Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 625 The First Step in Suppressing the German Feudatories: Activation
Bi Zhen laughed and said, "The Crown Prince Zhu Yourong is also unlucky. This rumor has been passed around and later some people said that they heard it from a certain attendant of the Crown Prince Zhu Yourong."

"Zhu Yourong was shocked to hear this, fearing that he would get into trouble. After questioning the guard and learning that it had nothing to do with him, he quickly arrested the guard and took him to the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office for public questioning to prove his innocence."

"The guard swore that he had never spread such rumors."

"The guard felt innocent and spoke in great detail."

"When the officials of the Provincial Surveillance Commission questioned him, he said he had heard someone mention it. In order to track down the real culprit and clear his name, the guard also mentioned that those people seemed to be from out of town."

"When the Crown Prince heard that the guard insisted he hadn't spread rumors but had actually heard them, he turned pale with fright. This kind of thing is like mud falling into your pants—even if it's not excrement, it's still excrement. Since there's no way to prove it, it all depends on what others think."

“The Crown Prince of De dared not take the risk, and hurriedly sent a message in the name of De Province to local officials, ordering them not to spread any slanderous words against the Emperor.”

“Those local officials aren’t stupid; of course they know what to do.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan seemed to have taken a powerful tonic and perked up, feigning surprise as he exclaimed, "So that's how it is!"

After listening to what happened in Shandong, Pei Yuan said to Bi Zhen, "You should know that our Luo Sect is growing soybeans in Shandong, right?"

Bi Zhen laughed and said, "Anyone who is determined can find out something."

"However, back then, just to catch a few bandits, we were able to incite the Bazhou Rebellion, which led to Shandong being repeatedly plundered."

"Judging from the importance His Majesty and the Cabinet attach to this, the Luo Cult is even more ferocious and troublesome. Who would want to easily provoke those people?"

"Anyway, they are all officials who avoid their hometowns, and their hometowns are not here. We can turn a blind eye and hand over the position to the next person when their term is over."

Pei Yuan couldn't quite describe how he felt.

The destruction caused by the Bazhou army to several northern provinces is self-evident, but because the Bazhou army had been there, the imperial court dared not oppress the people too much.

Pei Yuan said to Bi Zhen, "I planned to press soybeans into oil and sell it in the south. However, I encountered a joint boycott, which stuck my oil tanker on Baoying Lake and prevented it from heading south."

"Even the prefect of Yangzhou made it clear that even if we got past him, we had no hope of selling soybean oil to the south."

Pei Yuan asked, "I remember you had a pretty good relationship with Liu Lang, the eunuch in charge of Nanjing?"

Upon hearing this, Bi Zhen said solemnly, "My family and Liu Lang are brothers who have gone through thick and thin together."

Pei Yuan looked at Bi Zhen and tentatively asked, "Then can I borrow Eunuch Liu Lang's help?"

Bi Zhen laughed and said, "Last time, our family secretly sent people to kill Zhang Yong, the commander, to avenge Liu Jin. We told Liu Lang, the eunuch in charge of Nanjing, and Liu Jing, the eunuch in charge of Henan, about this."

"Both of them wished they could come and see Commander Chih-hu in person to express their gratitude."

"Just give us your orders, Commander. We'll do anything, even risk our lives, let alone lend a hand."

Pei Yuan was overjoyed.

As expected of the "Three Avengers" who joined Prince Ning in rebellion to avenge Liu Jin, their clear-cut attitude of distinguishing between gratitude and resentment makes them the most reliable allies.

However, Bi Zhen then changed the subject, "But..."

Pei Yuan knew that Bi Zhen wouldn't make any excuses, and that there must be some real trouble, so he said, "Please speak, sir."

Bi Zhen said, "The garrison eunuchs have the responsibility of supervising the officials in Nanjing, so they seem to have some power. But the soybean oil matter involves the interests of many wealthy gentry, and they will absolutely not give up."

"Even if Liu Lang has smoothed out all the official channels for the commander, if bandits attack the oil tankers or craftsmen besiege the oil transport team, I'm afraid even Eunuch Liu will be helpless."

"At that time, not only will the thousand households not be able to sell a single drop of oil, but they may also suffer a huge loss."

This was Pei Yuan's last attempt to peacefully reopen the oil pipeline. Since there was no hope, Pei Yuan simply gave up on the idea.

He said to Bi Zhen, "I was just asking casually. I've already found Zang Xian to act as a middleman and have him help me make a connection with someone. As for what to do next, let me sell the soybean oil I have on hand first."

Pei Yuan's earlier statement to Zang Xian about discussing matters with the garrison eunuch and the Shandong governor was merely a pretext to appease him, so there was no need to elaborate now.

Pei Yuan then brought up another matter related to Bi Zhen.

“Some people in the government and the public are planning to do something with the paper money this time, and I plan to take this opportunity to make a fortune.”

