The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 413 The Flames of War in Xi'an: A Gamble by Merchants in a Chaotic World

The Fan family in Datong Prefecture, Xijing (Western Capital) of the Jin Dynasty.

The second brother, Fan Zhongyi, lifted the curtain and strode in, bringing with him a chill, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Facing the head of the family, Fan Zhongxin, who was holding a teacup, he said urgently, "Brother, the news is spreading like wildfire in the streets."

Fan Zhongxin put down his teacup, looked up at him, and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table: "What's the panic? Speak slowly, what are you spreading?"

Fan Zhongyi took a few steps closer, lowered his voice, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light: "The west."

As he spoke, he quickly pointed west, towards the direction of the northern frontier: "I just came back from the street, and many people are saying that a country has been established to the west... and its name is Ming."

With a loud crash, Fan Zhongxin's teacup slammed heavily against the edge of the table.

His pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of shock flashed across his face, which was then replaced by ecstatic joy: "A nation has been founded? A nation has really been founded?"

Fan Zhongyi nodded vigorously: "No mistake. I've heard several regular customers say that Li Xiao, the Prince of Qin in the Northern Frontier, has officially declared himself emperor and established a country, with the reign title Wutai."

Fan Zhongxin suddenly stood up, paced around the warm pavilion, and his eyes gleamed.

No one knows that the Fan family, which now wields great influence in Datong Prefecture, was once just a small merchant family that couldn't even afford to rent a shop.

The Fan family's rise to prominence was entirely due to Fan Zhongxin's gamble with his life back then.

He risked his life to sneak into the Western Regions with several cartloads of silk and tea, and managed to earn his first pot of gold.

From then on, the Fan family became inextricably linked with the Northern Frontier, and their smuggling trade grew larger and larger. Tea, salt, iron, and even the occasional arms—as long as the Northern Frontier needed them, they always found a way to transport them there.

Over the years, he has spent a lot of money to bribe officials of all ranks in Datong Prefecture, from the prefect to the inspector. Almost all of them have become the Fan family's "allies of interest." He has already made sure that he can make a steady and secure way between the Jin Kingdom and the northern frontier.

"Okay, okay."

Fan Zhongxin stopped and clapped his hands, his tone full of high spirits: "I said back then that the King of Qin was no ordinary person. Betting on the Northern Frontier was the best bet I ever made."

He turned around and looked at Fan Zhongyi, his eyes sharpening: "Pass down the order to have your men prepare to increase smuggling efforts with the Ming Dynasty in the future."

"Whether it's grain, cloth, or ironware that they urgently need, as long as we can get it, we'll transport it north."

“Price is negotiable. We won’t make a profit from that small difference. If we’re going to make a profit, we’ll make a profit for our future.”

Fan Zhongyi's eyes lit up: "Brother, you mean..."

"This world will eventually belong to the Ming Dynasty."

Fan Zhongxin said with certainty and a hint of anticipation, "When the Ming cavalry enters the Central Plains in the future, our Fan family will have made a great contribution to the dynasty."

"If we're lucky, we might even be granted a noble title; even if we're not, with our relationship with the Ming Dynasty, we can still do business there, and it will only be much bigger than it is now."

Fan Zhongyi smiled and nodded: "Big brother is indeed farsighted, but..."

He changed the subject, a hint of concern on his face: "The people sent by the imperial court just left not long ago. Wouldn't it be too conspicuous for us to increase our efforts now?"

Fan Zhongxin's smile faded slightly, and he snorted coldly: "Those officials are all as cunning as monkeys."

"With a salary of only a few hundred taels a year, who would really risk their life to investigate smuggling?"

"The profits we give them each time are equivalent to several years' worth of their salaries."

"They know perfectly well what's going on, but they'll just turn a blind eye."

"These days, having money in your hand is the most reassuring thing. Who would turn down money?"

He paused, then added, "Besides, we have the Privy Councilor's backing, so what are we afraid of?"

"Last time, when the King of Yue sent people to investigate arms smuggling, they found nothing, didn't they?"

"The armor and food supplies that were missing in the treasury have long been replenished from other places. Those imperial envoys spent half a month making a mess of things, but they still returned empty-handed."

Fan Zhongyi was relieved and was about to say something when the butler's voice came from outside the door: "Master, Manager Wu has arrived and is waiting in the outer hall."

"Manager Wu?"

Fan Zhongxin raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Manager Wu is the owner of another large merchant house in Datong Prefecture. Although he usually has dealings with the Fan family, they are not particularly close. His sudden visit at this time is probably not so simple.

He gave Fan Zhongyi a wink and said in a deep voice, "Let him in."

Before long, Manager Wu walked in, rubbing his hands together, with a polite smile on his face.

His eyes darted around unconsciously, a hint of unease in them: "Brother Fan, please forgive my intrusion."

