Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 769 Mortgage
"Master, what should we do next?"

After a group of people watched Zhang Luan's carriage leave, Zhang Mao's retainers quickly stepped forward to ask for instructions.

Zhang Mao looked annoyed and stamped his foot, saying, "What are we here for? To do business! Zhang Laizhan said he's not in charge of this matter, so let's find someone who is!"
"If we can't buy it directly from Zhang Laizhan, are we planning to rob him outright? Don't we know this is the capital city?"

The people at the British Duke's mansion felt extremely awkward upon hearing this.

My master is a hypocrite. Before bringing us here, he was arrogant and seemed to think that as long as we used our power to intimidate others, we could be invincible.

Why is it that once we arrived at this place, we found that the sign for the British Duke's Mansion was completely useless here?
Zhang Mao said, "You can run away, but you can't hide. Those mines haven't been auctioned off yet, so Zhang Laizhan's son must still be on the mountain, right? Humph, I'll make sure he can't escape! If the old one can't handle it, can't the young one? Go up the mountain and search everywhere! We must find him! I refuse to believe we can't deal with that brat!"

……

……

In fact, Zhang Yanling did not need to attend today's auction in person, let alone preside over it.

Each mine is displayed there, and anyone interested in bidding can simply follow the auction team to the location and participate in the open bidding process according to the established procedures.

Before a mineral auction, anyone participating in the bidding can conduct some observations and research, and can withdraw their intentions at any time. It's not that the organizer can simply take the money out of your pocket whenever they want to sell it to you for a certain amount.

The day was the first day of the auction, and three coal mines were auctioned off in the morning.

Zhang Mao, being a Duke, couldn't personally go to the auction house where the mine was located, and he was also afraid of the hassle. So he sent someone to the mountain to check the situation, hoping to "invite" Zhang Yanling over for a face-to-face meeting.

In reality, he was just waiting to see the joke.

If I, the Duke of England, were to personally go to the auction, wouldn't I become nothing more than a lackey endorsing and cheering for you?

Originally, it could only be sold for a thousand taels, but with my appearance, it might be able to sell for several thousand more taels. Wouldn't that mean I'd be making a huge loss?
But when the servants who went to observe returned at noon, Duke Zhang Mao of England was immediately unsettled upon learning the true situation on the mountain.

"Sir, all three mines are located in relatively remote areas with difficult roads, so the transaction prices are not high. But the cheapest one still sold for 24,600 taels of silver. The remaining two are both over 30,000 taels."

The servant said with a helpless expression.

"How many?"

Zhang Mao was utterly shocked upon hearing this, then said with certainty, "There must be someone secretly manipulating prices behind the scenes. It's impossible for them to sell at this price... Hmph, isn't it just their own people raising prices? Do they think all the merchants in the world are fools? Who can they fool with this?"

The servant said, "At first, many people were talking about it, but after the official documents were posted, it was discovered that today's winners were all powerful merchants in the capital. I heard that some people even plan to buy two mines at once... This afternoon, a relatively large mine on the West Mountain will be auctioned off, and many people are eager to try their luck."

Zhang Mao suddenly stood up and asked unwillingly, "Can a single mine really sell for so much silver? Then this mountain... isn't it all a treasure trove?"

The servant said, "Now all levels of government have received official documents that people are no longer allowed to explore mineral veins on West Mountain. The mines we invested in a few years ago have a much lower output than the mines that are currently being auctioned off."

"Ugh!"

Zhang Mao paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

At this moment, he was extremely agitated.

It was as if he were giving away his silver for no reason, and the merchants were bidding at ridiculously high prices, as if every single ounce should be pocketed by him.

"Then... sir, shall we make our move this afternoon?"

The servant asked again.

"Offering tens of thousands of taels of silver to buy a mine in one go? Only a madman would offer such a price!" Zhang Mao asked with a dark face. "Where's the Zhang family boy? Haven't we found him yet? Bring him here right now!"

The lure of silver can drive people mad. When Zhang Mao heard that a mine could be sold for tens of thousands of taels of silver, his eyes turned red, and he lost all reason.

