Late Ming Dynasty: From the Defeated Soldiers at Daling River to Ascending the Throne

When Tian Wan's carriage took Chen Feng and Hao Dadao back to Longfu Temple, it was nearly 9 PM.

The temple was quiet, with only a few monks on night duty walking around in the corridor.

They entered the small courtyard where they were temporarily staying; the lights inside were still on.

Zhao Sheng and Aji were still awake, while Meng Changgeng sat at the table with a worried expression.

Hearing someone enter, Meng Changgeng jumped to his feet. "Boss!"

Chen Feng glanced at him. "Where did you go?"

Meng Changgeng looked somewhat anxious. After welcoming Chen Feng and Hao Dadao inside, he glanced outside again before closing the door.

He turned around and lowered his voice, saying, "Boss, something's happened."

Chen Feng's heart tightened, but he remained outwardly calm. "Speak."

Meng Changgeng recounted what happened after he finished exchanging the gold that day.

"...As soon as I left Mule and Horse Market, I noticed someone was following me. I glanced back and saw two people I didn't recognize. The tracking method wasn't sophisticated; anyone with a little experience could have noticed."

He swallowed hard.

"I was terrified and didn't dare go back to Longfusi, so I headed towards Xuanwumen. Once inside the inner city, there were more people, so I led them in circles between the City God Temple, Dahuguo Temple, and Shichahai for more than an hour."

Chen Feng listened without interrupting.

"Finally, near Jishuitan, it was getting dark. I slipped into a dark alley and climbed over two walls to shake them off." Meng Changgeng said, a hint of fear showing on his face. "Then I went around in a big circle, and it wasn't until it was completely dark that I dared to go back to the temple."

Chen Feng was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. Go back and rest."

Meng Changgeng was stunned: "That's...that's it?"

Chen Feng patted him on the shoulder, "Go and rest first, let me think about it."

Meng Changgeng opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Chen Feng told Aji and Zhao Sheng to go back to sleep as well, as this matter needed to be discussed further.

After everyone left, the room became quiet.

Chen Feng sat alone at the table, staring at the flickering candlelight.

My mood was like a rollercoaster. I was so happy when I received the banknotes yesterday, but I plummeted to the bottom just one day later.

The Yongshengqing Bank was probably the stronghold of the eight major Shanxi merchants, and those bank notes should have been special notes for their internal staff.

They were able to conduct business with the Later Jin so well that they must have had connections throughout the imperial court.

Setting up a branch in Beijing serves two purposes: first, it facilitates the withdrawal of funds, and second, it makes it easier to gather information within the city.

How could they not be suspicious if a stranger came to exchange a huge amount of bank drafts for silver?

If Meng Changgeng hadn't been an old soldier who discovered it early, his group would probably have been exposed by now, which would have led to the eight major Shanxi merchants silencing them.

He thought of Liang Siye again. Did that guy know all along that even if he took those silver notes, he wouldn't be able to spend them, when he dared to use them to redeem his life?

These banknotes are too hot to handle.

But should he just give up like that?

How could I possibly bear to part with it?

That's 230,000 taels.

In this era, 230,000 taels of silver was enough to cover the expenses of 2,000 soldiers for a whole year.

Should we just use silver notes to buy grain?

Based on the reactions of Hao Dadao and his group when they went to buy things today, merchants might not accept them, as both the circulation rate and credibility are too low.

Go to an underground bank to exchange it?

In later generations, foreign underground banks would take a 30% cut, but in the Ming Dynasty, it would probably be at least 50%.

To use it to bribe officials and exchange for soldiers' armor, provisions, and pay?

That won't do either. The eight major Shanxi merchants were able to hide for so many years; they must have had high-ranking officials backing them up.

The moment you hand over the banknotes, they can trace their origin.

Chen Feng rubbed his temples.

There is still too little information.

He needed to know who Yong Shengqing's backer was, which officials had dealings with Shanxi merchants, and how many people they had in the capital.

These things need to be investigated gradually.

A myriad of thoughts were causing him great distress.

He decided to get up, push open the door, and go out to get some fresh air.

In the courtyard, the moonlight was like water.

He looked around the courtyard and, finding no one there, stepped onto the stone blocks by the courtyard wall and quickly climbed onto the roof.

Sitting on the roof ridge, looking at the cold moon overhead, he let out a long breath.

I don't know how long I sat there, but then I heard rustling sounds behind me.

Chen Feng looked back and saw that Meng Changgeng had climbed up.

Meng Changgeng carefully stepped on the tiles and shuffled over to sit down next to Chen Feng.

He called softly, "Boss."

Chen Feng didn't look at him, only hummed in response.

Meng Changgeng looked up at the moon: "The moon is nice tonight."

Chen Feng did not respond.

After a moment of silence, Meng Changgeng took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and handed them to Chen Feng, saying, "Boss, this is for you."

Chen Feng glanced down and saw that it was the two thousand taels of silver notes left over after exchanging them for gold.

He looked up at Meng Changgeng, "Aren't you going to donate tribute anymore?"

Meng Changgeng's eyes widened, and he said angrily, "You really want to get rid of me like that?"

Chen Feng realized he had gone too far, "That's not what I meant..."

He paused for a moment, then added, "I'm just respecting your choice..."

Meng Changgeng was stunned for a moment.

"The imperial examinations must have been your real pursuit..." Chen Feng looked up at the moon in the sky. "Didn't you shave your head in the woods that day to donate your tribute money?"

Meng Changgeng adjusted his fur hat, recalling the gatekeeper's face from earlier that day, and gritted his teeth, saying, "To hell with the tribute system, I don't care!"

He stubbornly insisted, "You can forget about getting those two thousand taels back! That's my haircut money!"

After saying that, he got up and stumbled down the roof tiles.

Chen Feng watched the figure disappear at the edge of the rooftop, then looked down at the silver notes in his hand.

The moonlight shone on the banknote, revealing the three characters "Yong Sheng Qing".

He suddenly smiled, feeling the burden on his shoulders grow even heavier.

He took a deep breath and stood up from the roof.

The moonlight stretched his shadow very long.

He carefully climbed down the roof tiles.

He returned to his room, took out the silver notes from his pocket, and put them into the sandalwood box.

No, we can't just give up this money like that.

We need to find a way to exchange these tickets for real money.

But... how should I change it?

Outside the window, the moonlight remained cold and clear.

The bell of Longfu Temple rang out, drifting gently in the night breeze.

It's already midnight.

........................

Meanwhile, inside Fuchengmen in Xicheng District of Beijing, in a tastefully decorated courtyard.

Tian Wan sat down on the recliner and let out a long sigh.

He was invited to dinner tonight, but did not receive the answer he wanted, which greatly distressed him.

Although he was the Right Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he had little real power.

Although they came from humble origins and were related to the imperial family, they were ultimately relatives of the emperor.

So I've been looking for opportunities to enhance my prestige, and things have finally started to improve in the last two years.

However, in June of this year, he asked his son-in-law to switch from riding a horse to riding in a sedan chair, but the emperor not only refused but also reprimanded him.

This incident became a laughing stock among the civil officials, causing his prestige to plummet.

Having finally managed to get in touch with Zu Dashou, Zu Dashou has now suffered a military defeat and is about to go to the capital to plead guilty.

Chen Feng is young and has no connections in the government, making him a perfect target for investment and support.

I thought Chen Feng was young and easy to manipulate, but I didn't expect him to be so shrewd and ambiguous.

However, considering that Chen Feng did not explicitly refuse, it wasn't entirely hopeless.

Thinking of this, he summoned his steward, Tian Gui.