Di Ming

Chapter 177 The Scheme of Deceiving Someone into Marriage
What? A congratulatory gift of half a tael of silver?
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned strange. Even if the person who came to offer congratulations was a poor scholar, they should have given at least one tael of silver.

Your gift of half a tael of silver is nothing more than a show-off.

Where did this strange visitor come from?

Just as everyone was wondering what was going on, Zhu Yin stood up to greet them, saying with a smile, "Brother Fei Bai, it's such an honor to have you here."

He did not expect that the renowned Xiong Tingbi would also come to offer his congratulations upon hearing the news.

Xiong Tingbi was dressed in a faded black shirt, with a copper hairpin in his hair and a cloth belt around his waist. He was about twenty years old, but he was tall and strong, with a tiger-headed head and a swallow-like chin, and looked like a military general at first glance.

When Zhu Yin saw Xiong Tingbi, he suddenly felt that Xiong looked familiar and immediately remembered where he had seen him before.

Zhu Yin knew that although the historical Xiong Tingbi was a civil official who passed the imperial examinations twice, he was originally a military man.

He was a man of both literary and martial talents, possessing the demeanor of a renowned general from ancient times. At the age of twenty, he passed the military examination in Huguang Province with top honors. Since he was able to pass the military examination, he was naturally suited for the path of a martial artist, capable of drawing a bow with both hands and wielding a sword on horseback.

Unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty valued civil officials over military ones. No matter how talented you were, once you became a military man, you were no longer worth mentioning and were merely a lackey of civil officials.

Both were top scholars in the imperial examinations, but his martial arts degree was completely incomparable to my own literary degree.

Xiong Tingbi passed the military examination with top honors, but he was still not given important positions. Instead, he encountered setbacks everywhere and had no way to serve his country. He could only pick up the Four Books and Five Classics again and study the Eight-Legged Essay.

He finally passed the provincial examination with top honors, and the following year he passed the imperial examination with even greater success.

In this way, he not only became one of the few civil officials in the Ming Dynasty who was proficient in martial arts, but also the only one to achieve the top rank in both civil and military examinations.

People at the time praised him, saying, "The world has three top scholars, but there are no two experts in the world."

It's difficult to become a top scholar in the martial arts examination, but it's even more difficult to become a top scholar in the literature examination. Yet Xiong Tingbi managed to achieve both, demonstrating that he was an exceptionally talented individual, one in a million.

Of course, at this time Xiong Tingbi had not completely lost hope in the martial path and still harbored the idea of ​​entering officialdom through military means, and had no intention of studying the eight-legged essay.

Zhu Yin looked at the imposing Xiong Tingbi, making no attempt to hide the admiration in his eyes.

Zhu Yin is now a top scholar in the provincial examination, and his status is different, so he is qualified to "praise" others.

If we could recruit this bear… it would save his life, preventing him from being unjustly killed and his head displayed across the nine border regions. Alas, I truly cherish talent as much as the Duke of Zhou spitting out his food to welcome guests.

However, Xiong Tingbi was quite surprised to sense Zhu Yin's enthusiasm.

hold head high?
I only have half a tael of silver as a congratulatory gift, so why is this famous young man from Jiangzuo so enthusiastic that he has lowered himself to greet me? And does he even know my courtesy name?
I don't know him at all. I just heard that he was an eleven-year-old top scholar in the provincial examination and wanted to get to know him and try my luck.

But Zhu Yin said as if meeting an old friend, "Brother Feibai, I once passed through Jiangxia by boat and heard of your great name. I have long admired you. In fact, we have met before."

"Last year, in front of that restaurant in Shandong, I saw Brother Feibai giving steamed buns to a beggar..."

Xiong Tingbi was taken aback, then suddenly realized, "I remember now! Yes, yes, no wonder he looked familiar today."

Zhu Yin chuckled, took Xiong Tingbi's arm, and said in a clear, childlike voice to everyone:
"This Xiong Tingbi, Xiong Feibai, is quite a connection with me. The saying 'a flying bear enters a dream' is an auspicious sign for the world. Brother Feibai has come to congratulate me today, and half a tael of silver is a generous gift."

"You all don't know, but Brother Feibai is the top military scholar in Huguang. He will surely become a great general for the country in the future."

