Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 144 A Heroine

In a house next to Huizhou Guild Hall.

Shopkeeper Qin was listening to his subordinate Xu Gong's report on the selection of the Crown Princess.

"…The merchants of Shanxi nominated a young lady to participate in the selection. She was the daughter of Chai from Fenyang. However, before she entered the palace, she was strangely blocked by the Ministry of Rites. We found an official from the Ministry of Rites through our connections and inquired about the situation. We learned that it was Li Yintai, the Li Zisheng of the Ministry of Public Administration, who personally blocked her.

"It is said that in order to allow Chai's daughter to pass the selection, the Shanxi merchant found Deng Chang'en, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, through the relationship of Ai Yu, the Supervisor of Shanglin Garden. Perhaps this is why Lord Li was angered. Lord Li was ruthless to his competitors. He had a lot of connections and immediately stepped forward to stop the man.

"Now, the Shanxi merchants' wishful thinking has failed, and they can only find another way. I heard that they sent heavy gifts to the Wang and Song families who entered the palace selection together today, in order to compete with our Huizhou merchants...

"We have presented all the gifts to the Zhang family. Zhang Jiansheng was not at home at the time, so his family received them on his behalf. If nothing unexpected happens, the selection of a concubine should be settled before sunset today. The Zhang girl has the support of Lord Li, so she has the greatest chance of being selected. The head of the family does not need to worry."

Xu Gong's words did not completely put Manager Qin at ease.

On the contrary, her pretty, heroic face showed even more worry.

After a long silence, Shopkeeper Qin said, "The current power structure in the court can be described as stagnant. It seems that no matter whether it is the central government or the local officials, or the gentry and merchants in various places, they all realize that the prince is the stone that can break the current stagnant situation. He is the biggest variable in the Ming Dynasty. The whole country is watching the selection of the crown princess, and we cannot help but pay attention to it!"

Xu Gong thought for a moment and replied, "But it's strange that there isn't much talk about the prince's selection of a concubine in the market, but there are rumors in the palace that Concubine Wan is seriously ill, and that the selection of the crown prince for the East Palace is for the purpose of bringing good luck. I don't know whether it's true or not."

"Ugh!"

Shopkeeper Qin sighed heavily and said worriedly, "Although Zhang Jiansheng has the help of Lord Li, it is now the final stage of the palace selection. It is up to the Queen Mother and the Crown Prince to decide who will become the Crown Princess. It is actually difficult for Lord Li to provide any more help... Zhang's daughter only has a certain chance of being selected, but it cannot be guaranteed."

Xu Gong's face also looked a little ugly, and he nodded slightly: "Maybe the Shanxi merchants think so too... But up to now, they probably don't know the relationship between Zhang Jiansheng and Lord Li."

"How could I not know?"

Shopkeeper Qin sneered and said, "They are not blind to what is going on. After Zhang Jiansheng came to Beijing, he had frequent contacts with Lord Li, and for quite a long time, Lord Li took good care of Zhang Jiansheng.

“It’s understandable that no one paid attention to Zhang Jiansheng before, but it’s hard to believe that no one has tried to find out his background now that his daughter is about to move into the East Palace.

"Otherwise, why did the Shanxi merchants skip Zhang Jiansheng when sending gifts and choose the other two families? Have you ever thought about the reason?"

Xu Gong thought about it seriously and asked in surprise, "Master, do you mean that they not only know about the relationship between Zhang Jiansheng and Lord Li, but also know that our Huizhou merchants have always had dealings with Zhang Jiansheng? Did they deliberately avoid us when placing their bets?"

"Ah."

Shopkeeper Qin nodded heavily, "Shanxi merchants also have a wide range of sources of information... During our stay in Hejian Prefecture, we had contact with Zhang Jiansheng, and the gifts we gave to the Zhang family several times before were not hidden. If they ask around, they will know about this.

"The Shanxi merchants don't necessarily need to keep an eye on Zhang Jiansheng's family all the time. They only need to keep an eye on us... Normally, the Shanxi merchants and us are in competition when doing business, and there are frequent conflicts between us. They hire people to monitor and investigate our every move. Is this difficult to understand?"

Xu Gong said angrily: "It's all my fault for not checking. I almost made a big mistake." Shopkeeper Qin waved his hand and said: "It didn't make a big mistake. On the contrary, this way, our two businesses are more clearly distinguished and we can distinguish between friends and enemies. Isn't this good?

"After all, even if business competition is not a life-and-death struggle, it is still a fight to the death... They actually chose to invest in the other two companies, which is equivalent to going against us. In this way, even outsiders who don't understand the business can understand the current situation!"

Xu Gong rolled his eyes and suggested quietly, "The other two families don't have close ties with Shanxi merchants. How about... we also send a generous gift to them?"

In Xu Gong's opinion, it's nothing more than a political investment. We can conveniently give gifts to Zhang Luan, but the Shanxi merchants have no connections and can do nothing.

But the situation is different for the Song and Wang families. If you Shanxi merchants can send gifts, we Huizhou merchants can do the same. After all, those two families are not from Shanxi.

It's not like we're relying on your manpower and material resources to select the Crown Princess. Who dares to say that gift-giving is something exclusive to you Shanxi merchants?

"inappropriate!"

But Shopkeeper Qin refused and shook his head, saying, “In the business world, there are no eternal enemies or eternal friends. Doing business only requires honesty and integrity, and anyone can do business.

"But... in the arena of power, we must abide by principles. If each of us gives gifts, it means we have lost the position we have always upheld. We Hui merchants are unwilling to do such things."

Xu Gong said: "You are the boss and you should follow the rules, but there are so many Huizhou merchants in the capital, not everyone will do as you think. I am afraid someone has already sent gifts to those two families and tried their best to curry favor with them."

"It doesn't matter."

Shopkeeper Qin smiled faintly and said, "I have always believed that Zhang Jiansheng's methods are extraordinary... Just think about it, a few months ago, he was just a poor scholar, but in just a few months, he entered the world of fame and fortune in the capital, and he was able to do it step by step. First, he won over Shen Lu, an official in the Ministry of Public Administration, and then through Shen Lu, he became friends with Lord Li, who was powerful in the court. Now he has sent his daughter to participate in the selection of the Crown Princess, and she even made it into the top three. His experience is simply bizarre.

"Even if he really chooses her as the Crown Princess in the end, I don't think it's a surprise."

Xu Gong asked in surprise, "Didn't you also say that at this stage of selecting a concubine, human power can do little and everything depends on God's will?"

Shopkeeper Qin looked up at the sky outside the window, then said in a veiled manner: "The final candidate is determined by the Crown Prince and the Queen Mother, or even His Majesty or some noble in the palace... For this reason, it is not impossible to use some connections or means in advance to make the person you push more competitive.

"Think about it, a student who can turn clouds and rain with a flip of his hand, with a towering tree like Li Zisheng behind him, how can he do nothing? Even if he doesn't do anything, Li Zisheng will do it for him."

"That……"

Xu Gong didn't know what to say for a moment.

Shopkeeper Qin said: "Always pay attention to the selection of the Crown Princess, and then send someone to inquire about the condition of Concubine Wan in the palace. If Concubine Wan is seriously ill, or even dies, perhaps the Crown Prince's spring will come.

"If we can establish a close relationship with the Crown Prince through the future Crown Princess's family, then our Huizhou merchants may be able to break through the blockades of others and move towards a bright future."

(End of this chapter)