Di Ming

Chapter 188 Uninvited Guest

Heavy snow fell, covering the mountains and rivers in white.

This year was supposed to be a year of major epidemic in the Jiangnan region.

However, thanks to the combined intervention of the three time travelers, the plague was well controlled and suppressed before it could have a major outbreak. Countless people who would otherwise have been unable to celebrate the New Year were able to do so.

The historical description of "a great epidemic broke out, the plague spread everywhere, famine was seen everywhere, and isolated villages were almost deserted" did not appear.

A million lives saved!

He accomplished something truly great without making a sound; he is a benefactor to countless families.

The merits of the Zhu family were known only to Tian Yi and others, who were far away in Beijing.

However, Ning Caiwei also earned 30,000 taels of silver through this special supply of medicines to Southern Zhili, and obtained an official business for purchasing medicinal materials in Southern Zhili.

From then on, it not only supplied medicinal materials to pharmacies, military garrisons, and the Imperial Hospital in various parts of Southern Zhili, but was also included in the procurement of the imperial palace.

……

The twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Even the heavy snowfall couldn't mask the prosperous and thriving atmosphere of the Zhu family in Qingqiao.

The construction of the Zhu family mansion has only just begun, and they are currently using the former Zhou family villa, which feels very crowded when there are many people.

The sugar factory is closed today, and the workers have all gone home to prepare for the Chinese New Year.

President Ning Caiwei also left the Vermilion Bird Tower in the factory compound and returned to her residence next door.

The head of the Zhu family is now living a life of even greater luxury and extravagance. He is meticulous and refined in every aspect of his daily life, from clothing and food to housing and transportation, and he is unwilling to be perfunctory in any way.

Take Zhu Yin for example. Today, he was at home. There were four mythical beast charcoal stoves in the house. The three-foot-tall red copper stoves were decorated with intricate carvings and used charcoal made of Wugang oak wood with silver frost. They burned brightly and warmly without any smoke.

With layers of green curtains and embroidered screens covering the interior, even amidst heavy snowfall and biting north winds outside, the painted hall was bathed in the warm sunshine of spring.

Even the beautiful snake Ah Jin, kept in a corner, hibernates exceptionally smoothly.

Black Tiger squatted by White Tiger's furnace, lazily dozing off. Having lived for twenty years, becoming one of the oldest among dogs, its experience was that dogs need a balance of work and rest, and shouldn't be too active or playful.

It wants to live through another twenty winters.

But it wasn't that it was afraid of the cold while guarding the white tiger beast stove. With its thick, blanket-like fur, was it really any worse than its master's mink coat? Not at all.

It just wanted to stay with its owner, so it was warming itself by the fire. Otherwise, with the heavy snow falling outside, it would truly be able to gallop across the snowfield and howl in the wind a few times.

The hall is decorated with carved railings and painted beams, vases, incense burners, tripods, and precious bonsai. The walls are adorned with valuable calligraphy and paintings from the Song, Yuan, and modern dynasties, while jade pendants, rings, and scepters hang between beaded curtains and draperies. On the desk are jade tablets, ruyi scepters, xuanji (a type of celestial instrument), and jade balances.

A painting hall measuring three zhang in size cost tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Whether for personal use or for entertaining guests, it's a very respectable place.

Because the hall was warm, Zhu Yin did not wear a fur coat or hat, but only a yisa, made of extremely expensive Shandong silk.

A thick Western Region carpet was laid on the floor. Zhu Yin and Ning Qingchen sat comfortably barefoot on the carpet.

The little man wears a jade huang on his chest and a heng and cong at his waist, both made by the jade master Lu Zigang.

Jade is said to possess seven virtues, and a gentleman never parts with his jade without good reason. Although Zhu Yin was young, wearing these elegant jade pendants made him appear much more mature, truly an age-defying artifact.

Zhu Yin was not idle either; he was pondering the questions for next year's imperial examination.

Now that we know the exam questions, we absolutely must pass. We should strive for second-class honors, or even first-class honors!
Ning Qingchen, on the other hand, was studying her prescription. She wanted to use a traditional method to manually rub penicillin, but the difficulty lay in preservation.

