Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 595: A Gentleman's Words and Actions

East Factory.

Governor Qin Chang sat upright on the armchair in the middle. In front of him stood Jinyiwei Commander Zhu Ji and Qianhu Mou Bin. Behind a screen on one side sat Huai En.

Huai En was invited by Qin Chang to come as an observer, and Qin Chang wanted to ask Huai En for his opinion.

Because by now, Qin Chang also felt tremendous pressure. He thought he was powerless to change anything, so he could only invite Huai En, the big Buddha, to come out to support him.

On the surface, Huai En said that he didn't want to get involved, but it seemed that "out of consideration for the relationship", he came over to listen to what was going on... In other words, Huai En liked to do things in secret and didn't want to show it on the surface.

"The Zhang family, the in-laws, beat people? Could it be... a mistake?"

After hearing Zhu Ji's report, Qin Chang was slightly surprised.

I thought to myself that there was no chance of bringing down Zhang Guozhang.

Why did the situation change suddenly and the Zhang family gave us this opportunity?
Has the wind changed direction?
Zhu Ji said: "The Jinyiwei sent someone to watch the scene. Should we call them in and ask them to explain the details?"

Qin Chang shook his head and said, "No need, just tell me."

Zhu Ji looked at Mou Bin, meaning that you should tell the story, after all, you have been there.

Mou Bin clasped his fists and said, "The people who beat people this time were indeed hired by the Zhang family. Even the Zhang family members themselves confessed to it."

"hiss……"

Qin Chang took a deep breath and asked, "Is beating someone serious? Did it cause any adverse effects? Tell me from the beginning!"

Mou Bin said: "Today, merchants and peddlers in Beijing, together with the scholars from the Imperial Academy, numbering about 100 to 200, went to Zhang's workshop outside Chongwen Gate and claimed that Zhang's relatives were bullying the market and oppressing the people. That's how the incident happened."

"Ah."

Qin Chang nodded, "This, our family already knows about it. Did they beat people up because someone went there to cause trouble?"

"No."

Mou Bin shook his head and said, "At first, a group of people gathered outside the Zhang family's workshop, attracting many nearby people to watch. The protesters claimed that the Zhang family was bullying the market. A scholar made an impassioned speech and threatened to publicize this matter in all parts of the capital to destroy the reputation of the Zhang family."

Qin Chang slammed the table and shouted, "This is too much! Even if the Zhang family does some business, it is far from the point of bullying and dominating the market... A bunch of scholars, who are powerless, want to make a big deal? They deserve to be beaten!"

Although he said this, Qin Chang felt very happy in his heart.

It turns out that it is so easy to provoke the Zhang family, make them lose their nature, bully others as relatives, and ruin their reputation...

I was overthinking things!

"Have Father-in-law Zhang and the two young uncles of the Zhang family shown up?"

Huai En's voice suddenly came from behind the screen.

Zhu Ji and Mou Bin were immediately shocked.

Then Huai En stopped hiding and walked out from behind the screen.

Now even Qin Chang had to stand up to greet him.

"Mr. Yin, are you there?"

Zhu Ji saluted hurriedly, and Mou Bin also bowed with a look of respect in his eyes.

Huai En smiled and raised his hand, then said: "Such a big thing has happened, I should come here to ask, but the East Factory is always under the supervision of Eunuch Tan, I am just an observer... just continue to tell your story."

Mou Bin said: "Zhang Guozhang has not shown up, and neither have the two young uncles. It is a scholar named Chai from Shanxi. It is said that he is the mentor of Zhang Yanling, the second son of the Zhang family. He will handle the situation."

"Ok!"

Qin Chang seemed to have thought of something and nodded, "I have some impression of this person."

"Shanxi scholar? Haha."

Huai En smiled meaningfully and ordered: "Go on."

