Di Ming

Chapter 368 "Little Tiger, are you convinced by my four-birds-with-one-stone plan?"

February's spring breeze is like a pair of scissors. As the new willows along the Ba Bridge in Chang'an turn a vibrant green, and the swallows of the north flutter back to their nests, Ning Caiwei arrives in Xi'an. This is her second trip to Guanzhong in several years.

Her family had been Qin people for generations, and she was born in Chang'an in her later years.

She was initially very happy, feeling a sense of familiarity with the Guanzhong Plain. However, after only two days of staying at the Ningyin Trading Company on Xiangzi Temple Street, and before she could even visit her aunt and uncle, a "letter" arrived from the Prince of Qin's residence.

Ning Caiwei sat in the Xinqi Hall of the merchant house, wearing a dark green short jacket, a pleated peony skirt, and gold-embroidered shoes with pearls on her feet. She wore no hair bun or jewelry, but her black hair was styled in a simple bun commonly used by women in Guanzhong, which made her look both elegant and dashing.

But this elegant young woman, in the prime of her life, had a frosty expression and a cold gaze.

On the table beside her lay a document written in regular script on dark blue paper, on which was written in bold characters:

"Edict from the King of Qin! Regarding the coal mines of Shaanxi, the goods traded in Jiangnan, and the medicinal gardens of Guanzhong, and in relation to the taxes of the Northwest, Lady Ning, the wife of the Marquis of Jiangning, is hereby ordered to come to the King of Qin's residence within three days to have an audience with the King for discussion. This is the edict."

"The twenty-first year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Gengyin day in the middle of spring."

Along the seam of the back of the paper, there is also half of the four characters "王言如纶".

The seal on the document is inscribed with the characters "Qin Fu Xing Bao" in nine-fold seal script. This is a royal seal, not a prince's seal. Moreover, in the document, the King of Qin refers to himself as "this office" instead of "I" or "I".

What does this mean? It means that Prince Zhu of Qin did not take her, the wife of the Marquis of Jiangning and a first-rank imperial consort, seriously. This document was a condescending decree, leaving her with no choice but to go.

"What a fine example of Wang Yanrulun!" Ning Caiwei sneered. "Does he think the Jiangning Marquis's Mansion is easy to bully?"

"It seems the King of Qin has forgotten that my husband is not only the Marquis of Jiangning, but also the Vice Minister of War and Deputy Censor-in-Chief, who achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations. My Zhu family is not only a family of military merit, but also a family of scholars and officials. He has been far too presumptuous."

"I originally wanted to confront the Prince of Qin's residence about why they arbitrarily levied our commercial taxes and declared our land deeds for the mines invalid. I didn't expect them to come to me first before I even confronted them. Do they think they're in the right?"

The others in the Xinqi Hall also had grim expressions upon seeing the "Edict of the King of Qin".

This is because the Prince of Qin's mansion coveted the merchant company's business in Shaanxi and wanted to seize it by force.

Last time, the Prince of Qin's mansion actually arbitrarily levied commercial taxes on the Ningyin Merchants' business in the Northwest. Putting aside the fact that the Prince of Qin's mansion had no right to levy taxes on the Ningyin Merchants, the amount levied was too harsh, 50%!
It's utterly absurd.

What's worse, two years ago, my wife came to Shaanxi and bought several plots of unclaimed wasteland in northern Shaanxi. She started mining last year, and in less than a year, she's made a fortune. She's even selling coal briquettes all the way to Xi'an. My wife says that this coal can not only replace charcoal but also reduce deforestation in Shaanxi—it's a great deed.

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, the seller for unclaimed land was the government. However, the land deed, for which money had been paid and signed in black and white with the local government, was invalidated by the Prince of Qin's mansion!

If the trading company were to suffer this huge loss out of fear of the Qin King's power, its losses would be immense. Furthermore, what hope would the thousands of miners they had recently recruited have for the future?

Business in the Northwest is very important; how can we give it up?
Therefore, the lady had no choice but to personally come to Xi'an to prepare for negotiations with the Prince of Qin's mansion.