The servant said, "That second young master is no longer on the mountain. I heard from the Embroidered Uniform Guard that he returned to the city last night. After the merchants win the bid, they will send the silver directly to the nearest imperial estate, where eunuchs work. Then they can directly register the property with the government."

"They have the Embroidered Uniform Guard, as well as people from the Imperial Household Department, the Ministry of Revenue, and local prefectures and counties backing them up. They are escorted by special personnel along the way. As long as they mine in the areas they buy in the mountains, no one can interfere with them. His Majesty has issued an edict that anyone who causes trouble in the Western Mountains... will be punished without mercy!"

……

……

At this time, Zhang Yanling had not actually left Xishan.

But he didn't need to meet anyone who was interested in bidding for the coal mine; even Qin Zhao couldn't see him at this time.

The rule set by Zhang Yanling was to handle official business strictly, because he was now representing the imperial power and was helping the emperor make money, not for personal gain. But in reality, he did have absolute discretion in private; he could sell to whomever he wanted and at whatever price he wanted.

The auction on the mountain was in full swing, while Zhang Yanling prepared to leave that afternoon to return to Beijing to take care of other matters.

Now that he has sold the ore and has plenty of silver, he must hurry up and smelt iron and begin casting cannons.

However, before leaving, he made an exception and met with a special guest, none other than Sun You, the head of the Sun family, the family of his former brother-in-law whom Zhang Luan had specifically requested to receive "special treatment" from.

Perhaps Sun You also realized that if he sent his daughter out to negotiate again, the two families would definitely not be able to reach an agreement, so he took matters into his own hands.

"Second son."

When Sun You met Zhang Yanling, he was as respectful as a commoner meeting a superior, almost kneeling down and kowtowing to Zhang Yanling.

Zhang Yanling didn't bother with formalities. He hadn't wanted to make an exception for Sun You in the matter of selling the mine, but Sun You needed something from him, and he didn't want people to think the Zhang family was ungrateful. So, to maintain a good reputation among the villagers in Hejian Prefecture, he took time out of his busy schedule to meet him.

"Please take a seat."

Zhang Yanling was quite polite.

Sun You then sat down and recounted what he had seen and heard that morning, and sincerely exclaimed, "I never imagined that a coal mine could fetch such a high price as tens of thousands of taels of silver."

This statement was a test of Zhang Yanling's attitude towards the Sun family's purchase of the mine.

Zhang Yanling said, "I have explained to your daughter in detail before that as long as your Sun family is willing, you can buy the coal mine at the low price of five thousand taels of silver. But the mine cannot be put on the market to avoid affecting the market price and making people think that my Zhang family is being biased and opening doors for relatives and friends, which would damage the reputation of my Zhang family."

"This……"

Sun You asked, "Is there any particular reason behind this?"

Zhang Yanling said irritably, "Uncle Sun, don't you understand a simple principle? This mine was excavated and sold by our Zhang family for the imperial court. Why should it be sold to an acquaintance at a low price?"

"It is precisely because of the friendship between our two families that my father specifically asked me to make an exception, and as his son, I have no choice but to obey. Since it is an exception, there should still be some rules to follow, right?"

"Ah, yes, yes."

Sun Youlian nodded repeatedly.

Zhang Yanling continued, “If this coal mine enters the market at a low price, others will think that they can ask someone familiar with my Zhang family to come and plead for them, so that they don’t have to participate in the bidding at a high price. Wouldn’t that break the rules?”
"Therefore, the mine I sold to you at a low price is a special case. Consider it as a mine that I found for your Sun family privately, without going through the imperial court, and the proceeds will still go to the government treasury. If anyone holds us accountable, then let our Zhang family take responsibility."

Sun You was very upset when he heard this.

You discovered the mine yourself. Your father is the emperor's father-in-law, and you are also the emperor's brother-in-law. Shouldn't you be able to sell it to whomever you want? Why make it so complicated?

However, Sun You also keenly realized that the Zhang family now pays great attention to fairness and thoroughness in their actions, and what he was doing was actually going against the Zhang family's principles of conduct.