"Little tiger, I'm back."

Ning Caiwei's voice came, and then she entered the warm painting hall with a chill in her body.

Ning Caiwei wore a silver fur hat that reached her eyebrows, a mink coat over it, and a snow fox fur scarf around her neck. She held a hand warmer in one hand and an account book in the other.

As soon as she came in, she quickly took off her coat, leaving her only in a plain brocade jacket and a pleated skirt, and even took off her deerskin boots.

She no longer wore her hair in two horn-shaped buns, but instead styled her hair into a cloud-like bun and wore a topknot. The gold-threaded topknot was adorned with a gold-inlaid South Sea pearl jade fish Guanyin hairpin and a sapphire butterfly hairpin, making her look both luxurious and simple.

According to custom, only married women are allowed to wear this hair ornament, which shows its age-enhancing effect.

This outfit definitely toned down the childishness. It made her look less rosy and more mature and dignified.

She manages thousands of people in the business company and hundreds at home. In addition, she has to take care of things during the New Year. She has to entertain people both inside and outside the company. Can she dress a little less maturely?

She couldn't wait for the coming-of-age ceremony to take place.

But since Tiankui hadn't come, she felt embarrassed to be too eager to get married, as if she were desperate to consummate the marriage too soon.

Ning Caiwei only had time to drink a cup of tea before picking up the ledger again to make a budget for the Spring Festival.

The budget for the Lunar New Year included both public and private funds. It included not only the Zhu family's own private accounts, but also the public accounts of the trading company and the clerk's office.

Public matters can be handled by public entities, and private matters by private entities; they can coexist without conflict.

“The factory is on holiday, but you can’t even relax,” Zhu Yin said with a touch of sympathy. “General Manager Ning is destined to be a workaholic.”

Ning Caiwei seemed not to hear him and was only doing the accounting in the ledger.

Zhu Yin sat cross-legged, the sound of wind and snow outside faintly reaching his ears, but his eyes were fixed on the charcoal fire in the Xuanwu Beast Furnace opposite him.

He felt no cold at all and couldn't help but say with a touch of emotion:
"Those who are unaware of this in later generations may think that there were many trees in ancient times, and that it was easy for people to use charcoal for warmth. But this is a huge misconception. Charcoal was not cheap in ancient times. Not to mention charcoal, even coal was hard to come by. Even Zhu Rong, the god of fire, made charcoal, but he didn't care about the poor who were cold."

"What about us? We'll need at least 10,000 catties of charcoal this winter, and it'll be silver-frost charcoal every inch. To be honest, I'm warm on the body, but my heart is cold for the common people."

Nowadays, even the most common charcoal costs half an ounce of silver for a hundred catties. A family of six needs at least three ounces of silver for charcoal in winter just to barely keep warm.

Where can we afford it?
Therefore, in ancient times, most ordinary people had to endure the winters by sheer willpower. It is not surprising that there are so many poems in ancient Chinese literature that lament the bitter cold.

Ning Caiwei kept her head down, writing and drawing, still not responding to Zhu Yin's words. Ning Qingchen, however, raised her small face and said:
"Little Tiger, I know you're speaking from the heart. You have empathy for the underprivileged, which is very noble. But in ancient times, vegetation was abundant and forest coverage was high, so why was charcoal so expensive?"

Zhu Yin replied, "Legally, in ancient times, mountains, forests, and water bodies belonged to the emperor, which meant they were state-owned. However, in practice, they were often monopolized by powerful clans. It wasn't easy for ordinary people to cut down trees for free."

"Secondly, charcoal burning and selling were subject to taxes. In ancient times, charcoal burning was a large industry, and it was difficult for ordinary people to operate. They could only work as charcoal burners, not as charcoal kiln merchants."

"Third, making charcoal is not an easy task, and the failure rate is not low. Moreover, it takes six pounds of firewood to produce one pound of charcoal. The firewood used for making charcoal is also not cheap."

“Burn coal.” Ning Caiwei suddenly raised her beautiful face, threw down the ledger, and abruptly interjected, “In a country with a population of one or two hundred million, even if all the forests in the country were cut down, how many years would the charcoal produced last? Burning coal is the only solution.”