“Aunt Wei.” Ding Hongying stroked the hilt of the sword at her waist. “Why should we care? It’s true that he is the Prince of Qin and the local tyrant of the Northwest, but Aunt Wei is not his subordinate, nor is she an official from Shaanxi, and she is a woman. Let’s just use the excuse that it is not appropriate for a woman to pay respects to him and refuse to go! We can talk, but she cannot enter the Prince’s mansion. Who knows what kind of conspiracy she might be plotting?”

Gu Hongxiu added, “Yes. The name of a prince sounds intimidating, but the lord is a court official, so you don’t need to be afraid of him. The prince’s mansion is not a good place, and you have a good reputation, so it’s not advisable for you to go there. If you want to talk, the Prince of Qin’s mansion should send a representative to talk outside the mansion.”

"Not going?" Tian Chouze, the Grand Master of the Court in Xi'an, shook his head. "Madam Hongying doesn't understand the Qin Kingdom. The King of Qin is different; he's not an ordinary vassal king. Once this royal decree is issued, Madam has no choice but to go."

Ning Caiwei said, "Mr. Tian is learned and knowledgeable, and he is also from Guanzhong. Please tell us about Qin Fan."

Tian Chouce was in his early thirties. He was Tian Yi's chief steward of business affairs and Tian Yi's adopted son. He was a reliable person. He was a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examinations, but after failing the provincial-level examinations twice, he became disillusioned with the imperial examinations and turned to studying business and economics. He was an excellent and practical person.

After Tian Yi was dismissed from his post and his property was confiscated, he recommended Tian Chouce to Ning Caiwei.

Ning Caiwei directly appointed him as the Grand Master of the Xi'an Merchant Guild, in charge of the guild's commerce throughout the Northwest. He was one of the six Grand Masters of the Ning Yin Merchant Guild, along with the Grand Masters of the Beijing, Nanjing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Luoyang Merchant Guilds.

Tian Chouze proved to be capable. In less than six months as the Grand Master of Commerce in Xi'an, he made all kinds of businesses in the Northwest even more prosperous. The powerful Shaanxi merchant group (Qin merchants) felt the pressure and wanted to deal with Ningyin Merchants. However, Tian Chouze divided and attacked one faction at a time, and quickly disintegrated the Qin merchant alliance.

But this time it wasn't Qin merchants who made the move, it was King Zhu Yi of Qin who did, so he was helpless.

Tian Chouze, a scholar by birth and well-versed in historical anecdotes, took a sip of tea and said:
"Since Madam has asked me to speak properly, I will say a few more words."

"Among all the princes under heaven, the Prince of Qin is the most noble and respected, truly the head of the princes, and the emperor shows him the utmost reverence, which is quite different from the other princes. This is because the first Prince of Qin, Zhu Shuang, was the second son of Emperor Taizu and the son of Empress Xiaoci Gao. Among Emperor Taizu's sons, his status was second only to Crown Prince Zhu Biao. He was even more noble than the Prince of Yan, who was ranked fourth at the time. This is why he was enfeoffed in Xi'an and received the title of Prince of Qin."

"Since the eldest son's family is no longer alive, according to the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty, the second son's family is the most senior and should rightfully succeed to the throne. Although the current imperial line comes from the fourth son's family, when it comes to the etiquette of the imperial family, the Qin family should naturally be treated with respect. For more than two hundred years, the court has been the most lenient towards the Qin family, and the emperor has been the most courteous towards them. As long as it is not a serious crime, the court and the emperor will not hold it against them. The power of the Qin family also far exceeds that of other princes and is incomparable to that of ordinary princes."

"The Prince of Qin's Mansion was the most prestigious fiefdom in the land. The Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty granted the Prince of Qin's Mansion special privileges, allowing its three offices to be independent of the Provincial Administration Commission and to report directly to the Emperor. Shaanxi had no right to interrogate officials of the Prince of Qin's Mansion, and crimes committed by the Prince's Mansion's subjects were handled by the Royal City Judicial Office. These privileges still exist in the Prince of Qin's Mansion today. The Prince of Qin's Mansion also had the power to collect taxes on behalf of the court, which in effect meant that it took over the taxes of Shaanxi."

“When Zhang Juzheng abolished the military guards of the vassal states, the vassal kings’ military guards were almost non-existent. But the Prince of Qin still has two or three thousand military guards. In other vassal states, the vassal kings feared the governors and imperial inspectors. But in Qin, it is the governors and imperial inspectors who fear the Prince of Qin.”

