Di Ming

Chapter 270 "So, I'm already this rich."

“There are pirates at sea, and Japan is an enemy country. Little Tiger, it might be dangerous for you to go. I’ll go with you so we can look after each other.”

Nurhaci's words were very eloquent.

However, he knew that while protecting Zhu Yin was indeed one of his considerations, it was not his most important one.

Zhu Yin was not surprised when Nurhaci said he wanted to go to Japan with him; in fact, he had expected it.

In recent years, under Zhu Yin's instructions, Tiger Tooth agents spread the word among the Jurchen tribes that Japan was rich in gold and silver, and promoted the "glorious past" of the Jurchens crossing the sea to plunder Japan. They also spread the message that the Japanese were the best slaves, and that once tamed, they would be extremely obedient and hardworking.

The Tiger Tooth agents even produced a so-called "ancient nautical chart" passed down from the Jurchen ancestors, which marked the locations of Japan, Liaodong, and Korea.

The beile and city lords of the various Jurchen tribes have now seen the so-called ancient map, and only then did they realize how close Japan and Liaodong were. No wonder the ancient Jurchen heroes once crossed the sea to plunder Japan.

Under the influence of Huya's propaganda efforts over the past few years, a growing sentiment has emerged among the various Jurchen tribes that they should emulate their ancestors and cross the sea to invade Japan, a sentiment that has become increasingly "deeply ingrained."

Not to mention the Jianzhou Jurchens who were heavily publicized, even the more powerful Haixi Jurchens and the more northerly Wild Jurchens were very interested in Japan, which was located across the sea.

Nurhaci wanted to visit Japan, naturally to understand its internal affairs and geography, and to take the opportunity to assess whether there was a chance to attack Japan, what the benefits would be, and how best to attack.

By traveling to Japan with this Ming Dynasty envoy, he could not only enjoy a favorable sea voyage but also have a certain level of safety. He was still aware of the rule of not harming envoys.

The beads on his abacus were practically about to bounce onto his face.

This shows that Wild Boar Skin was indeed a man of extraordinary courage and vision. While his historical success had an element of luck, it was by no means a fluke.

Wild Boar Skin is adept at seizing opportunities and dares to take risks. This perfectly matches his fierce character, forged through raising an army with thirteen suits of armor, surviving in dire straits, and personally engaging in brutal battles.

This man had nearly died in brutal battles and assassinations on several occasions, and by risking his life, he became the leader of the Jianzhou Jurchens. Naturally, he was not afraid of the risks of crossing the sea to Japan.

Unfortunately, Wild Boar Skin would never know that his interest in Japan was actually a result of Zhu Yin's premeditated guidance.

“Alright!” Zhu Yin nodded in agreement after a moment’s thought. “As long as I am sent as an envoy to Japan, Brother Wild Boar Skin can come with me.”

"However, this matter is still uncertain. The emperor only issued a verbal edict and has not officially issued a decree. Whether or not we can go is still a question."

"However, it's next month anyway, so there will definitely be news."

Nurhaci said, "Since it's next month, I won't go back to Jianzhou for now. I'll wait for news in Beijing. If you can really go, I'll take the Jurchen warriors with me. If you can't go, then I'll go back to Jianzhou."

Zhu Yin, showing concern for him, said, "From departure to return home, it will take at least three months, and possibly even longer in Japan. How can the tribe remain peaceful while you are away from Jianzhou for several months?"

Nurhaci laughed and said, "Little Tiger Brother is very thoughtful. But don't worry, with Shurhaci, Heheli and others here, I can leave for a few months without any problem. Besides, there is still Liaodong Garrison, and Grand Tutor Li's influence still remains, so the Yehe and other tribes will not dare to easily offend Jianzhou."

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "Then I'm relieved. Also, if you and the warriors are going with me, you must follow in secret and not publicize it, so as not to arouse the dissatisfaction of the court."

"Of course," Nurhaci replied knowingly. "Little Tiger, if you really can go on a mission to Japan, how many followers can you bring?"

Zhu Yin thought for a moment, "According to convention, the maximum number is a little over three hundred. Any more than that, and Japan might not be willing to host us."

“More than three hundred people…” Nurhaci pondered for a moment, “This time, one hundred warriors came with me to Beijing. They were all carefully selected warriors from Jianzhou. Little Tiger, I will take one hundred men to escort you all the way.”

Zhu Yin didn't expose him and laughed, "Then I won't thank you. Brother Wild Boar Skin, with the protection of a hundred Jianzhou warriors, you can receive Mother Buddha's blessing even on the high seas."

Zhu Yin decided that he would only bring one hundred officers and soldiers, one hundred of his most elite household servants, and one hundred Jurchen warriors from Nurhaci.

Three hundred men like this are enough to handle most crises.

Moreover, at sea, he also had the support of the Jing Navy and armed merchant groups.

After discussing it for a while, Nurhaci took his leave.

He stayed at the Zhu family's residence for an hour or two and even had a banquet. He couldn't stay any longer; staying too long would arouse suspicion from the court.