He wanted to publicly reinforce Xiong Tingbi's identity as a military man and prevent him from abandoning martial arts for literature.

Xiong Tingbi was both pleasantly surprised and flattered, and felt somewhat embarrassed.

He never expected that the prodigy Jieyuan would think so highly of him, and he immediately felt a great sense of recognition.

Xiong Tingbi, his face slightly flushed, clasped his hands in a salute and said:
"Although I am a rough man who practices martial arts, I am also educated and understand principles, and have some knowledge of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Today I have come to offer my congratulations, how could I dare to be disrespectful? But alas, I am penniless, I am ashamed, ashamed!"

He thought to himself, "As expected of the Ming Dynasty's child prodigy, at only eleven years old, he is so mature and experienced. He is truly extraordinary."

He pondered further, "Zhu Jieyuan is renowned throughout Jiangdong and has a wide circle of friends. If he wanted to secure a military position for me, it would be a piece of cake. But how can I gain his favor?"

Zhu Yin was right.

At this time, Xiong Tingbi had only recently won the title of Wu Jieyuan (a military officer), and his passion was still burning. He was still dreaming of becoming a famous general who could enter officialdom through martial arts and shoot down barbarians with a bow, and had not yet developed the idea of ​​abandoning martial arts for literature.

But he also knew that for someone like him, a military officer without any background, although he was qualified to be a military officer, it would be extremely difficult to obtain a military position.

The power to appoint military officers actually rested in the hands of scholars.

He pretended to be an eccentric and spoke strangely in order to attract his benefactor and promote him to a military officer position.

Alas, if I don't find a military position soon, my wife, children, and parents will have a hard time making a living.

Over the years, he has been studying and practicing martial arts, which has put a heavy burden on his family and left them with a lot of debts that he is unable to repay.

He thought that passing the martial arts exam would bring him good fortune. But time has slipped by, and he hasn't even managed to become a ninth-rank inspector.

Xiong Tingbi wanted to befriend Zhu Yin, but he never expected that Zhu Yin harbored the idea of ​​preventing him from abandoning his military career and pursuing a literary one.

Most of the guests present, seeing that Xiong Tingbi was a martial artist, did not take it seriously even though they heard that he was a martial arts champion.

A polite bow is appropriate, but an impolite one is to ignore him completely.

A martial arts champion? Hah, what kind of champion is that? Just a martial artist.

"Come, Brother Feibai, please sit down." Zhu Yin politely invited Xiong Tingbi to sit down, deliberately giving Xiong Tingbi face. "Brother Feibai is also a top scholar in the provincial examination. It would be a good thing if we sat together."

Xiong Tingbi was deeply moved, but he was also a magnanimous person. He didn't stand on ceremony and sat down next to Zhu Yin.

Just as the banquet was about to begin, someone outside announced, "The young master of the Prince of Zhongshan's mansion has arrived!"

Then Xu Xiaobai, dressed in an air of wealth and nobility, walked into the courtyard with a group of finely dressed young men following behind him.

At the same time, someone announced:
"The young Marquis of Lingbi has arrived!"

"The young Marquis of Dingyuan has arrived!"

"The young master of the Marquis of Chengyi's mansion has arrived!"

"The young master of the Marquis of Xincheng has arrived!"

……

It turns out that these young masters and nobles were all nobles from meritorious families, numbering as many as seven or eight.

Well, most of the nobles and lords stationed in Nanjing were brought by Xu Xiaobai.

There was no way around it; the Duke of Wei was the head of the nobility in the Ming Dynasty. The young Duke of Wei, Xu Xiaobai, was also the future head of the nobility, and most of the minor nobles in Nanjing had to give him face.

Besides, they were eager to befriend Zhu Yin, the child prodigy who had achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations.

Among these people, Zhu Yin was most familiar with Zhao Zhilong and Tang Guozuo, who had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty.

At this time, Zhao Zhilong was only thirteen or fourteen years old, and Tang Guozuo was about the same age, not much older than Zhu Yin.

Several other nobles were quite old, but their sons had surrendered to the Qing dynasty.