"Charcoal is expensive, as you just explained. Coal isn't cheap either, mainly due to monopolies and transportation issues."

“Little Tiger, after the New Year, let’s go north together. You go to Beijing to take the imperial examination, and I’ll go to Xuzhou and Yanzhou to buy barren mountains with coal mines.”

"If you have the ability to conquer the world, I have the ability to ensure that the people of the Ming Dynasty can afford coal even in winter."

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "Okay, it's settled then. You'll be a coal mine owner next year."

Ning Caiwei shook her head: "Next year won't work. Next year we'll just be clearing out barren mountains; there won't be any development for the time being. Commercial expansion can't be too fast. The earliest we can expect is the year after next."

Ning Qingchen suddenly spoke in a soft and cute voice in the Guanzhong dialect:
"In my opinion, Little Tiger always thinks of the people and has them in his heart. It would be a waste for someone like you not to be emperor. Sister, don't you think?"

After saying that, she stretched out her little foot and kicked Zhu Yin's leg.

Ning Caiwei laughed in Guanzhong dialect, "Isn't that right? She's really charming."

Then, changing the subject, he spoke in a clear and articulate voice:

"Little Tiger, do you know how much milk candy we've sold this year? Over 40,000 jin. The sugar factory has only been open for a few months, but we've already made a profit of 30,000 taels of silver. More and more merchants are joining us."

"The reputation of Moon Rabbit Milk Candy will soon catch up with your title of Jieyuan. We are the only ones who have this product; there are no other branches. We have a complete monopoly."

"Next year will be a boom period. Even with the limitations on milk production, we can still guarantee 200,000 to 300,000 catties of milk candy. Next year's profit will be at least 150,000 taels, and possibly 200,000 taels."

"With such huge profits and a monopoly, even if we have powerful backers, there will be people who covet it. If they don't dare to use force, they will use underhanded tactics. There are more than 800 employees in the sugar factory, and we must guard against them at all costs."

"I need the Registrar's Office to provide intelligence support to the sugar mill and pharmaceutical workshop to prevent the theft of trade secrets. In fact, even if I publish the formula, they will not be able to counterfeit it within eight or ten years, but we still need to keep it as secret as possible."

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "Okay. I will immediately set the sugar factory and the pharmaceutical factory as our targets. Don't worry, no one can steal our trade secrets under the noses of the Registrar's Office."

"I never imagined that we would become so wealthy after only two years in the Ming Dynasty. We should spend our money; we can't be like the Huizhou and Shanxi merchants."

Ning Caiwei laughed and said, "Don't worry about my spending. I'll spend it in a way that's earth-shattering and awe-inspiring, and I'll make it incredibly sophisticated and successful. The Anhui and Shanxi merchants will just be the backdrop."

Ning Qingchen asked, "What happened to the Huizhou merchants and Shanxi merchants?"

Zhu Yin explained: "The Huizhou merchants and the Shanxi merchants were both incredibly wealthy. A net worth of 300,000 taels of silver was only considered 'medium-sized' for them, yet they were both incredibly stingy. Not to mention the stingy Shanxi merchants, even the Huizhou merchants were 'happily satisfied with a meager meal of salt and pickles.' The custom in Huizhou was to wear simple clothes and straw sandals, carry goods on foot, and never spend a single penny."

"And then what? They hoarded huge amounts of silver. They lived a simple life, and the silver didn't circulate. What good was that for the country and its people? If Ming Dynasty merchants had known how to spend money, history might have been rewritten. It's good for the poor to be frugal, but is it still good for the rich to be frugal?"

Ning Qingchen shook his head, "Needless to say? Wasting resources is certainly not a good thing."

Zhu Yin said, “Take the silver frost charcoal we use at home, for example. It’s made from oak wood, and a hundred catties of it costs one tael and two mace. That’s only one grade lower than the red snail charcoal used in the palace. We spend more than a hundred taels of this kind of charcoal every winter.”

“If we hadn’t spent this money, we would have saved over a hundred taels of silver, but we would have been freezing, and the charcoal workers would have lost their jobs.”