"I saved one for you too, would you like to try it?"

Pei Yuan had mentioned this matter in his letter before, and Bi Zhen was quite interested in it. However, he also kept a watchful eye and asked what stage it was at.

When he heard that His Majesty had already entered the market and that the current exchange rate was "twenty-five strings of cash for one coin", he hesitated again.

Pei Yuan offered a price of "five strings of cash for one coin," which is quite a difference.

Seeing Bi Zhen hesitate, Pei Yuan could roughly guess what he was thinking, so he explained, "You can also try to buy some paper money yourself, but even if you can get the paper money, you may not be able to sell it."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that the current selling price of the paper money is 25 strings of cash to one coin, but the money shops are only offering 80 strings of cash to one coin for it."

"In other words, the price you pay when you buy is one price, and the price you pay when you sell is another. If you sell more, the seller might not even accept it. Even if you buy it at a very low price, you might still lose money if you can't sell it smoothly."

"But with me, at least I can guarantee your safety."

Bi Zhen understood the relationship here, which meant that if he made money, it was his own, but if he lost money, Commander Pei would cover it.

It may seem like you're earning a little less, but there's no risk involved.

Bi Zhen decisively said, "Then our family will get involved a little."

Then he asked, "How much did the others buy?"

Pei Yuan said, "Lu Yin has 150,000 taels; Xiao Ying has 100,000 taels; Li Shishi initially purchased 20,000 taels, and there will be some additional purchases later; Wang Chang came over a couple of days ago and purchased 10,000 taels; and some of the brothers from the Thousand Households Office also bought shares. Now only your and Gu Dayong's shares are left, and someone will buy all the remaining shares you have."

Upon hearing the names of the people and the amounts of money, Bi Zhen's mind immediately began to work.

He thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll subscribe for 30,000 taels. But all my cash is in Shandong, so how to get it is a problem."

Pei Yuan offered a solution: "It's easy. Chen Xinjian is currently recruiting soldiers in Dongchang Prefecture. I'll have someone exchange the banknotes for you first, and you can then escort the silver to Dongchang Prefecture. If that's inconvenient, Chen Xinjian can go and collect it himself."

Chen Xinjian took 20,000 taels of silver with him when he left Beijing this time.

The funds are more than enough to cover basic needs like food, drink, and pay, but they would be stretched thin if they were to purchase weapons and horses, plus the cost of daily training.

As for why Chen Xinjian had to pay for it himself, there are two reasons.

Firstly, the Xinghe Garrison Command was essentially a shell company; the military farms allocated by the court to support their troops had long been lost to the Mongols. Furthermore, the Ministry of War's budget did not include any provisions or stipends for this empty shell.

Since Pei Yuan has taken a liking to this empty shell, he has to find a way to make a decision himself.

Secondly, the troops that Chen Xinjian trained this time are called the Vanguard Guards.

Pei Yuan has invested so much effort and money, of course he can't let others benefit from it.

Once the troops are trained, Xuanfu might decide to give Chen Xinjian a promotion in name only, transferring him elsewhere, and all that effort would be wasted. Therefore, these elite troops can only be Pei Yuan's own elite guards, and then some soldiers from Xuanfu can be recruited to maintain the facade of the Xinghe Garrison.

Chen Xinjian had 20,000 taels of silver that he had taken with him in the early days. If we give him an additional 30,000 taels, he will be quite well-off.

Upon hearing Pei Yuan's suggestion, Bi Zhen readily agreed.

When Pei Yuan asked him if he wanted to help sell the goods, Bi Zhen politely declined.

After all, the price difference outside is so volatile, holding the precious paper in hand allows for more flexible seizing of opportunities.

He already owned a money lending shop in the capital, which came in handy at this time.

Pei Yuan didn't care about this.

In the beginning, Pei Yuan recruited people to join him simply to use more funds to prop up the business. Incidentally, he also wanted to give his followers some perks.

Now that the monks have a fund, Pei Yuan's need for silver is no longer so urgent.

Consider the high price Bi Zhen paid as a reward.

Then, Bi Zhen casually inquired about Bi Jun's matter.

Pei Yuan laughed and said, "Bi Jun is now working for one of my concubines."

Upon hearing this, Bi Zhen let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

When Bi Zhen sent Bi Jun to Pei Yuan last time, it was certainly to deliberately hand over the "Zhang Yong case" to Pei Yuan. However, on the other hand, he could also learn what kind of person Pei Yuan was from the feedback from Bi Jun.

If Pei Yuan were to kill Bi Jun with a single blow, he could certainly show his sincerity to Bi Zhen, but such a method would be too harsh on someone who works for him.

If Pei Yuan imprisons Bi Jun, it means that Pei Yuan still sees Bi Jun as a means to control Bi Zhen, and the relationship between the two should be treated with more caution.