After all, he would leave other officials' homes in less than half an hour.

Zhu Yin couldn't very well try to persuade him to stay.

When Nurhaci left, he left behind thirty catties of top-grade ginseng, thirty high-quality sable pelts, and thirty top-grade pearls, estimated to be worth several thousand taels of silver, showing that Brother Wild Boar Skin was very generous.

Zhu Yin presented ten catties of top-quality tea, two bolts of Shandong silk, and a Nanyin pipa (a type of lute) passed down from the Tang Dynasty palace.

Before leaving, Nurhaci said that he would come to the wedding banquet on the day Zhu Yin got married.

As he was leaving, Nurhaci deliberately called out loudly, "Lord Zhu, there's no need to see me off. Please go back!"

Zhu Yin said, "Farewell, General Longhu. I won't see you off."

Nurhaci, along with Eidu and Feiyangu, mounted their horses and rode away without looking back.

To outsiders, Zhu Yin had no real relationship with these Jianzhou guests.

After seeing off the wild boar skin, Zhu Yin changed out of his official robes and prepared to meet Li Shizhen and others.

Zhu Yin has been back in the capital for three days, but has not yet met with Li Shizhen and others. It is not that he is being negligent, but that he is simply too busy.

It wasn't until this afternoon that he had time to go to the west courtyard of the central courtyard where Li Shizhen and others were being "confined." Ning Qingchen also happily planned to go with Zhu Yin.

However, before meeting Li Shizhen and the others, Zhu Yin needed to put the gifts sent by Nurhaci into storage. These gifts were quite valuable, and since Ning Caiwei and Jin Yunniang were not present, he decided to put them into storage himself and also take a look at the storeroom.

The Zhu family's storehouses were divided into five sections: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. They were located in the inner courtyard, next to the Hanzhang Terrace where Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei lived. From the terrace, the storehouses were clearly visible.

Zhu Yin suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Having lived here for several years, this was actually the first time he had ever been to his own family's treasure trove.

He's such a hands-off boss!
Zhu Yin was a spy by training and had little interest in money. He was not good at making money and had little desire for it, and he rarely checked the account books.

Ning Caiwei complained more than once that he didn't know how much money his family had.

The storeroom had a small courtyard, guarded by soldiers on rotation at the entrance. As soon as Zhu Yin and his party arrived, two servants immediately bowed and said, "We greet you, sir!"

Zhu Yin nodded and led his men directly into the warehouse courtyard, arriving at the second gate.

There were also two servants on duty at the second gate. In addition to the servants, there was also a female steward in charge of registering the entry and exit of the storeroom.

One of the female managers was diligently registering the information:
"On the second day of the ninth month of the Ren Chen year, the Wood Treasury issued ten catties of first-class fine tea, including two cakes of Mengding Stone Flower, two cakes of West Lake Longjing, and two cakes of Bijian Bright Moon..."

"At the same time, the Wood-type fund also spent two bolts of Shandong silk. The Earth-type fund spent one Tang Dynasty-style pipa (a type of southern Chinese musical instrument)."

"Drawer: Emperor Kangxi. Reason for withdrawal: Gift from the head of the household."

Upon seeing Zhu Yin personally come to store the goods, the two female stewards immediately stood up, tucked their robes in, and bowed, saying, "Master!"

Zhu Yin said, "We'll be storing thirty top-grade pearls, thirty catties of fine ginseng, and thirty superior sable pelts." One of the female stewards said respectfully, "..."
"Master, may I check the quality and quantity of the items? Just in case there's a mistake. This is the procedure set by the mistress."

Zhu Yin frowned. "I came to put it into storage in person, do I still need to be inspected?"

Ning Qingchen peeked out from behind and said in a slightly fierce but cute way:

"What are you doing? The head of the family has come to inspect the treasury in person, and you want to check it too? You're making a big deal out of nothing."

"Second Madam," another female steward said with a smile, "this is a rule set by the First Madam. She has repeatedly emphasized that no matter who it is, even if it is she herself who takes in or pays out items, the quantity and condition must be checked to avoid mistakes and a muddled account. Our household accounts have always been the strictest, and there can be no mistakes whatsoever. Perhaps the Master is busy with official duties and never handles these mundane matters, so he has not paid attention to these rules."

"Never mind, never mind." Zhu Yin waved his hand. "You can check it all. It's all here."

Several servants put down the cloth bag together and let the female steward check it.

The steward first examined the pearls, then poured them out one by one to look at them, counted them one by one, and even weighed them with a scale, saying as she did so:
"These are indeed top-quality Eastern pearls, weighing eight-tenths of a gram, large and round, exactly thirty in total. Make a note of them and put them in the burial archives."

"Top-grade Liaodong ginseng...weighed less than 30 jin, actually 28 jin and 4 liang, 1 jin and 12 liang short. Note it down and add it to the wood character database."

"Top-grade mink pelts... actually, there are thirty-one. There is one extra, but one is too small and does not count as top-grade. Record thirty top-grade mink pelts and one medium-grade mink pelt, and put them into the Wood Item Archive."