Ning Caiwei said, "I'm thinking about an expense: the New Year's Day ancestral worship ceremony. Do we need it? Little Tiger, you decide. If we arrange for the New Year's Day ceremony, the Spring Festival budget will have to be increased." Zhu Yin thought for a moment and replied, "Even the common people in the Ming Dynasty had to spend 10% of their annual income on ancestral worship. How was it spent? It was nothing more than expenses for offerings, ritual vessels, incense, candles, etc. Wealthy families would also hire people to perform rituals, pray for blessings, and have operas during festivals. Our family is a prominent family in the surrounding area, so we should hold an ancestral worship ceremony. This is not only about following local customs, but also a Chinese tradition."

“We don’t have an ancestral hall yet, but we still need to worship our ancestors and gods. Otherwise, if word gets out, it will cause controversy. At best, it’s considered impolite; at worst, it’s considered unfilial.”

Ning Qingchen looked at her sister with the scrutinizing gaze one would give a patient and said:

"Ordinary people are already living frugally, eating simple meals, and yet they have to spend 10% of their money on offerings. President Ning, what's your take on this? Is it really necessary to spend this kind of money? Little Tiger is concerned with etiquette, but what are you looking at?"

Ning Caiwei gracefully picked up the bronze mirror on the table, confidently examining her delicate and beautiful face, and replied:
“Of course it’s necessary to spend money. He’s looking at the ritual, while my sister is looking at the money. People of all social classes, rich and poor, have to spend money on sacrifices, which is a good thing.”

"Whether it's ancestor worship, god worship, purification rituals, religious ceremonies, folk operas, or welcoming the gods, these are all consumption activities. Since they are consumption, they will facilitate distribution and circulation."

"A truly affluent society is not defined by the amount of resources it possesses, but by the amount of resources it utilizes in social activities. If there were no rituals, then the related industries and professions would cease to exist. So, you think ritualistic spending is unnecessary?"

Ning Qingchen shook her little head and said in a childish voice, "Of course not. I also think it's necessary. It's just that the little tiger is concerned with etiquette, you are concerned with money, and I am concerned with God."

"Yes, that is, religion. It's a metaphysical spiritual totem, an essential spiritual refuge. The existence of rituals proves that humans are inherently spiritual, not materialistic. It's indispensable to both the spiritual and physical medical systems..."

"You're just spouting nonsense, I'm not listening!" Ning Caiwei immediately said with a look of disgust. "Stop peddling your spiritualistic ideas all the time."

She grinned and held the bronze mirror out in front of Ning Qingchen, "Look at what kind of ghost is reflected in this demon-revealing mirror? A little devil!"

After saying this, he put down the bronze mirror and stretched his foot over his sister's body, tickling her. She was wearing embroidered velvet socks from the Gu family of Luxiang Garden in Songjiang, a pair worth nine taels of silver, equivalent to a thousand pairs of ordinary cotton socks.

These fleece socks are made of comfortable and warm Songjiang fleece, and are also Gu family embroidery products. They are the most beloved footwear for wealthy families in Jiangnan during winter.

Ning Caiwei is very clean and changes her socks every day at home; she has a dozen of these socks.

"Giggle..." Ning Qingchen was amused. She reached out her little hand and grabbed her sister's foot, turning the tables and tickling her sister's soles.

On her small hand, she wore a bracelet in the palace style, inlaid with filigree and precious stones, engraved with a Taoist peace mantra and a Buddhist Green Tara mantra, signifying the protection of both deities. This single bracelet was worth five hundred taels of silver.

It would be the finest item even if it were taken to the palace; even princesses and queens wouldn't wear anything more exquisite.

Just look at the things on Ning Qingchen to see how good the little tiger and Ning Caiwei are to Ning Qingchen.

Her bracelets, anklets, and necklaces cost more than a thousand taels of silver.

She really is a rich heiress.

"Don't tickle me." Ning Caiwei quickly withdrew her legs, sat cross-legged, picked up the account book again, and said to Zhu Yin:
“We have several hundred people in our family, so the New Year is lively. But if we want to have a decent New Year, we need to spend at least three thousand taels. That doesn’t include the lucky money for the factory workers and the Tiger Tooth intelligence agents, which are separate.”