With so many distinguished nobles arriving, everyone stood to pay their respects. Zhu Yin cupped his hands and smiled, saying:
"Distinguished lords, your presence is an honor to our humble abode. I have not been able to greet you properly. Please forgive my lack of preparation. Please come in!"

The nobles also bowed and said "Congratulations."

Xu Xiaobai said with a beaming smile, "Little Tiger Brother, your brother is here again. I didn't expect that you would become the top scholar in just a few days, and your name is known throughout Jiangdong. When I heard that you had won the championship, I was so happy that I released ten deer to celebrate your participation in the Deer Cry Banquet."

After speaking, he stepped forward and familiarly took Zhu Yin's hand, showing his friendship with the top scholar.

He admired Zhu Yin to the extreme.

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "Amitabha! In that case, those ten deer still benefited from my good fortune. I'll have to drink a few more cups at the Deer Cry Banquet. If I don't pass the imperial examination next year, it'll be their fault for letting me down."

Upon hearing this, everyone tactfully laughed it off.

A group of unfamiliar nobles also presented gift lists. They were then led to the seats of honor.

Gu Hongxiu was shocked when she received the gift list. The young Duke of Wei had given away ten thousand taels of silver in one go!

The other seven nobles, whether from marquises or earls, had all agreed on a price of one thousand taels of silver!

These eight nobles presented a congratulatory gift of 17,000 taels of silver!
Ning Caiwei saw that Xu Xiaobai alone had given away 10,000 taels of silver, but she knew exactly what was going on.

She wasn't surprised.

Xu Xiaobai had previously placed a bet of one thousand taels at the Hongyun Casino. He won nine times his initial investment, earning nine thousand taels.

Therefore, a congratulatory gift of 10,000 taels will be given today.

What a discerning person!

The other seven people each received a thousand taels of silver, which is quite generous. Today alone, the gifts received have already amounted to thirty thousand taels of silver.

Adding the gambling den's profits of 27,000 taels, they've really made a killing...

Just as everyone was wondering what other distinguished guests might be arriving, someone came in to report:

"Prince Sho Ning of the Ryukyu Kingdom has come to offer his congratulations!"

The Ryukyu prince has arrived!

Everyone turned around and saw a young man dressed in plain satin with embroidered robes and wearing a scholar's cap, slowly turning through the ceremonial gate.

This young man possessed a noble bearing, refined elegance, and an indescribable sense of humility and tranquility.

Everyone noticed that the Ryukyu prince looked exactly like a person from the Central Plains, and his clothing was also identical. Those who didn't know better might have mistaken him for a scholar from the Ming Dynasty.

Shang Ning cupped his hands in a respectful bow and said loudly, "Shang Ning, a student from a small country, congratulates Brother Zhihu on passing the provincial examination with top honors and on being listed on the imperial examination list next spring!"

Zhu Yin stepped forward to greet him, smiling broadly, and said, "Your Highness, what an honor it is for me to have you here! We are from the same hometown, and I should have paid my respects long ago, but I have been too busy with my work to meet you."

It turns out that Shang Ning bought the Wang family's house and has been living there for half a year, so he can be considered a "fellow villager" in Qingqiao.

At the same time, Shang Ning was also a student at the Imperial Academy.

However, Shang Ning was very low-key. He bought the Wang family mansion, but he only lived there to study classics, history, philosophy, literature, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and rarely interacted with the outside world.

Although we had met before, this was my first time visiting.

Shang Ning was very humble, and like a monk, he put his hands together in a gesture of respect at his chest. "I am ashamed, I have long wanted to come and bother you, but I heard that Brother Zhihu is focused on studying for the exam, so I dared not be presumptuous and that is why I have delayed until now."

Seeing that he was a prince, everyone stood up to greet him.

Shang Ning's congratulatory gift was also very generous, consisting of a golden Buddha statue weighing at least one hundred taels.

Then, the Zhang and Liu families also awkwardly sent people to offer their congratulations, each giving three hundred taels of silver.

They've really given in.

Guo Zhenxing, the abbot of Qingyun Temple, and Zen Master Shandeng, the abbot of Dongshan Temple, also arrived, each presenting their congratulatory gifts.

Even monks are not immune to worldly desires. As local landlords, they certainly dared not offend Zhu Jieyuan.

