Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 762 Arrangement
Pianguan.

Spring is already in full bloom in the capital, but the weather here is still very cold.

Qin Chang led his men to inspect the area inside the pass. Before long, they arrived at the city gate tower and stopped to look around.

Throughout the city, people were queuing up everywhere to get vaccinated.

Qin Chang looked down at him, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Duke Zhu Yong appeared beside him and bowed respectfully, "Congratulations, Eunuch Tan. His Majesty has issued an edict summoning you back to the capital immediately."

Qin Chang had already learned of this news. He pointed to the crowd below and asked, "What's going on? Why are so many people queuing?"

"Oh, outside the city gates, a smallpox epidemic is spreading, infecting one tribe after another. The soldiers and civilians in the city have to quickly use the method of planting medicine to resist the disease."

Zhu Yong explained, "The medicine was only delivered these past two days, and people from all over the city have flocked here. But please rest assured, sir, the soldiers are taking turns getting vaccinated, and there will be absolutely no problems with the city's defenses and other matters."

Qin Chang sighed, "Why didn't you do this earlier? His Majesty has been promoting the cultivation of medicinal herbs in the various provincial administrations, why is it only now that it's starting to become widespread here?"

Zhu Yong looked rather embarrassed, thinking to himself, "This is Pian Tou Pass, a desolate and harsh border region. That kind of medicine method has only been implemented in the capital for a little over a year."

The people here are so closed off, and they are inherently afraid of change. As long as death is not imminent, they don't know what fear is.

“Father-in-law, people from small places are narrow-minded.”

Zhu Yong smiled and said, "I've heard that in the fortresses west of here, there are even fewer people growing medicinal herbs."

"Ah."

Qin Chang looked back, his face full of emotion. "I don't know if going back this time will be a blessing or a curse. Perhaps staying in the Northwest won't be such a bad thing."

Zhu Yong was taken aback again.

I thought to myself, "What are you trying to prove with that big shot in front of me?"
As a former official, now that Huai En has resigned and gone south, isn't this the perfect opportunity for you to return to the capital and make your mark? Among the officials in the Directorate of Ceremonial, who has a reputation as outstanding as yours?

It would be almost a matter of course for you to take over the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs again after you return.

Still saying you don't want to go back?

Zhu Yong said, "In my humble opinion, after you return, you will definitely take charge of the inner palace, and the affairs of the court will rely on you a lot in the future. I have specially prepared some things for you to use on your journey and have already sent them to you."

At this time, Zhu Yong was very adept at using his newly acquired factional affiliation. To put it bluntly, he sent the gifts before Qin Chang returned to take over the Directorate of Ceremonial, making Qin Chang, with whom he had worked for a long time, feel that he was an ally.

"That's not good?"

Qin Chang shook his head and said, "Duke Baoguo, you are a veteran official in the court, while I am just a eunuch. We are destined not to have many opportunities to interact in the future."

"Take this assignment in the Northwest, if we're really talking about merit, it has to be that Minister Li... oh right, the greatest merit should be Zhang Guozhang's, we were just going through the motions. But your merit is much greater than ours."

Zhu Yong didn't detect the sarcasm in Qin Chang's words. Instead, he felt that the other party seemed to be trying to recruit him. He hurriedly said, "You're wrong, sir. How can the merit of supervising the battle be considered small? It was only because you did it personally that you were able to achieve this."

"is it?"

Qin Chang smiled and said, "But His Majesty may not think so. After I go back, I may not even be able to stay in the Directorate of Ceremonial. From Eunuch Huai to Eunuch Wei before him, both Eunuchs are no longer in the palace."

Zhu Yong said, "Your situation is different from theirs. You were already a high-ranking official during the late emperor's reign. This time, you helped His Majesty establish his authority in the Northwest. In terms of merit, who among the eunuchs can match you?"

"but……"

Qin Chang looked somewhat worried. "Have you forgotten why we're in this situation? We offended that Zhang Guozhang and displeased His Majesty. If it weren't for this fortuitous opportunity to gain some military merit here, we might have had to retire to our hometowns when we returned."

Zhu Yong smiled and said, "Your Excellency need not worry. In fact, His Majesty values ​​you highly, otherwise he wouldn't have sent you to assist Minister Li in the Northwest. Besides, that... Father-in-law Zhang, it seems... he's not that concerned about court affairs, he seems..."

"Just tell me."

Qin Chang smiled and said, "Look, haven't we already opened our hearts to you? What else is there to hide?"

Zhu Yong said, “Actually, Zhang Guozhang needs help now. The previous unpleasantness is nothing. Think about the current commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Mu Bin. Didn’t he offend Zhang Guozhang before? Didn’t he still get promoted? Apart from the eunuchs and our military officers, who in the court truly approves of him? His past attitude is not important. The key is what will happen in the future, and whether we can help him is the most important thing…”

The meaning wasn't explained clearly; it's up to you to interpret it yourself.

Your bad relationship with Zhang Luan is not a big deal. You are a eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. Do you have to maintain a close relationship with the emperor's father-in-law?

