as she said:
“A deal worth 300,000 is a huge amount, enough to severely damage both companies and deplete their cash reserves. But we can’t let them fall out of business, because they have many friends and plenty of money.”

Ning Caiwei has a fairly good understanding of business history.

She knew that a sum of 300,000 taels was not a large amount for wealthy merchants from Anhui, Shanxi, and Shaanxi.

Qin merchants sold timber to the imperial court to build palaces, often for a million taels of silver. Shanxi merchants smuggled goods to the Mongols and the Later Jin, and a single deal worth a million taels was not uncommon.

But for the Zhang and Liu families, a deal worth 300,000 taels was an extraordinary sum, something they had never dared to dream of before.

But with such huge profits at stake, how could they possibly refuse? Taking a risk, acting as a middleman, and making 200,000 taels of profit in a single transaction. 200,000 taels of profit! And you're not doing it?

It makes no sense!
So, about half a month ago, a merchant from Southeast Asia approached Zhang Shixun, saying he wanted to buy tribute silks to be presented to the emperor.

At least 10,000 bolts of tribute satin, 100 bolts of extremely expensive kesi brocade, and 100 bolts of equally expensive Songjiang velvet.

If the Zhang family can meet this condition, they can purchase an additional 200,000 taels worth of textiles.

This is a big deal; it could be resold for a profit of 200,000!

When Zhang Shixun heard about the merchant's terms, he couldn't sleep at night.

The Zhang family's smuggled goods mainly consisted of silk and cotton fabrics. Occasionally, they would also collude with the Manufacturing Bureau, the Printing and Dyeing Bureau, and the Shenbo Hall to resell some of the best tribute items to curry favor with maritime merchants.

However, over the years, the Zhang family's largest overseas business has only amounted to tens of thousands of taels of silver per order.

A single transaction of 300,000 taels is truly frightening. The Zhang family's treasury only holds a few hundred thousand taels of silver.

But wouldn't it be foolish not to take advantage of such a large profit?

Moreover, the merchant was very generous, stating that he would pay a deposit of 20,000 once the goods were loaded onto the ship. He said that foreigners had plenty of money and were extremely generous with their payments, as long as the goods were good!
Zhang Shixun agreed to do it after only two days of consideration.

It's all smuggling at the end of the day. The Zhang family has been smuggling countless times. It's just that this time the quantity is exceptionally large. What's there to be afraid of?
But in order to share the risks, he approached the Liu family to work together.

Therefore, the Zhang and Liu families used their old connections in the Weaving Bureau and the Printing and Dyeing Bureau to request the resale of 10,000 bolts of imperial tribute satin, 100 bolts of kesi (silk tapestry), and 100 bolts of velvet.

As soon as the silver arrived, the chief eunuchs of the weaving bureau and the printing and dyeing bureau immediately agreed.

In fact, the Nanjing Bureau's practice of reselling imperial tribute silk has been going on for quite some time.

At least half of the textiles that were originally intended as tribute to the palace were resold every year.

So how do we fill the gap? We can't just hand over half to the palace, can we?

The emperor would surely cut off their heads.

That's easy. Just buy up fabrics from local workshops at low prices, pass them off as tribute satin, and make up the shortfall.

In this way, the price difference is made and the shortfall is covered.

But the quality of these two fabrics is obviously different. Aren't you afraid of being exposed if you hand them in?

Not afraid.

The tribute silk sent out each year was far more than the emperor could possibly use. The major bureaus in Jiangnan alone sent over 40,000 bolts of tribute silk annually—how could the emperor possibly use it all?
Most of them were eventually given as rewards, or sold off cheaply because they were "old and worn out," or burned down in the "warehouse fire."

As long as the masters in the palace are provided with the finest fabrics, the problem is covered up, and no one takes it seriously.

So this time, the eunuchs from the two bureaus in Nanjing, as usual, brazenly resold a large quantity of tribute silk to the Zhang and Liu families.

I'm a regular customer anyway. It's just that I ordered a lot more this time, so what?
Hmph, although Tian Yihe and the two teams are at odds and he has been looking for something to do with them, how could this ever-changing guard possibly understand the two teams that are like tigers sitting on the ground?

The Zhang and Liu families received the tribute silk and loaded it onto the ship. After carefully inspecting the silk, the merchant immediately paid a deposit of 20,000.

The two companies loaded their own goods, but it still wasn't enough.