The congratulatory gift from Master Guo was a copy of the Taishang Ganying Pian (Treatise on the Response of the Supreme Being) made of gold foil, which he said was left to him by his teacher, Tao Zhongwen.

Ning Caiwei didn't care about any of that. She weighed the gold-leaf scripture in the accounting office; it weighed eight taels, exactly half a catty. Hmm, this gift wasn't light.

Zen Master Shanteng's congratulatory gift was a string of gold Buddhist beads, weighing about ten taels, which was quite generous.

By the time the banquet began, the Zhu family had over seven hundred guests. However, neither the Tian family nor the Zhuang family sent anyone.

This is not surprising. Tian Yi and Zhuang Tingjian are both current officials, and it is not appropriate for them to directly deliver congratulatory gifts to each other.

On the contrary, Zhu Yin should take the initiative to visit him.

The banquet finally began. All the guests received a beautifully crafted cardboard box.

It clearly says on it: Moon Rabbit Milk Candy.

After they tasted it, they realized how amazing the Moon Rabbit Milk Candy was.

Could this be the milk candy from Zhu Family Sugar Factory?

Immediately, many of the businessmen present were tempted to take action.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ning Caiwei held a product launch event, which immediately boosted the reputation of Moon Rabbit Milk Candy.

Ning Caiwei, without hesitation, displayed the demeanor of a matriarch, managing the banquet with ease. To the guests, she truly appeared poised and organized.

Many people dared not underestimate her because of her young age. Even her large feet seemed more pleasing to the eye.

Many guests praised Ning Caiwei (perhaps also to curry favor with Zhu Yin), saying that she was "relaxed and cheerful, with the demeanor of the Wei and Jin dynasties, a lady of high society," and a perfect match for Zhu Yin.

The festivities continued until dusk, when the guests finally dispersed. But one person was left behind.

Xiong Tingbi.

Zhu Yin even specially set aside a room for Xiong Tingbi to stay temporarily.

Xiong Tingbi was more than happy to accept the offer, so of course he wouldn't refuse. However, he couldn't bring himself to ask Zhu Yin to help him secure an official position.

.........

Inside the vermilion pavilion in the inner courtyard, the lights were dim and hazy.

It was late at night, but Ning Caiwei was still doing the accounts.

I received so many gifts today, my hands were sore from holding them!

The gambling den's 27,000 taels of silver were also brought back today.

Including today's congratulatory gifts, the Zhu family's treasury has more than 300,000 taels of silver in cash!
This doesn't even include the Liu family's land deeds, brothel deeds, and pawnshop deeds.

"Stop calculating." Zhu Yin lay comfortably on the Thousand-Crafts Canopy Bed, looking at Ning Caiwei in front of the dressing table. "Didn't we already calculate it?"

Ning Qingchen was also lying on the bed, her head resting on Zhu Yin's belly, and said in a childish voice, "She has a money-grubbing habit of calculating the duck at least three times."

Zhu Yin yawned. "I was too excited today, and I had a lot of social engagements. I'm so sleepy and tired. You're really something, still so energetic. Let's turn off the lights."

Ning Caiwei said without looking up, "You and Qingchen go to sleep first. I still need to prepare gifts for you. Tomorrow we'll go and thank your mentor, examiner, uncle, Magistrate Zhuang, and others. I'll be busy tomorrow."

“Let’s split up. I’ll take Qingchen to Uncle Zhuang’s and Uncle’s places, so you don’t need to go. You go and pay respects to your mentor, your master, and Inspector Qiao.”

Zhu Yin then remembered that he had to go to see off the teacher, Xie Lifang, early the next morning.

The day after tomorrow, I will also preside over the Autumn Festival sacrificial ceremony.

The Deer Cry Banquet will be held on the fifth day of next month. And on the fifteenth, Little White will be crowned.

Zhu Yin couldn't help but say, "You've been busy with all the social engagements today, handling everything flawlessly and being incredibly tactful. You've worked so hard, Caiwei. Having a virtuous wife is like having a treasure. You can take care of these things; it saves me a lot of trouble."

Ning Qingchen gave a soft hum, "Mmm, what a virtuous wife. As the wife of a top scholar, with so many people watching, of course she has to put on a good show."