As long as you are capable and can truly help Zhang Guozhang, even the biggest grudges can be resolved. Besides, Zhang Guozhang is now universally hated in the court and needs someone from the palace like you to speak on his behalf.

"Ah."

Qin Chang nodded heavily, clearly satisfied with Zhu Yong's attitude.

Zhu Yong said, "My son has already returned to the capital. If you need anything from him, just let him know, and he will take care of it properly. My Zhu family all want to serve the court and be loyal to His Majesty."

"Of course, of course!"

Qin Chang appeared spirited and said, “Zhang Guozhang urgently needs manpower to help him. I will do my best and will not let His Majesty down. This trip to the Northwest seems to have made great achievements, but more often than not... I am still alienated. I am afraid that I will not be able to win people’s hearts in a short time after I return. Perhaps there will be a time when I need your help.”

"You're so kind."

Zhu Yong smiled and said, "The army has prepared a small feast as a farewell gift for you. In addition, all the generals will also make some gestures during the feast."

"This makes me feel a little ashamed. However, I can't refuse your kind invitation, so I must give you all this face," Qin Chang said. "Let's arrange a time, and I'll head over right away."

……

……

The Zhang family's workshop outside the capital city.

Zhang Yanling sat there, with Chai Meng standing next to him, and Chai Meng's sister Chai Shuang following behind him.

Now, the Chai siblings, one helping Zhang Yanling manage external affairs and the other helping with bookkeeping... Both siblings are essentially Zhang Yanling's assistants. Although their wages seem meager, they have a certain share and receive a substantial cut. Over the course of this year, the siblings have gradually established themselves within the industrial system built by Zhang Yanling.

"Second Young Master, there are currently about thirty companies that have submitted their name cards and are interested in bidding for the mines. Among them, about twenty are merchants from Huizhou, about seven or eight are from Shanxi, and the rest are merchants from various places who are based in the capital. There are also wealthy merchants from other places who have heard the news and are coming in droves..."

Chai Meng was in charge of this external liaison work, mainly accepting the tenders submitted by merchants, which can be regarded as paving the way for Zhang Yanling to outsource the coal mine.

Zhang Yanling said, "They all know the rule that the minimum price is at least ten thousand taels of silver, right?"

"Nature knows."

Chai Meng said, "This time, Manager Qin is the most invested in this matter, and it's said he can come up with nearly 50,000 taels of silver at once. As for the rest, we don't know the details. However, the Shanxi merchants... are interested in improving their relationship with you, what do you think..."

This highlights the unique nature of Chai Meng's identity.

Although Zhang Yanling had previously done more business with Hui merchants and had deep connections with them, he couldn't resist having a scholar from Shanxi as his tutor.

Chai Meng was not well-liked by his fellow villagers. After all, his sister came to the capital to be nominated for the Crown Prince's wife but was not selected, which caused merchants from Shanxi to miss the opportunity to contact the imperial family... Many people even deliberately avoided doing business with the Zhang family, who were related to the imperial family.

However, as the Zhang family achieved a series of significant accomplishments in the business world, the attitude of Shanxi merchants changed. Especially after the salt tax reform, they finally realized that trying to do business outside the Zhang family was tantamount to handing over vast sums of wealth. This forced them to re-evaluate their relationship with the Zhang family and attempt to establish a good cooperative relationship through the Chai siblings. Zhang Yanling said, "This time, I won't have any regional biases in doing business. As long as it's sincere, I can accept it."

Chai Meng said, "Second Young Master, they don't actually think that running this coal mine is profitable. They just want to give you money in this way. Or rather, they just hope that you will take care of them in the future! Instead of buying the mine and then still being the same as before."

What did it look like before?

Zhang Yanling asked curiously.

"Neither hot nor cold, or rather, keeping a respectful distance."

Chai Meng said helplessly, "Now they all want your favor, to break down some of their previous prejudices, and to participate in business on an equal footing."

Zhang Yanling shook his head: "What nonsense... All you need to do in business is be honest and trustworthy. Why are you always thinking about getting favors? As for business channels, those also need to be opened up with sincerity. How could you possibly expect me to share my profits with them?"

"That makes sense, but it's just..."

There were some things that Chai Meng was too embarrassed to say aloud.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "I understand. Nowadays, the only intention of business people in contacting the government is to hope that the government will take good care of them. They are all afraid of being harassed by officials. They are afraid that if they don't manage their relationships well, they will be retaliated against and schemed against. They all want to find a powerful backer so that others will not dare to covet them."

“That’s what I mean,” Chai Meng said hastily.

Zhang Yanling said, "However, you should explain to them that as long as they operate with integrity, they don't need to worry about being targeted. Because what His Majesty needs now is a prosperous and stable business environment in order to reform some of the current malpractices of the Ming Dynasty, especially to increase revenue for the increasingly strained court finances."

Chai Meng was a little confused and asked, "You mean, it's okay if we don't give you money, right?"

"Let them handle it themselves," Zhang Yanling said. "This time it's not like they're taking over a hundred or two hundred mines at once. They'll only end up with three or five. Even if they pay protection money, only three or five mines will actually pay. What will the rest do? Just stand by and watch?"

"Uh?"

Chai Meng was somewhat confused.