Pei Yuan then said to Bi Zhen, "My concubine is the granddaughter of Jiao Fang, the former Grand Secretary I mentioned before. She has always been in charge of things in my household. Having Bi Jun follow her can also help with some things that are not suitable for public appearances."

When Pei Yuangang met Bi Zhen, he used his connection with Jiao Fang to get close to her.

When Bi Zhen heard that Bi Jun had followed Jiao Fang's granddaughter and become a capable subordinate of the Pei family, she felt even more relieved.

Bi Zhen started talking about sex, and told Pei Yuan a lot about the recent situation in Shandong, as well as Liu Lang, whom he had just mentioned, and Liu Jing, who was in Henan.

After listening for a while, Pei Yuan suddenly smiled and said to Bi Zhen, "You've praised these two people so highly, how about I, the commander, give them a try?"

Bi Zhen paused for a moment, but did not take Pei Yuan's words lightly at all.

After all, what jokes can there be between two seasoned politicians?
But he still pretended not to care and said, "Please feel free to try, Commander."

Pei Yuan smiled and flicked a thin bamboo stick that he had been playing with from time to time at Bi Zhen.

Bi Zhen took a look and saw that the green bamboo board in his hand was about the size of a palm, about two fingers wide, with one side smoothed by a knife and the other side covered with green bamboo skin.

Bi Zhen glanced at Pei Yuan, puzzled.

Pei Yuan said, "There is a Hanlin scholar named Mao Cheng who may be going to the south to serve as the Vice Minister of Rites soon."

Bi Zhen thought to himself, "Could it be that he wants to kill Mao Cheng as a pledge of loyalty?"
He didn't say anything and continued to listen.

Then Pei Yuan said, "This Mao Cheng has offended me. Now that he's a new official, he'll definitely have to go and greet the garrison eunuch and the Nanjing garrison commander."

"Have someone give this bamboo slip to Liu Lang, and then have him place it in a prominent position when he receives Mao Cheng."

Bi Zhen was stunned upon hearing this, "That's it?"

Pei Yuan hinted, "It would be even better if we could make things difficult for Mao Cheng in every way possible."

Bi Zhen thought to himself, "Good heavens."

It's covered "every aspect," how can this be considered just a little difficult?
Commander Pei is alright in every other way, but he's a bit petty.

Fortunately, it wasn't a big deal, and Bi Zhen readily agreed, "Sure thing!"

Although Nanjing officials wielded considerable real power, they were ultimately far removed from the imperial court.

It's said that the King of Hell is easy to deal with, but the little devils are hard to handle.

This is a good opportunity for Mao Cheng to see the methods of low-level clerks.

After seeing Bi Zhen off, Pei Yuan pondered for a long time and said to Xiao Tong, "Go and call Cen Meng, the Chief of Staff, over. I have something to tell him."

After a while, Cen Meng rushed over.

Pei Yuan looked around and gestured for everyone to leave.

Cen Meng immediately perked up; it seemed that Commander Pei had some confidential matters to arrange for him.

After everyone had left, Pei Yuan said to Cen Meng, "The time has finally come to activate the piece I planted earlier."

"Go to Linqing in person and meet with Ding Hong, the commander of the Xuzhou Left Guard. Tell him to immediately compile evidence of corruption and embezzlement by Zhang Feng, the governor of the Yellow River."

Previously, Xiao Ying had considered joining forces with Pei Yuan to double-cross and eliminate Zhang Feng.

When Zhang Feng served as the governor of Suzhou and Songjiang, he was incredibly greedy and made a fortune. Now that he has been appointed as the river commissioner, he has taken on the major task of repairing the waterways and replenishing the barges. He will surely become even more ruthless and make a killing.

However, Pei Yuan had his own plans and never let Xiao Ying get a piece of the pie.

The repair of the river and the rebuilding of the barges both required manpower from the Left Guard of Xuzhou.

Pei Yuan then instructed Ding Hong, the commander of the Xuzhou Left Guard, to keep a close eye on Zhang Feng.

Seeing that Cen Meng had made a note of it, Pei Yuan added, "You can have Ding Hong write down more incriminating evidence, the more blatant the embezzlement, the better, and the wider the scope of involvement, the better. Let him write as much as he wants without worry; no one will investigate this matter afterward."

"After that, you should take that evidence to Chen Tou Tie and have him go with you to see Jin Xianmin, the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner."

"Then have Jin Xianmin, in his capacity as the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, report Zhang Feng's case to the imperial court, preferably portraying it as a major case, a case involving multiple individuals, the more serious the better!"

"Then, I implore the imperial court to send someone to investigate as soon as possible to prevent the situation from escalating!"

"Tell Jin Xianmin that this is his only chance to live."

After listening, Cen Meng said to Pei Yuan, "I'm afraid I won't be able to persuade Jin Xianmin."

Pei Yuan leaned forward from his seat, flicked the embroidered spring knife worn by Cen Meng, and said calmly, "The knife is capable."

(End of this chapter)