Ning Caiwei chuckled, ignoring her sister's sarcastic remarks. She changed the subject and said to Zhu Yin:

“We’ve made it big. You’re the top scholar in the imperial examinations, you have political power, and your assets have skyrocketed. But the more you do this, the more you need professional financial management.”

“The Zhu family’s accounts cannot be wrong, not even a single tael of silver. Every transaction must be traceable, have a source, and be accounted for. We will be supporting a large number of people, which will be very expensive and could easily create financial loopholes, turning the entire system into a breeding ground for family corruption. At that point, it won’t just be a matter of money; the morale of those below will also collapse.”

Zhu Yin simply got up, drank a cup of tea, picked up the account book in front of Ning Caiwei, and said:

"This is the Liu family's property that you acquired at a low price? You really managed to get your hands on it."

"Hmm, what do you plan to do with these two brothels? Turn them into restaurants? It would be strange for us to run our own brothels."

Hearing this, Ning Qingchen sat up abruptly. "A brothel? How disgusting. Close it down quickly, just like Little Tiger said, turn it into a restaurant."

To everyone's surprise, Ning Caiwei shook her head, looking at the two of them speechlessly. "Why change it to a restaurant? That's ridiculous! Of course, we should continue running the brothel. Brothels are the most suitable. I'm only closing down now to change the management system, not to shut down the brothel."

"What?!" Ning Qingchen's voice rose, "You want to open a brothel? Ning Caiwei, you want to make money like this? This is pimping! You're a black element! The Ning family has never done this kind of thing! How can you face your grandfather! Are you even a woman?!"

Ning Caiwei frowned, her expression turning much colder. "You're calling me by my first name again! Ning Qingchen, use your brain. Is this about whether I'm making money from this? How naive."

"The two brothels owned by the Liu family are decades-old establishments, with a net profit of over 20,000 yuan per year. They are like two money trees, the most profitable businesses for the Liu family."

"The two brothels and their two hundred-plus prostitutes depend on this for their livelihood. Do you think they would leave the brothels and become respectable women? If they did, it would only cause other respectable women to fall into prostitution, filling the market gap left by their departure."

“We’re closing down, but market demand won’t decrease. The ladies will go to other brothels. We won’t make money from this, but others will.”

"If we close two stores, others will just open two or three more. What's the point?"

"This kind of thing cannot be prohibited. It didn't work in ancient times, and it won't work in later generations. Even if you can prohibit the exchange of money for sex, you can't prohibit the exchange of power for sex; they are essentially the same."

"Since it's bound to exist and can't be eradicated, why don't we take advantage of it instead of burying our heads in the sand?"

"Under my management, these two hundred-plus prostitutes will have greater security, safety, and dignity. Compared to other places, they will live more like human beings. In the future, they will not only be lesbians, but will also shoulder a higher mission."

"But what do you think will happen to them if they leave the brothel I run?"

“You only see me making this dirty money and you call me one of the ‘five black categories.’ But my motives are far more noble than you think.”

"If you can't ban a nasty old industry, the best way is to monopolize it and then try to improve and regulate it."

"Don't yell at me so easily next time, and don't try to label me, you hear me?"

Ning Qingchen shrank back, pouted, and said with teary eyes, "Little Tiger, she was mean to me... she was being unreasonable..."

Her voice was weak and she sounded very aggrieved.

After saying that, she crawled into the quilt, leaving only her two small buns showing.

"Alright, alright, I wasn't being mean to you." Zhu Yin patted her little bun and said to Ning Caiwei, "What you said makes sense; I didn't think it through. Qingchen is still a child, don't be angry. I don't care about this matter; you can open the brothel if you want. But I have one request..."

Ning Caiwei interrupted him: "Intelligence, right? Don't worry, their important mission is to gather intelligence."

"These two brothels are conveniently located at a transportation hub, making it easy to gather intelligence."

"Uh, that Xiong Tingbi, how do you plan to deal with him?"

Zhu Yin smiled.

He sat down, picked up a pair of candle scissors, trimmed the wick, and said slowly:
"If such a talent falls into my hands, how can he escape? As long as I prevent him from abandoning his military career for civil service and stop him from becoming a civil official, I can keep him firmly in my grasp."