Just as Chai Meng was about to say something, Chai Shuang behind him quickly tugged at his brother's sleeve, as if to say, "Big brother, aren't you being tactless? You know what you're saying is unpleasant, but you still insist on sticking your tongue?"
Zhang Yanling said, "Furthermore, I want to tell you merchants from Jin: with so many coal mines in Jin, why do you have to come all the way to Xishan to mine coal? You have a treasure trove right here, why do you have to come here to join the fun?"

"Yes, we do have some, but the production quality is poor and the quality is worrying!" Chai Meng said.

“That’s because I haven’t been there to explore the mines yet. Besides, in addition to auctioning off the mining rights for the coal mines, I also provide some necessary skills training so that they can better mine coal and expand production,” Zhang Yanling said. “Especially, we have to ensure the personal safety of the workers inside the coal mine pits. These days, it’s not easy to make any money.”

Chai Meng said, "Coal is good to burn, but it's still too expensive for ordinary people. It would be better if it were cheaper."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "It only requires some minor improvements. After the technological improvements, people will be able to burn coal more conveniently and safely. Go and tell those merchants that I will give a demonstration next, and call everyone who can come. Let them know on the spot that coal, if properly made, is much more cost-effective than charcoal."

……

……

After Zhang Yanling finished discussing official business with Chai Meng, he took him to the neighboring courtyard to see the experimental results, while Chai Shuang was assigned to go back to work.

"Mr. Chai, what have you thought about regarding my offer to help you become a student at the Imperial Academy?"

Zhang Yanling asked with a smile, "The Imperial Academy will soon be welcoming a new batch of students. Why don't you go with them?"

Chai Meng asked in surprise, "Isn't it busy here?"

"I am busy, but your future is more important."

Zhang Yanling said, "You need to go to the Imperial Academy to get some experience before they can arrange an official position for you. Besides, given your age, you can definitely continue to participate in the imperial examinations later."

Chai Meng said helplessly, "My studies have been neglected, how am I supposed to take the exam?"

Zhang Yanling said, "Next year is the year of the provincial examination. You can study in Beiyong while preparing for the exam. When you pass the exam next year, it will be easy to become an official, won't it?"

"Second Young Master, you are too kind."

Chai Meng looked somewhat embarrassed.

I've been following you for over a year, running around doing all sorts of things, and I've almost forgotten what studying is all about. Now I still have the mind to prepare for the imperial examinations?
Zhang Yanling sighed, "A person always needs to have some ambition, right? If you really stop progressing, what chance will you have if I rise to a high position in the court and want to promote one of my own people?"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Chai Meng's eyes clearly lit up.

If he were to focus on preparing for the imperial examinations now, he certainly wouldn't be interested, since making money while following Zhang Yanling is too easy. But if passing the provincial examinations would mean becoming an official directly, and receiving the patronage of Zhang Guojiu, the emperor's most favored relative, and thus securing a place in the court... then the situation would be quite different.

Chai Meng asked, "Second Young Master, do you intend to enter the imperial court as an official?"

“It’s only a matter of time.”

Zhang Yanling said, "Actually, I've also been thinking about whether or not I should take the imperial examination."

Chai Meng smiled wryly and said, "You're joking."

The implication is that you are the son of the Emperor's father-in-law, and you don't need to compete with others for that single opportunity that requires fierce competition. Think about your father; he was just a scholar who had only studied at the Imperial Academy, yet he became a pillar of the Ming Dynasty in just one year and is now the Second Grand Secretary. Why are you even taking the imperial examinations?
If you were to enter the imperial court directly, you would probably start as a vice minister.

Zhang Yanling said, "I should at least have a similar academic achievement to my father, right? After passing the imperial examination, I might be able to study at the Imperial Academy."

Chai Meng said, "Getting into the Imperial Academy shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

"hehe."

Zhang Yanling laughed and said, "You're absolutely right. His Majesty mentioned to me before that I should study at the Imperial Academy for a few years. However, I feel that with my current age and academic achievements, I don't think I'm old enough to be eligible to study at the Imperial Academy."

Chai Meng explained, "Actually, you don't need to be a student to enter the Imperial Academy; you just need to pay a grain tax."

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Chai."

Zhang Yanling said, "Actually, I'm more concerned about whether Mr. Chai wants to go. There's not much time left until next year's competition. If he can complete his studies in a year and a half..."

"This one……"

Chai Meng hesitated again.

Zhang Yanling said, "Now that Mr. Chai is by my side, he is basically doing errands and odd jobs. Although he has a lot of contact with merchants, it is mostly some low-class things. Does Mr. Chai want to be ridiculed for the rest of his life?"

"After entering the Imperial Academy, I gained a certain reputation, and perhaps I can be appointed as an official in the future. Being an official is always better than... staying stuck in the small world of commerce."

Chai Meng said, "Then allow me to go back and consider it."

“Sir, you need to hurry,” Zhang Yanling reminded him. “The Imperial College is about to open, so this matter needs to be arranged in advance, which will inevitably take some time.”

"Yes."

Chai Meng nodded and said, "I will give you a reply as soon as I get back."

(End of this chapter)