"That much?" Zhu Yin had no concept of money. "It's just the New Year, how could it cost more than three thousand taels?"

Ning Caiwei sat closer, leaning against his shoulder, and pointed to the account book, saying:
"Look, we now have more than two hundred servants and more than two hundred guards, almost five hundred people. The average New Year's money is one tael, not much, right? That's five hundred taels."

“Lancha, Hongxiu and others are exceptionally different, and of course they should be rewarded handsomely.”

"New Year's goods aren't the main expense. The main expense is the monetary gifts. This year we've met many powerful and influential people in Nanjing, including the wives of officials and noblewomen. I'll be visiting them all to offer my New Year's greetings. All these monetary gifts will add up to more than a thousand taels of silver."

"Plus, we should also host the Lantern Festival in our village, which will cost several hundred taels of silver. What can we do? We're the newly crowned richest people in the village, and the villagers are all waiting for us."

"It doesn't matter." Zhu Yin was too lazy to look at the account book. "More than 500 people are celebrating the New Year, and we still have to go to each household to deliver New Year's greetings. It's only a little over 3,000 taels of silver. Let's spend it!"

Ning Caiwei smiled and said, "This is just the family's Spring Festival budget. There are other expenses, such as those friends in the propaganda department. Most of them are from poor families. Aren't you going to send them some warmth? Of course, we should gather them together and give them a New Year's gift."

"Subsidies were also given to tenant farmers and herb growers to reduce the burden of land rent. All sorts of things were spent, and several thousand taels of silver were gone."

"You're going to Beijing on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, which will cost a lot of money..."

Zhu Yin nodded, feeling that Ning Caiwei's consideration was very thorough.

What kind of place is the capital? If you go to Beijing, you will inevitably have to attend social gatherings, banquets, and banquets, pay homage to the emperor and dignitaries, and receive gifts from powerful servants.

Unless you don't want to work here anymore.

A newly appointed Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in Beijing would have to spend several hundred taels of silver each year just to maintain a basic level of dignity.

If I were to become a newly appointed Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), the amount of money I would spend would naturally be multiplied by ten, amounting to at least several thousand taels!
To everyone's surprise, Ning Caiwei said, "Little Tiger, go to Beijing and bring three thousand taels of gold. If you fail the exam, that's fine, but if you do pass, you must spend all three thousand taels of gold within a year! If you don't spend it all, you're not allowed to come back!"

"What?" Zhu Yin was stunned. "Three thousand taels of gold? That's thirty thousand taels of silver! You want me to spend thirty thousand taels on public relations expenses every year?"

Ning Caiwei, however, remained calm and didn't even blink as she spoke:

"What is 30,000 taels of silver? Is it a lot? Beijing is full of dignitaries, officials, gods and demons from all directions. Throwing in tens of thousands of taels is easy, as long as you are willing to do it."

"Of course, you have to spend money cleverly so that no one can accuse you of bribery. Little Tiger, I believe that with your abilities, no one will be able to find any fault with you."

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "I don't believe it. I'm not afraid of spending money! Give me three thousand taels of gold, and I can spend it beautifully."

Ning Caiwei replied, "Thirty thousand taels of silver is just the bottom line. If you feel it's necessary, we can call for financial support anytime, even fifty thousand, one hundred thousand, or two hundred thousand taels!"

Zhu Yin couldn't help but burst into laughter: "So arrogant! Caiwei, you're really too arrogant!"

"With you as my benefactor, I have nothing to worry about!"

Seeing Zhu Yin so happy, Xiao Hei also wagged its tail happily, as if it understood something.

Before Zhu Yin's laughter had subsided, Kangxi's voice came from outside, saying that he had something to report.

"Come in!" Zhu Yin said, then sat down on the heels. Ning Caiwei also changed to a more formal sitting position.

Kangxi, dressed in a fox fur coat, covered in snowflakes and bringing with him a chill, entered and bowed, saying, "Your subordinate greets Your Majesty and Lady Caiwei."