"In the third year of the Zhengtong reign, Prince Qin, Zhu Zhijun, privately carved an imperial seal inscribed with 'Received the Mandate of Heaven.' If it had been any other prince, he would have been deposed and stripped of his title. But Emperor Yingzong merely issued an edict rebuking him, saying, 'His arrogance and presumption are unacceptable; his seal shall be destroyed by flames.'"

"To this day, when the guards of the Qin King's Palace commit murder in the East Market, Xianning County has no right to arrest them. It must be reported to the Right Protectorate of Xi'an for handling. In fact, it is the Qin King himself who handles it."

"Therefore, ladies Hongying and Hongxiu, you must not equate the Qin Prince's Mansion with other vassal kings. Offending the Qin Prince's Mansion in Guanzhong will make it impossible to move an inch."

"If Zhu Shuang hadn't been so cruel and morally corrupt back then, he would have been able to inherit his elder brother's position as crown prince according to the rules of propriety. If that had been the case, there would have been no Jianwen Emperor, nor the Chengzu Emperor."

Ding Hongying couldn't help but ask, "How cruel was Zhu Shuang?"

Tian Chouze shook his head and laughed, "His crimes are notorious, his misdeeds are numerous, it's hard to describe in a few words. I won't go into details, but I'll just mention one royal decree he once issued: Anyone who dares to pick up ears of wheat from Wangzhuang will have their hands and feet cut off and stuck into the ground!"

Ning Caiwei frowned slightly and narrowed her phoenix eyes. "I had already anticipated that as long as our business in the Northwest grew, it would inevitably attract the covetousness of the Prince of Qin's mansion. I just didn't expect the Prince of Qin to be so direct, showing no regard for the decorum of a Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty. His behavior is too unseemly."

Tian Chouce looked disdainful. "What you say is absolutely right. Most of the princes in the world are greedy and insatiable, and the Prince of Qin's mansion is even more inhumane."

"The Prince of Qin's annual salary is 50,000 shi, the highest among the princes, which is equivalent to the annual food rations of 50,000 poor people. The Prince of Qin's palace owns the most fertile land in Guanzhong, amounting to more than 2 million mu, and his large estates are scattered throughout Xi'an Prefecture, accounting for 20% of the cultivated land in Guanzhong. The annual rent from these estates is tens of thousands of shi."

"Qin Fan's business spread throughout the Northwest, and he also monopolized 40% of the salt monopoly in the Northwest, reselling it at high prices. This made us Qin people eat expensive salt."

"The Qin Prince's Mansion also takes a cut of the commercial taxes collected by the imperial court in Shaanxi. They even forcibly collect customs duties from Xi'an Prefecture and only hand over half to the imperial court."

"The Qin King's Palace was extremely luxurious. A single banquet for the Qin King required twenty oxen and three hundred sheep. Today, all the royal tombs of the Qin Kingdom cost hundreds of thousands of taels of silver each. The North Garden of the Qin King's Palace was also designed to resemble West Lake. Taihu stones were transported from thousands of miles away, requiring countless mules, horses, and manpower."

"On the one hand, they can't even spend all their money on extravagant living, and on the other hand, they owe their tenant farmers tens of thousands of taels of silver in wages year after year, maliciously delaying payment! It's a case of the rich feasting while the poor freeze to death on the streets. Countless families have been ruined and their wives and daughters have become slaves in the royal palace."

As Tian Chouce spoke, his expression turned somewhat pained, as if he were recalling unbearable past events.

Ning Caiwei was certainly not completely unaware; she had already obtained considerable intelligence about the Qin Prince's residence. The Qin Prince was a spineless coward, utterly inhuman. He truly tarnished such a noble title as the Prince of Qin.

In Shaanxi province alone, the imperial court collected only 700,000 to 800,000 shi of land tax, yet 200,000 shi were to be allocated to the Qin government! This meant that more than a quarter of the national land tax revenue from Shaanxi was being embezzled by the King of Qin.

The King of Qin forced salt merchants to pay an additional 1.2 taels of silver for the repair of the royal palace for each salt deposit, and the salt inspector's impeachment was ineffective.

The official mines such as Lantian Jade Mine and Tongguan Coal Mine were also "managed" by the Qin Prince's Mansion, which took a cut of up to 70%, while the miners' monthly rations were only three dou!