Mou Bin continued, "More and more people gathered in front of the workshop. Later, when Chai Xiucai saw that he couldn't escape, he opened the gate and seemed to want to come out to reason. But he was rushed in by a group of people and rushed into the yard."

"Haha, does this count as welcoming thieves?"

Huai En looked at Tan Chang with a smile.

Qin Chang looked somewhat embarrassed.

Although this group of people were not sent by Qin Chang, they were still closely related to him.

Huai En's statement compared this group of people to thieves, that is, people with evil intentions, which also fits the situation that happened on that occasion.

Mou Bin knew that it was not easy to judge the good and evil of the two parties. At present, he just needed to explain the matter clearly: "After everyone went in, they saw a lot of white crystals piled up in the warehouse with the door wide open. Someone shouted that Zhang was competing with the people for profits and selling official salt, and might even use private salt as official salt. They threatened to report it to the court and let the government investigate."

"Yeah!?"

Huai En looked at Tan Chang and asked, "Eunuch Tan, do you know about this?"

Qin Chang shook his head: "I haven't heard that the Zhang family is involved in the salt trade... Captain Mou, don't pause, go on." Mou Bin said: "At that time, Scholar Chai claimed that those were not salt, but the people at the scene did not believe it. I don't know who instigated it. A Beijing merchant named Lu rushed over and said he wanted to taste it himself. As a result, he put it in his mouth and found that it was indeed not... but soda ash, which was the name given by Scholar Chai. He made a fool of himself on the spot."

Qin Chang frowned and asked, "A Beijing merchant with the surname Lu? Could it be the Lu family that has close ties with the Duke of Ying's mansion?"

The merchants in the capital are complicatedly connected, and are more or less connected to the powerful. The Duke of Yingzhou, as he has the authority to supervise the Beijing camp, relies more on "their own people" for procurement and other matters, and shares the profits from them. Therefore, many officials and businessmen make a living by relying on them.

"Exactly."

Mou Bin nodded and said, "This person made a big fool of himself and was even laughed at by the people who went with him. He was so angry that he immediately shouted that he would take people to push the soda ash into the flower bed..."

Tan Chang asked, "Did Zhang's people beat people up because of this?"

"No."

Mou Bin thought to himself, my story is complicated and long, and you always interrupt me. How can I tell it?
Huai En smiled and waved his hand: "Let him finish."

Mou Bin said: "Mr. Chai questioned the Zhang family on the spot, saying that the Zhang family was bullying the market. Who in the capital is engaged in the soda ash business? After asking around, no one came out to answer."

Qin Chang still couldn't help but interrupt Mou Bin: "There are so many merchants in Beijing, but there is not even one who does soda ash business? What exactly is soda ash? What is its use?"

Mou Bin seemed helpless and said, "It is precisely because no one knows what it is used for that no one is doing this business. Some people said that this thing is used to make dough, but then someone else said that the two are not the same thing... There were a lot of people arguing at the scene, but in the end no one came out to agree."

"hehe."

Huai En laughed and said, "It's really hard to put the blame on the Zhang family for bullying the market. Does the Zhang family only do the soda ash business and nothing else?"

Mou Bin said: "Eunuch Huai asked a good question. Someone questioned it on the spot, saying that the workshop next door also belonged to the Zhang family, and threatened to break in and take out all the goods inside. Then Scholar Chai also asked someone to open the gate... After people went in, they found that it was a workshop for making colored glaze."

Qin Chang seemed to be relieved when he heard this, and said, "Although colored glaze is not common, there are always people doing business in the capital. Will no one respond to this request?"

Mou Bin said helplessly: "At first, the young master of Lu's Trading Company and others also said so. Even some Shanxi merchants came out and said that they were also doing colored glaze business. But when we entered the yard... after careful identification, we found that the colored glaze made there was completely different from the commonly seen colored glaze on the market."

"It's just glass, what's the difference?"

When Qin Chang heard this, he stood up.