He had only been by Zhu Yin's side for a year and a half when his temperament and demeanor changed drastically, becoming completely different from before.

Zhu Yin said, "Sit down and talk. Don't rush. Warm up first."

Kangxi sat down properly, leaned forward, and said, "Didn't Your Majesty previously instruct us to keep an eye on Miss Tang's fiancé, Mao Wenlong?"

Zhu Yin immediately became interested. "What's wrong? What strange thing did he do?"

Kangxi smiled slightly, "The Mao family is pretending to be wealthy, and Mao Wenlong is borrowing money to show off his wealth. Now that they have nowhere else to borrow from, they have actually set their sights on our bank, wanting to borrow fifty taels of silver, but without any collateral."

"The bank manager naturally refused him. He said that although the young lady was a Bodhisattva reincarnated and had the kindest heart, Ningyin Bank's money was not something that could be lent out at will. Only local villagers from Qingqiao Village could borrow money without collateral."

"Although Mao Wenlong did not manage to borrow any money, he learned that his master and young lady were kind-hearted and had actually come to Qingqiao Village, intending to borrow money from them like the villagers, without needing collateral."

"By my reckoning, he should be arriving soon. My lord, this is a minor matter, but since you previously instructed me to keep an eye on him, I dare not be careless."

Zhu Yin nodded with a strange expression. "I understand. Go ahead and get busy. Take a hand warmer with you when you go out. Get the charcoal from the firewood station. Don't get cold."

"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Kangxi accepted the order and withdrew.

However, not long after Kangxi left, the head housekeeper, Jin Yunniang, arrived again.

"My lord, my lady, a young man has come to the courtyard. He says he is an old friend of yours and a distant cousin of your lady. He has come to pay his respects today."

Ning Caiwei suppressed a laugh and asked, "What did that boy look like? What's your impression of him?"

Jin Yunniang said, "He was riding a tall horse, carrying a sword and a bow, looking very dashing. His clothes and appearance were like those of a wealthy young master. He also looked quite respectable and seemed to have a distinguished background."

"However, I was tricked out of two fish when I was seven years old. The swindler was dressed as a rich young master, so I have never been very trusting of such people. What 'old friend of the master' and 'distant relative of the lady'? I'm afraid it's just an excuse to ask for an audience."

"Furthermore, if they were truly old friends or distant relatives, how could they not exchange visiting cards? And the name is deliberately kept secret, so it can't be them."

Zhu Yin chuckled and said, "Our family is truly full of talented people. Even Yunniang can recognize their worth."

"Okay, have him wait in the front yard living room, I'll go meet him."

"Yes!"

Then Zhu Yin put on a fox fur coat, held a hand warmer, and slowly walked out of the inner courtyard.

Immediately, a maidservant stepped forward and held up an umbrella to shield Zhu Yin from the heavy snow.

Zhu Yin walked through the courtyard where the winter plum blossoms were as red as blood, and all the maids he encountered along the way bowed respectfully.

Zhu Yin quickly left through the ceremonial gate and arrived at the front courtyard living room, where he saw a handsome young man of about fifteen years old sitting there drinking tea.

The young man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding both heroic spirit and scholarly air, with a lazy and carefree demeanor.

Zhu Yin had a keen eye; he could take in the other person's appearance in just one glance.

Is this the famous Marshal Mao?
To be fair, he is a boy whose appearance can be very deceiving.

If you don't know his background, it's easy to be misled by his personal image.

Hehe. An uninvited guest, arriving without permission.

When Mao Wenlong saw a young man in a fox fur coat enter the living room, he immediately recognized him as Zhu Yin. He quickly stood up and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner:

"I am Mao Wenlong from Hangzhou. I have long admired the great name of Zhu Lang of Jiangzuo and have thought of him day and night. I have come from afar, braving the wind and snow, to pay my respects!"

"I am ashamed! I am ashamed!"

P.S.: We've gone too far in trying to take advantage of the little tiger; how should we deal with him? Thank you all for your four supports (subscriptions, votes, comments, and donations), goodnight!
(End of this chapter)