Ning Caiwei laughed too. "This is cutting off his life at its root, arranging his entire life. That's ruthless."

"Ruthless?" Zhu Yin laughed. "I'm saving him."

"In a few days, once he makes the request, I will contact Xu Xiaobai and arrange for him to become a captain (a military officer) with his own independent garrison in the Beijing garrison, a seventh-rank military officer!"

"With a talent like him, if I help him, he can be promoted to garrison commander within a few years. At that time, I will be his benefactor!"

Zhu Yin was speaking smugly when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Immediately, Kangxi's voice rang out in a low voice: "My lord, I have an important matter to report."

According to Huya's system, any important intelligence must be reported overnight, even if the lord is asleep.

Zhu Yin opened the door, and Kangxi immediately reported:

"Ruyi Lou's family said that they received a suspicious person who matched the information given by the host... After following him, they found that he was related to the Wang family of Taicang."

Zhu Yin finally realized that the person who wanted to frame him was inextricably linked to Wang Shizhen.

Even if it wasn't him, it was still his family.

But Zhu Yin knew he couldn't do anything to the Wang family now. The Suzhou and Songjiang aristocratic families were very united and deeply rooted, and he could only pretend to be oblivious to the two cabinet ministers in the court for the time being.

He wasn't investigating this matter for the sake of quick revenge, but simply to find out who was behind it all, so he could settle accounts later.

Kangxi continued, "There is another matter, though not very important, but it concerns the Tang family. My family members have inadvertently learned that my lord's friend, Lady Tang Rong, got engaged to the Mao family a few days ago. The groom's name is Mao Wenlong, and he is currently in Nanjing."

"Because it concerns a friend of our lord, I am reporting this as well."

"The Mao family is a fake tycoon. They are not only impoverished but also heavily in debt and unable to make ends meet. The Tang family is unaware of this and still thinks the Mao family is as wealthy as ever."

What? Zhu Yin never expected to hear the name Mao Wenlong, let alone that he was engaged to Tang Rong.

Seeing that Zhu Yin was very interested, Kangxi continued, "This is a marriage of convenience. The Mao family needs the Tang family's dowry, and they also need the Tang family's connections to deal with their creditors."

"It turns out that all of this was a marriage fraud scheme meticulously planned by Mao Wenlong. He told his friends involved in the matter that this was a case of 'all's fair in war,' a clever application of military strategy."

"To maintain his image as a wealthy young master, he even borrowed money in Nanjing to pretend to be rich. The collateral he used was actually the Tang family's dowry."

"But although Mao Wenlong is a scoundrel, he also said that once he marries Tang Rong, he will treat her well and will not bully her. He said that one thing is one thing."

"These words were leaked by his friend after he got drunk at a brothel."

"My lord, should we tell Lady Tang Rong about this? Should we remind her?"

Before Zhu Yin could speak, Ning Caiwei spoke up.

"What reminder?" Ning Caiwei sneered. "The engagement is already set, how can you call it off? Do you think this is child's play? I'd rather tear down ten temples than break up one engagement."

"Besides, although Mao Wenlong is faking the marriage, he still said he would treat Tang Rong well. As for money, how can it compare to sincerity? I think this marriage is a good one. When he feels guilty, he will be even less likely to mistreat Tang Rong."

Kangxi shrank back, suddenly realizing he had spoken out of turn.

Zhu Yin touched his nose, not wanting to say anything more to remind Tang Rong, and could only say, "Yes, it's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage."

"No need to remind me. Go ahead."

"Yes!"

Zhu Yin closed the door and shook his head speechlessly.

After Kangxi left, Ning Caiwei said quietly, "What's wrong, is the little tiger feeling sorry for you?"

Zhu Yin looked completely bewildered. "What are you talking about? I didn't say anything. It was Kangxi who reported it himself."

"Giggle..." Ning Qingchen, who had been pretending to be asleep under the covers, couldn't help but laugh, kicking her little legs as she laughed.

P.S.: My head hurts today, I feel awful. I still managed to update over 6,000 words, I must be crazy. I'm only 300+ monthly votes away from reaching 3,000, just one more day, I don't know if I'll make it. Thank you, goodnight. Regarding the brothel, this doesn't represent my opinion, please don't attack me.

(End of this chapter)