I asked them to attack the Zhang family for bullying the market, but after searching around, I found out that the goods sold by the Zhang family were not available on the market?

But think about it again, this is a monopoly and also a kind of bullying!
Mou Bin said, "What is made inside is a glazed mirror, which is the silver mirror that was sent to the palace as a tribute before. It won the hearts of the late emperor and the empress dowager, became popular in the inner palace, and even became a trend among the dignitaries in the capital. Chai Xiucai immediately asked who in Beijing could make it... but no one answered."

"Is it true that no one can do it?"

Qin Chang frowned and asked, "Not even one?"

Mou Bin said, "When the young master of the Lu family saw that the atmosphere was getting cold, he volunteered, saying that the Lu family's workshop could make them. He also said that he could produce ready-made mirrors. It was precisely because of Zhang's bullying that the Lu family had nowhere to sell the glass mirrors they made, and a lot of them were left over."

"hehe."

Huai En smiled and said, "As far as I know, the glass mirror has never existed before. It was not until the Zhang family came to Beijing that this item came into being. The Lu family pretended to be like this because they calculated that the Zhang family would not be able to disprove it for a period of time and would have the upper hand in public opinion."

Mou Bin bowed and said, "As far as I know, the Lu family really can't make this thing. At that time, Mr. Chai said that this thing was a tribute, and the things they made should be supplied to the palace first, and then to the market... Without the permission of the royal family, they cannot make it privately. He also said that he would sue the government and seal up the Lu family's glass workshop."

"Good."

Huai En nodded and said, "It's also something that can't be disproved, but it's a counterattack. This Chai scholar is quite impatient."

Qin Chang's face darkened as he asked, "What did Mr. Lu say? He wouldn't give in right away, would he?"

Mou Bin was even more helpless, and said, "As the two eunuchs said, when the young master of the Lu family heard that it was a tribute, he immediately said that the one made by the Lu family and the one made by the Zhang family workshop were only similar in appearance but not in spirit. In short... they can't be made."

Huai En smiled faintly and said, "This is really a joke."

After hearing this, Qin Chang got a little angry and asked, "Is that why Zhang beat people?"

"At this point, no one has been beaten."

Mou Bin said, "Then someone at the scene said that the Zhang family was weaving silk and satin, which affected the price of cloth in the capital, causing heavy losses to their peers."

Qin Chang slapped his thigh and said with a smile: "That's right, that's right, this is the key point... Zhang's weaving is known to the court and the country, and the world knows about it. The Zhang family's disciples cannot deny it!"

Mou Bin said: "Mr. Chai said that Zhang did not weave the cloth. The cloth was woven by the inner court of the imperial palace. Zhang only provided the loom and design drawings, but did not participate in it."

Qin Chang frowned and asked, "The second son of the Zhang family weaves cloth for the imperial palace and even brings his loom to the palace. How could he not weave himself? How is that possible?"

Mou Bin said quickly: "People at the scene didn't believe it and threatened to search. Chai Xiucai didn't stop them and let them walk through several courtyards belonging to the Zhang family. They really didn't find any weaving workshops or signs of weaving. At that time, some people said that the Zhang family was daring to do it but not to take responsibility, and hid all the weaving equipment in an attempt to deceive the world."

"hehe."

Huai En was laughing again, saying, "Why should I hide this? It's not against the law to weave cloth!"

Mou Bin said: "Mr. Chai repeatedly explained that there was no such thing, but that group of people just wouldn't listen. Then someone threatened that Zhang was cooperating with the palace to weave cloth and disrupted the price of cloth in the capital. They even made many disrespectful remarks about the palace weaving, and finally involved the queen..."

"what?"

Huai En couldn't help but frown when he heard this, and asked, "Is there really someone so blind that dares to say such nonsense?"

Mou Bin said helplessly: "There were indeed quite a few of them at the scene. Then the situation got out of control. Only then did someone rush out with sticks and start a fight..."

(End of this chapter)