They also received goods from other people, all of whom were wealthy and influential families they knew in Nanjing.

Only then did they manage to gather enough goods worth 300,000 taels of silver, which were then loaded onto the ship.

The merchant requested that the goods be delivered to Gaotousha on Chongming Island for settlement, without needing to travel too far by sea.

The Zhang and Liu families were even more relieved. The goods only needed to be delivered to Gaotousha on Chongming Island, which was only a few dozen miles out to sea, greatly reducing the risk.

Although Chongming is far inferior to Zhoushan, Haojing, and Dengzhou, it can still be considered a smuggling hub.

Ning Caiwei continued, "The key issue is still the collusion with the eunuchs of the Textile Bureau to embezzle the imperial tribute silk. Once this news gets out, all the merchants will come knocking on our door demanding their goods, and no one will dare to lend money to either of them."

"Pass down the word, instructing the Zhang and Liu families to set sail immediately. I want to hear news of their ships being hijacked within seven days."

Kangxi was somewhat worried. "Lady Caiwei, the Zhang and Liu families have deployed their private guards this time, totaling more than 300 men to protect the ship, which is also equipped with firearms. If our robbery fails and they bring the goods back, our 20,000 yuan deposit will be lost."

Ning Caiwei sneered, "So what if they have over three hundred soldiers? At worst, we'll fight a battle, and at most, there will be some casualties. The Jinghai Navy is an elite force at sea. Once they're at sea, they'll be nothing but fish to be slaughtered. You robbed goods worth three hundred thousand, and you're still worried about a two thousand deposit?"

"As expected, Hongxiu will definitely bring back good news."

The person in charge of informing Jinghai Army, whom Ning Caiwei sent out, was Ding Hongying.

Kangxi said, "Lady Caiwei, shouldn't we discuss such a big matter with the Emperor?"

Ning Caiwei shook her head: "Don't disturb him. He can't afford to be distracted with the big exam approaching. Everyone in the Records Office (Tiger Fang) should get moving. We'll handle this. We'll take responsibility for the success or failure."

"Yes!" Kangxi laughed. "When the news of the two families' smuggled goods being seized and the resale of tribute silk spreads, they will not only lose money, but also face lawsuits."

Ning Caiwei continued, "If you spread the word again, say that the Zhu family is willing to lend money to the tenants in Qingqiao Village at an annual interest rate of only 10%! They will use their labor as collateral!"

“Each household can borrow a maximum of thirty taels. If they are unable to repay, they can work to make up for it. The silver they borrowed from the Zhu family can be used to repay the usurious loans from the Liu and Zhang families.”

Most tenant farmers today are in debt. Debt and usury are important means for powerful families to control them.

Ning Caiwei's move is a drastic measure. She's initiating the acquisition by targeting human resources. Often, this type of acquisition is a forced and hostile takeover.

Ning Caiwei employed a four-pronged approach: targeting cash flow, reputation, lawsuits, and human resources. First, she turned the Zhang and Liu families from high-quality assets into low-quality assets; then, she poached their personnel; and finally, she drove them into bankruptcy liquidation.

Kangxi had been following Zhu Yin for a year, learning a great deal and participating in many plans, which he found very enjoyable. But now, working with Ning Caiwei felt different.

Lady Caiwei seems to prefer using money in her dealings, which is quite different from the lord's methods. Ning Caiwei had some things she didn't say.

The chief eunuchs of the two bureaus in Nanjing were men of Zhang Jing, the current chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and they had always outwardly complied with Tian Yi but inwardly defied him.

The places where my uncle-in-law had the least say were the Nanjing Textile Bureau and the Nanjing Printing and Dyeing Bureau.

This time, by reselling palace silk and engaging in illegal smuggling, her cheap uncle could also find an excuse to get rid of the two chief eunuchs and seize control of their personnel.

Kill three birds with one stone!
She now has money, powerful backers, and strong military force. Even if the head of the Zhang family is the provincial inspector, he cannot stop the Zhang family from falling into ruin!

Ning Caiwei added, "Also, find the nephew of the deceased midwife, Granny Sun, and tell them that their aunt's family was burned to death by Zhang Shixun's men."

"Last summer, Zhang Shixun's concubine died in childbirth, along with her unborn child. Zhang Shixun was furious with Granny Sun and sent people to burn down her house at night, killing the entire family in the fire. You know about this, don't you?"