Zhang Yanling asked, "Uncle Sun, have you made a decision yet? Are you prepared to purchase the coal mine with five thousand taels of silver?"

"Our Sun family cannot come up with that much silver at the moment."

Sun You asked with a troubled expression, "Do you think... it's possible to partner with someone else?"

"hehe."

Zhang Yanling smiled.

If we don't let you resell it, you want to find partners to run the business together and share the risks, right?
Do you really think this rule was made specifically for your Sun family? There are so many people who are familiar with the Zhang family now, only your Sun family has the nerve to come to us begging for this favor.

However, considering that the Sun family had been living a good life, but because his family rose to prominence after breaking off the engagement, he was unwilling to accept this and insisted on going to the capital to do business, which eventually led to the decline of his family's fortunes... Zhang Yanling knew very well that all of this was due to the butterfly effect he had created.

To put it bluntly, the Sun family simply didn't recognize their own position and took themselves too seriously.

Sun You said helplessly, "I really want to do this business, but coming up with five thousand taels of silver at once is simply... impossible. I told your father before that my Sun family was willing to make some compromises, but who knew..."

Zhang Yanling laughed and said, "You mean, you want to marry your daughter into my Zhang family? I'm sorry, business is business, it's best not to involve other things."

Sun You's old face flushed red, clearly embarrassed, but he still nodded and said, "I know that with your family's current social standing, the Sun family is indeed not worthy of your presence. How about this? My daughter is now of marriageable age, so how about sending her to your home... as a concubine..."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yanling's expression changed drastically, clearly astonished by Sun You's shamelessness.

That's a bit of a pipe dream.

The key point is...

Sun You not only said that his daughter, Sun Chengying, would come to the Zhang family as a concubine, but he didn't even specify who she would be a concubine to.

In other words, I'm selling my daughter to your Zhang family as a commodity. You can decide which of your three male members wants to take her as a concubine.

Since I'm not marrying off my daughter here anymore, I might as well sell her off or give her away for free.

Sun You said with a serious and determined expression, "This old man speaks from the bottom of his heart, and I hope that the Second Young Master will consider it carefully."

Zhang Yanling asked coldly, "Uncle Sun, do you want my Zhang family to be condemned by everyone?"

"what!?"

Sun You clearly did not expect Zhang Yanling's reaction to be so strong.

“My elder sister was indeed engaged to your son, but the annulment of the engagement was a mutual decision, a result of considering both fate and destiny. It was after the annulment that your son’s health improved significantly, and my elder sister, free from all ties, came to the capital to be selected as the Crown Princess… At that time, our two families had no further connection, am I right?”

Zhang Yanling questioned.

Sun You quickly agreed: "That's right, that's correct."

Zhang Yanling continued, "Since there is no longer any connection, the subsequent marriage of my elder sister should be decided by my Zhang family. There is no grudge between us, right? Yet you have repeatedly come to plead for my father based on our past relationship, trying to soften his heart and even asking me to make an exception. I have done so. In terms of friendship, my Zhang family has not violated any etiquette!"

"Yes."

Sun You's head was lowered.

He was thoroughly embarrassed after being scolded by the younger generation.

Zhang Yanling said, "If that's the case, why bring up the matter of making your daughter a concubine? If word gets out, people will think that my Zhang family is ungrateful, completely disregarding the kindness we showed you back then, and even kicking you when you're down!"

"No, no, no... I absolutely did not mean that."

Sun You said with a mournful face, "In the past two years, things have not gone well for my Sun family. Businesses have been mostly unprofitable. We really can't come up with any money now, so that's why... Second Young Master, please don't be angry. This marriage is absolutely not intended to tarnish the reputation of your Zhang family."

Zhang Yanling's face darkened, and he said nothing more.

Sun You continued, "Alas, my daughter is past the age of marriage, yet... she has not yet found a suitable match. Now she is focused on her business, but alas..."

Zhang Yanling thought to himself, "But your Sun family can't withstand her antics, so you want to send her away to relieve your family's burden, right?"

"Marriage is a major life event, and it has always been decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. Why does Uncle Sun have such worries?"

Zhang Yanling frowned.