The two female stewards, one checking and the other recording, quickly got it done.

Then, one of them said respectfully:

"Sir, the inventory has been checked. Please sign the receipt document."

Zhu Yin was speechless, but he could only take the brush and sign his name, Zhu Yin, in a flamboyant and elegant manner.

After completing this procedure, the steward said, "Please open the door, sir."

Zhu Yin took out the first key and unlocked the first door.

Then, the female steward led Zhu Yin into the warehouse area, first to the second room on the left, the "Earth" type warehouse, and said, "Please open the door to the 'Earth' type warehouse, sir."

Zhu Yin found another key, opened the heavy door, and entered the Earth-shaped warehouse.

Inside the earthen cabinet, rows of wooden shelves held wooden boxes containing jade, calligraphy and paintings, pearls, jewelry, coral, gemstones, agate, jadeite, antiques, and other valuable items, all sealed with tape.

Jade artifacts were the most numerous, and most of them were ancient jade artifacts.

Zhu Yin placed the pearls into a special wooden box for storing pearls, and only then was it considered to have been put into storage.

Zhu Yin was somewhat lost in thought as he looked at the dazzling array of jewelry displayed in the Earth Pavilion.

In just a few years, Caiwei has amassed so many things? The items in this "Earth" treasury alone are worth at least tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Next, Zhu Yin opened the Wood Script Treasury and stored the ginseng and sable fur inside.

The wooden cabinet was even larger, storing items such as silk, brocade, embroidery, mink fur, fox fur, silver fox fur, otter fur, as well as precious medicinal materials such as ginseng, dendrobium, he shou wu, and Qingchen shuang, and top-grade tea, all categorized separately.

Similarly, the types and quantities of these items are all recorded in special ledgers, documenting expenditures and income.

Zhu Yin estimated that the Wood-Character Treasury was worth tens of thousands of taels of silver. Some things couldn't be measured in silver, such as the medicines like Qingchen Cream (quinine) created by Ning Qingchen.

Zhu Yin then opened the Water Treasury. The Water Treasury was filled with copper coins. Copper coins, like springs, and money, like water. The Water Treasury held tens of thousands of strings of copper coins. These copper coins, as small-denomination currency, were used frequently, and the mansion certainly couldn't do without them.

Then, Zhu Yin opened the Fire character library.

The Fire Treasury contains hand-fired ceramics, all top-quality products from official kilns, including cups, bowls, plates, dishes, vases, incense burners, and more—all complete sets of precious items.

So many treasures, they're worth at least tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Finally, Zhu Yin unlocked the most important gold treasury.

The gold vault is located in the very center of the entire vault area, with two doors. Including the outer door, there are a total of three doors.

Upon entering the Jinzi warehouse, Zhu Yin first saw rows of large wooden crates, each sealed with tape, neatly stacked.

The gold vault only stores gold and silver.

This vault is divided into four sections: gold, silver, goldware, and silverware.

The gold artifacts include gold cups, gold crowns, gold belts, gold hooks, gold pots, gold knives, gold jewelry, gold bowls, and more than two hundred other items. Most of them are antiques with a long history, and their value goes beyond just the gold material itself.

There were even more silver items, seven or eight hundred pieces.

Then there's gold. Gold ingots are the most common, followed by gold nuggets, gold bricks, gold bars, gold cakes, horseshoe-shaped gold ingots, gold coins, gold coins, gold beans, gold dust, gold foil, gold wire, and gold fragments.

Zhu Yin looked at the account book and found that, excluding gold jewelry, there were more than 12,000 taels of gold, which could be exchanged for 100,000 taels of silver!

Then there's silver.

Ning Caiwei melted down all the silver into silver ingots weighing one tael, five taels, and ten taels, and stacked them in boxes, piling up a wall.

Looking at the ledger, there are a total of 520,000 taels of silver here!
With the addition of gold, goldware, and silverware, this gold vault alone is worth 800,000!

This doesn't even include the other four warehouses.

This only represents the savings in the storerooms of the Beijing mansion. The mansion in Qingqiao, Jiangning, Nanjing, also holds fifty to sixty thousand taels of silver.

The company has trading companies all over the country and a large amount of working capital to maintain operations.

Including shops, buildings, land, livestock, vehicles, ships, minerals, raw materials, and other assets, the Zhu family's total assets certainly exceeded two million, enough to wage a war in Ningxia.

When Zhu Yin saw the gleaming white and golden gold and silver, he was struck by the power of money for the first time.

In just five years, Caiwei built this time-traveling family into a fortune of over two million yuan from scratch!

No, that's not all!

Because they've been spending money like water these past few years, even spending hundreds of thousands of taels of silver!
"So, I'm already this rich." Zhu Yin felt a strong sense of security, but also a sense of unease.

Ning Qingchen remained remarkably calm. She lazily yawned and said in a cute, childlike voice:

"It's just money, what's so interesting about it?"

"Let's go, little tiger. Let's go see Li Shizhen and the others."

P.S.: Wow, the little tiger is so rich already! Give it a like. Thanks, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)