Kangxi nodded and said, "I know. It was my informant who told me, and I reported it to the lord."

"I understand what Lady Caiwei means. Send them silver so they can accuse Zhang Shixun of arson and murder. How much silver?"

Ning Caiwei sneered: "Give them ten taels first, and tell them to go and file a complaint with the Imperial Inspector Qiao Bixing. Once Inspector Qiao accepts the complaint, pay them another thirty taels of silver!"

Kangxi accepted the order and said, "Don't worry, Lady Caiwei, I won't let them know. It's us who will complain to them."

After Kangxi left, Ning Caiwei summoned Gu Hongxiu.

"Hongxiu, Ningyin Bank can be established now."

.........

The ninth day of the sixth lunar month is an auspicious day.

An auspicious day, favorable for long journeys across rivers and seas.

The smuggling fleets of the Zhang and Liu families finally set sail.

Zhang Shixun and Liu Yuanchu, looking radiant, offered incense together at the temple, praying for the safe passage of the ship to Chongming Island and for the return of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver after the goods were delivered.

This is the biggest deal the two companies have ever made.

Zhang Shixun drew a Guanyin divination stick at Dongshan Temple to inquire about wealth and fortune, and surprisingly drew a very auspicious one, the fourteenth stick titled "Ziya Abandons His Official Post." The poem on the stick read:

"Like a crane escaping its cage, freed from its confinement, all paths open up..."

The interpretation of the divination slip is: "Anything goes smoothly without worry, the road is open and unobstructed, you can do as you please and live a carefree life."

"...Seeking wealth - auspicious; transactions - auspicious; travelers - to be seen; farming and silkworms - profitable in autumn; graves - auspicious..."

Upon seeing this, Zhang Shixun laughed heartily and exclaimed, "If this is the will of Heaven, I have nothing to worry about!"

Liu Yuanchu also laughed and said, "Good! It's 'Ziya Abandons His Official Post,' a good omen!"

But that afternoon, Zhang Shixun received a disgusting message.

Ning Dajiao actually announced that she would lend money to the tenants of Qingqiao, with an annual interest rate of only 10%!
Moreover, no collateral is required; instead, a labor collateral is used, and if the money cannot be repaid, the debt is repaid by working.

This is really unreasonable!

Upon receiving the news, Liu Yuanchu was also furious and cursed the scoundrel as hateful.

Zhu Yin is courting death by relying on Zhuang Tingjian's backing and on his reputation as a child prodigy of Nanyong!

Previously, Ning Dajiao's large-scale recruitment of local young men and women to work in the factory had seriously affected local stability.

Now they are lending money at low interest rates to win people's hearts and minds, and to mislead the people, as if they want to cause chaos in their hometown!

Zhu Zhihu is a shameless brat, his heart deserves to be punished! Ning Dajiao is a despicable and vile material.

It harms others without benefiting oneself; it's a deliberate violation of the rules!
What angered Zhang Shixun and Liu Yuanchu even more was that when their tenants heard the news that Ning Dajiao was lending money at low interest rates, they ignored the warnings from both families and went to Ning Dajiao to borrow money in an attempt to repay the high-interest loans owed to them!

I heard that Ning Dajiao set up a Ningyin Bank, using this lousy bank to borrow money from the tenants.

Each household can borrow up to thirty taels of principal! The repayment period is as long as five years!
This was the first time Zhang Shixun and Liu Yuanchu had encountered such a thorny problem.

This is a calculated scheme! It's a calculated scheme between Little Poison Tiger and Ning Big Foot!
However, their private soldiers have now escorted the smuggling ships away, and the two families are temporarily without military force, so they cannot forcibly prevent the tenants from borrowing money.

After discussing it, the two decided to send someone with generous gifts to see the prefect of Yingtian, while also going to the Zhu family together to negotiate, which could be considered a delaying tactic.

However, the two never expected that after they condescended to visit the Zhu family for the first time and presented their calling cards, the cards would actually be sent back to them.

A young man came out and said, “My lords, my master is devoted to studying the classics and is in seclusion to prepare for the exams. It is really inconvenient for him to receive guests. He has long since ordered that the door be closed to visitors, and even we find it difficult to see him.”

Zhang Shixun gritted his teeth, wishing he could kick him.

In Qingqiao, he personally went to the door with the invitation, only to be turned away!