The Qin Prince's Mansion was a major cancer in Shaanxi, rife with evil deeds, arousing immense resentment not only among the people but also among officials. He also embezzled military pay and rations, further fueling the resentment of the soldiers. He was truly universally hated.

Starving people stormed the Yongxing Pawnshop of the Prince of Qin's mansion. Zhu Yi ordered the prince's cavalry to shoot and kill more than 140 people in the street, treating human life as worthless.

Even more ridiculous is that the current Prince of Qin, Zhu Yi, has embezzled over 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice from impoverished members of the imperial clan, resulting in the starvation deaths of forty members of the lower-ranking Qin clan and the destitution of thousands more becoming beggars. He is so vicious even to his own clansmen.

The Prince of Qin's mansion amassed 400,000 to 500,000 taels of silver every year, making it incredibly wealthy and indulging in extravagance and debauchery. However, the people of Shaanxi were suffering more and more, and the lives of the lower-ranking members of the royal family were becoming increasingly difficult.

The forests of Shaanxi were also seized by the Qin Prince's Palace, which engaged in rampant deforestation, turning vast tracts of forest into gold and silver. The Qin Prince's Palace bears a significant responsibility for the ecological destruction in Shaanxi.

This is an economic privilege, and also a great political privilege; in reality, it still guards Guanzhong.

The governor of Shaanxi was required to pay homage to the Prince of Qin at the beginning of the year, performing two kneelings and six kowtows, which the Prince of Qin received while seated. The heads of the three ministries also knelt and bowed to the Prince of Qin, addressing him as subjects and presenting their reports.

The governor of Shaanxi once lamented, "Seeing the Prince of Qin is like visiting Yama, the King of Hell!"

However, Emperor Bai Jin issued a special edict: "The affairs of the Prince of Qin's residence must not be discussed without authorization," ordering all officials not to discuss matters concerning the Prince of Qin's residence. The appointment and removal of officials below the third rank in Shaanxi required the tacit approval of the Prince's residence.

Before she came to Guanzhong, Zhu Yin had told her about other things related to the Prince of Qin's mansion, which were quite bizarre.

A year before the fall of the Ming Dynasty, in the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Shaanxi was a desolate wasteland, with countless people starving to death. Yet, the Prince of Qin's palace still had nearly 400,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain stored up, equivalent to half a year's worth of food for the entire population of Shaanxi at that time.

However, they stubbornly refuse to allocate any funds for relief! They consume hundreds of bushels of grain daily for banquets. They also forcibly abduct hundreds of women to fill their harem.

Sun Chuanting requested military provisions from him, but he refused to allocate them, leading to Sun Chuanting's defeat at Tongguan. When Li Zicheng invaded Shaanxi and reached Xi'an, the Prince of Qin's palace still hid forty Western cannons, refusing to provide them to the defending troops. He possessed large amounts of gold and silver, yet failed to pay his soldiers.

The last Prince of Qin fled to Beijing, later betrayed the Ming Dynasty and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. He even offered up a map of Shaanxi, which led the Qing army to search for and arrest members of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family.

Don't be too weird.

Tian Chouze warned, "Prince Qin, Zhu Yi, is unreasonable. If the lady does not go to the Prince's residence, it will be considered defying the Prince's decree. Given Prince Qin's temperament, he will definitely send his guards to arrest her. He can easily find an excuse, such as: colluding with bandits, selling contraband, smuggling salt, insulting a prince, etc. In Prince Qin's eyes, even the Governor-General of the Three Borders is nothing, let alone the lady, who is only a titled lady."

"He dares!" Ding Hongying exclaimed angrily. "Aunt Wei is the wife of a Marquis, and also the wife of the Vice Minister of War! Isn't he afraid of being punished by the court?!"

Tian Chouze smiled bitterly, “He really dares. Guanzhong is the territory of the King of Qin, and there are two or three thousand guards there. What wouldn’t he dare to do? He might even dare to rebel. Do you think you’ll believe he dares to do it when the guards of the King’s Palace storm the Shang Society’s hall and take the lady away? The King of Qin is a lecherous man. What if… then we’ll be left with no one to turn to.”