Sun You sat there with a bitter expression, lamenting to himself, "Ever since my daughter came to the capital, her attitude has completely changed. She's become willful and arbitrary, doing all sorts of business behind my back, all of which ended in losses. I don't know why she's so obsessed with it, throwing herself into business with all her heart, saying she wants to revitalize the Sun family, but in reality... sigh!"

The more prosperous the business becomes, the faster the family fortune is squandered.

To put it bluntly, Sun Chengying doesn't have Qin Zhao's abilities, but she has the same lofty ambitions as Qin Zhao. Little does she know that her fate is as fragile as paper, or rather, she is simply not cut out for business.

After failing to be chosen as the Crown Princess, he seemed to broaden his horizons and became arrogant and conceited, which resulted in repeated defeats in the business world.

Zhang Yanling said, "Then we should find a place to settle her... or rather, let her stay in her hometown to manage her original businesses and run her shops, wouldn't that be better?"

According to Zhang Yanling, since you think this daughter is incompetent, why not just give her a small shop in Xingji and let her mess around in it? Even if she loses money, she won't lose much. Why do you insist on letting her take charge of the family business?

You have a son, why do you have to create so much trouble for yourself and squander your family fortune?

Sun Youdao said, "I also think so, but..."

Unfortunately, his daughter was too assertive, and he, as her father, was too weak. He always felt that the fact that she wasn't chosen as the Crown Princess was because he had mistreated her in the past, and as a result... his daughter squandered the family fortune little by little.

What a misfortune for the Sun family!
"But you shouldn't just sell your daughter like that."

Zhang Yanling's words were quite direct.

Sun You waved his hand and said, "If she could enter your household, it would be an immense blessing for her. In terms of wealth and status, how many families in the Ming Dynasty can compare to the Zhang family?"

Zhang Yanling quickly changed the subject, saying, "Let me ask you this, Uncle Sun, how much silver can your household produce at one time?"

"Three thousand taels."

Sun You held up three fingers and said, "This is the most we can come up with. Even for subsequent recruitment, mining, and other matters, we might not be able to raise the necessary funds. And..."

Zhang Yanling laughed and said, "What, are you worried that if your daughter stays at home and isn't sent away quickly, she will interfere with the family business again, and even this three thousand taels of silver will be lost?"

Sun You didn't admit it, but judging from his expression, that was probably the gist of it.

Zhang Yanling said, "How about this? That Master Qin has a long-standing relationship with your daughter. I'll send your daughter there to receive guidance from Master Qin and hone her business skills. For now... we won't let her return to the manor. What do you think?"

"what?"

Sun You seemed quite surprised. What kind of explanation was this?
Zhang Yanling sighed softly: "If your daughter wants to do business, she must know how to manage it. First of all, she must have vision and a broad perspective, and know how to make choices. She needs someone to teach her carefully, and now there happens to be a good teacher there. Why not learn from him up close?"

"Chief Qin, she..."

Sun You wanted to say, "Do you think the renowned Huizhou merchant tycoon, Manager Qin, would be so fond of his daughter? Does he have nothing better to do?"

Zhang Yanling thought about it carefully for a moment before saying, "As for your daughter, send three thousand taels of silver to me first. Have her sign the indenture and such. My Zhang family will not take her in, but will send her to Master Qin's tutelage to learn how to do business. With my influence, Master Qin should agree."

"Once your family earns three thousand taels of silver in the future, you can redeem her. Marriage is not a problem. What do you think?"

Sun You's eyes widened instantly.

That look of surprise clearly said, "There's such a good thing?"

I've seen people pawn their family property, and even pawn their daughters... They can pawn them to send her to study and further her education, and they can even redeem them at any time...

"it is good."

Sun You immediately agreed.

Zhang Yanling asked with a curious look, "Uncle Sun, aren't you going to ask about the interest rate?"

"Anything is fine, everything is fine."

Sun You's relaxed expression clearly said, "I've already sold my daughter for a whopping three thousand taels of silver. Only a fool would redeem her."

With these three thousand taels, I could take dozens of concubines home and have a litter of daughters. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

(End of this chapter)