Never has anything happened!
Zhang Shixun's face darkened, but he suppressed his temper and said, "Since he is studying behind closed doors, then inviting Miss Ning to meet him is the same thing."

“No.” The young man shook his head. “My wife is of noble birth, a lady of high society. How can she meet outsiders? Please leave.”

Liu Yuanchu snorted coldly, "Very well! Let's see how long they can hide today! When they want to see us, they'll be begging for it and regretting it too late. Don't say we didn't warn you."

The young man smiled nonchalantly and said, "Do as you please. I won't see you off."

Both men's personal guards had gone with the ship, leaving them vulnerable and unwilling to confront the Zhu family. Seeing the servants guarding the Zhu family's gate, they could only leave dejectedly.

However, another message came the next day.

"Young Master!" The steward came in with a wry smile and reported, "A lot of refugees have come from outside, blocking the gate and begging for food. There are at least seven or eight hundred of them. They say they are from Zhenjiang, and we invited them."

"Nonsense!" Zhang Shixun roared. "Are they looking for death? How dare they come to the Zhang family to beg for food! We told them to go to the Zhu family! Why are they coming to my house!"

The steward looked dejected. "I don't know either! We clearly agreed to beg for food from the Zhu family, so why are they coming after us?"

Liu Yuanchu's face was ashen. "Brother Zhang, this is the Zhu family's doing. The leader of the refugees has been bribed and turned against us. Now that our two families' guards have boarded the ship and left, our defenses are weak and we can't stop the large group of refugees."

These refugees from Zhenjiang often lived in groups of several hundred, with their families in tow, claiming they would only beg and not rebel.

But wherever they go, they eat at the homes of the wealthy, which is a real headache.

Different leaders of the displaced people maintained contact with each other, sharing a common destiny. The government dared not suppress them, fearing they would incite rebellion, and could only appease and pacify them.

Even if the two of them invited the government troops, the government troops would not be able to directly suppress and drive them away.

Offending the refugees will only cause more trouble later.

I've heard that Liu Ruguo has rebelled. Who would dare to provoke these displaced people? If a popular uprising is sparked, who will bear the responsibility?

The two looked at each other, both thinking of the saying: "To lift a stone only to drop it on one's own foot."

"Give them to them!" Zhang Shixun's face was ashen. "Give them three days' worth of rations, and don't let them storm the compound! Those refugees deserve to die!"

"Three days' worth of rations?" Liu Yuanchu sneered. "Now that these refugees from Zhenjiang have arrived, they won't give up. This little bit of rations won't be enough to satisfy them!"

"Let's ask their leader to come and talk to them, let him name a price, and let the refugees go eat at the Zhu family's place!"

Zhang Shixun immediately sent his steward out to invite the leader of the refugees in for tea.

And then the other party didn't come in!
They said they would go together, sharing both good and bad fortune.

Zhang Shixun and Liu Yuanchu couldn't understand why this leader of the refugees listened to the Zhu family so much, and why he could be bought off by the Zhu family but not by themselves.

What kind of spell did the Zhu family use? Or did they find something wrong with the other party?
For the next few days, the refugees blocked the gates of both houses, demanding food and water. After eating and drinking their fill, they would set up shacks to sleep, and return when they were hungry again.

They're clearly here to target both families, taking advantage of their weakened defenses. They want not only food and drink, but also the finest food and drink.

In just a few days, the two families were both annoyed but helpless.

However, news of the prefect of Yingtian was delayed.

On the fifth day, another message arrived, which shocked and enraged Zhang Shixun.

Someone accused him of arson and murdering his entire family. The imperial inspector has already issued a summons and sent someone to question him.

The officials will arrive soon!

Just as Zhang Shixun was at a loss, another terrible piece of news reached Qingqiao Village.

Seven days ago, a fleet carrying goods worth 300,000 taels of silver was robbed by pirates in the waters off Chongming Island.

More than three hundred of his soldiers were wiped out.

All the goods were stolen by the pirates!

Another rumor has been circulating that the Zhang and Liu families colluded with two eunuchs to resell tribute silks to the palace!
Upon hearing the news, the two looked at each other, completely dumbfounded.

This is a scam!

Zhang Shixun suddenly burst into a bitter laugh, "Hahaha! 'Ziya Abandons His Official Post'! What a 'Ziya Abandons His Official Post'! What a load of rubbish, a top-tier fortune!"

P.S.: That's all for today. Thank you, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)