"Even if he really did something to the lady, and the emperor found out, he wouldn't do anything to the Prince of Qin. At most, he would issue an edict to reprimand him, but that wouldn't help."

“Unless you give up the business in the Northwest, Madam, you must leave Xi’an immediately.”

At this point, he stood up and said, “Madam, Zhu Yihan has always been reckless and utterly despicable. For your safety, I urge you not to enter the Prince’s residence, as it is a dangerous place. However, we cannot disobey the Prince of Qin’s decree. Therefore, I request that you leave Guanzhong immediately! We should temporarily abandon our business in the Northwest.”

Ning Caiwei recalled the intelligence provided by Huya, and the bold and feasible plan resurfaced in her mind, becoming clearer and clearer.

She hesitated for a moment, pondered deeply, and then said with sparkling eyes:

"We've been investing in the Northwest for so long, and it's related to the Hetao pastures and the Western Regions trade routes. It's also about the livelihoods of thousands of employees and miners. How can we give it up?"

“Where in the world are there no powerful and influential figures? If we give up the business in the Northwest, what about other places? We cannot retreat. The cliff ahead is not the precipice, but the one behind.”

"I've already come up with a solution. Even if it's not foolproof, it will at least allow me to protect myself and prevent me from being controlled by the Prince of Qin's mansion."

Ning Caiwei stood up. "Didn't he issue the Qin King's decree? I'm going. Not only am I going, but I'm also going to guarantee the business in the Northwest!"

"Even if he is a dragon in Guanzhong, I cannot let him command the wind and rain and bar his teeth and claws over my head."

She narrowed her phoenix eyes and said thoughtfully, "Go to the Prince's mansion within three days. Three days is enough."

After Ning Caiwei finished speaking, she went into the inner room and didn't emerge again until a full hour later, this time holding three wax pills. She said:
"Hongying, Galuo, early on the third day, you two come with me. We'll select twelve of the strongest female guards to serve as sedan chair bearers and maids. They're all women; the Prince's residence shouldn't stop them from entering..."

"Hongxiu, go and deliver a letter to my aunt and uncle..."

"Mr. Tian, ​​I know you have a blood feud with the Qin Prince's Mansion. Go immediately to the Zhongnan Manor of the Qin Prince's Mansion in the south of the city and find a man named Ma Jiusang. He has a thirteen-year-old son named Ma Shouying. Prepare to deliver a letter to him..."

"Kangxi and Qianlong, pass my secret letter to your family; they know what to do. I want to hear their feedback by midnight tomorrow at the latest..."

...

After everyone had received their tasks and left, Ning Caiwei sat alone by the window for a long time, the tea in the teapot had gone cold.

A swallow flew to the window, chirping and preening its feathers, then tilting its head to look at Ning Caiwei.

A spring breeze blew, and a swallow feather landed on Ning Caiwei's lapel.

Ning Caiwei picked up the feather, still carrying the scent of spring, and felt the lingering warmth of the swallow between her fingers. She raised her beautiful eyes to meet the swallow's gaze at the window, as if saying to it:
"Little Tiger, you fought against the Japanese pirates in Korea. What I did in Guanzhong was no less than what you did. The Hui Rebellion in Shaanxi at the end of the Ming Dynasty might have happened thirty years earlier."

"In a few days, Zhu Yichang's Prince Qin's Mansion may cease to exist. Those wicked merchants in the Northwest who have committed numerous evils may also be buried with Zhu Yichang. Hopefully, the Hui people in Shaanxi will be a good knife."

The girl's tone grew colder, like the tea in the teapot:

"Zhu Yihang, you forced me into this. Business is business, you shouldn't break the rules. You think I'm a weak woman? Then I'll show you how ruthless a weak woman can be. If you have someone to blame, blame yourself for breaking the rules first."

"There are too many evil spirits in Guanzhong, and the people cannot live in peace. It's time to clean up the memory."

As she spoke, another spring breeze blew by, and the girl loosened her grip, sending the swallow's feathers fluttering into the air. Ning Caiwei's clothes billowed, and she brushed a slightly disheveled strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a playful smile. Her words murmured like the swallows outside the window:
"Little Tiger, are you impressed by my brilliant plan that kills four birds with one stone?"

P.S.: Isn't Caiwei a bit too bold? Thank you, goodnight. Requesting monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)