Fan Zhongxin invited him to sit down, picked up a teacup and handed it to him, saying in a calm tone, "Brother Wu, you're too kind. What brings you here on such a cold day?"

Shopkeeper Wu took the teacup but didn't drink it. He sighed and a worried look appeared on his face: "Brother Fan, have you heard? The west... has established a nation."

He lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard: "I heard that the people of the Northern Frontier are very barbaric. They have seized all the land in Guanzhong and Hexi, and many noble families have been ruined and killed. It's a terrible situation!"

As he spoke, he secretly observed Fan Zhongxin's expression and continued, "Tell me, what should we do if the barbarians from the northern frontier attack Datong one day?"

“Our Wu family owns a lot of land and several businesses. If they seize all of them, we will really have no way to survive.”

Fan Zhongxin felt a chill run down his spine and instantly understood Manager Wu's purpose.

This is to probe the bottom.

He calmly put down his teacup, a look of righteous indignation on his face: "Brother Wu, you are overthinking this."

"How could our Jin army, so valiant, allow those barbarians from the northern frontier to cross the Yellow River?"

"I've heard that His Highness the King of Yue is trying to persuade His Majesty to launch a western expedition to reclaim Guanzhong and even take over the Hexi Corridor!"

"As long as His Majesty nods, it won't be long before we can drive those barbarians back."

"At that time, we won't have to be afraid, and we can even expand our business to the Hexi Corridor. That's a whole new path!"

Shopkeeper Wu's eyes flickered, and he continued, "But... but last time, the Northern Frontier people won a great victory in Guanzhong, and the Great Jin lost over 100,000 troops..."

"That's because our Great Jin was not prepared enough."

Fan Zhongxin interrupted him, his tone firm: "It was only because the people of the Northern Frontier lacked martial ethics and shamelessly launched a sneak attack that they managed to win by sheer luck."

"Now that our Great Jin is well-prepared and has a million-strong army, how could we possibly be defeated so easily?"

"Brother Wu, don't be fooled by these rumors. Just focus on your business. With the imperial court around, we're all perfectly safe."

Seeing that he was unmoved by reason, Manager Wu's face showed even more worry.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally gritted his teeth, leaned forward, and lowered his voice even further: "Brother Fan, we're old acquaintances, so I won't beat around the bush."

"I know you have connections in the northern frontier that can make a lot of money... Could you give me a hand?"

His eyes were urgent. "I don't care about making a lot of money. I just hope that if something unexpected happens in the future, I can stay safe."

Fan Zhongxin's heart was filled with alarm bells, but his face instantly changed to a look of fear.

He suddenly stood up, pointed at Manager Wu, and said in a trembling voice, "Brother Wu, you can't just say things like that."

"What 'Northern Xinjiang approach'?"

“My Fan family has always done business in Datong with a clean reputation. How could we possibly have any connection with the barbarians of the Northern Frontier?”

"This is slander! You're trying to destroy the Fan family!"

Shopkeeper Wu was startled by his reaction and quickly waved his hand, "Brother Fan, don't get agitated, I just... I just said it casually..."

"You can't just say it offhand."

Fan Zhongxin's face turned ashen, and his tone was stern: "If these words get out and the authorities hear them, both our families will be finished."

"Brother Wu, I think you've been scared out of your mind by the rumors. You should go back quickly and don't mention such things again."

Manager Wu was rebuffed, his face flushing red and then pale. He stood up awkwardly, mumbled a few "Yes, yes, yes," and left looking dejected.

As he watched Manager Wu's figure disappear outside the door, the fear on Fan Zhongxin's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold expression.

He summoned the steward and instructed him, "Go and find out who this man surnamed Wu has been associating with recently."

"Yes, sir."

Fan Zhongxin returned to his seat, picked up the teacup that had long since gone cold, and looked deep in thought.

Although he kept his smuggling activities secret, it was inevitable that word would leak out. Manager Wu could guess that others might also be suspicious.

However, with the imperial envoy having just left and the storm having passed, he did not want to cause any further trouble.

Moreover, the more people who know about this way of making money, the greater the risk. Manager Wu may say he's just hoping for peace, but if something really happens, he might be the first one to betray Fan Zhongxin.

"Want a share of the pie? No problem, I, Fan, am a magnanimous person."

Fan Zhongxin sneered: "But I'm afraid you'll eat my food and then take my life."

Fan Zhongxin knew that he had to be more cautious in order to secure a long-term survival for the Fan family in this chaotic world.

On the other side, Fan Zhongyi also nodded slightly, his brows furrowed, and his tone was serious: "Brother, this old man doesn't seem to have any good intentions."

"Like a venomous snake, it pretends to be pitiful on the surface, but who knows what kind of bad scheme it's plotting behind the scenes!"

Fan Zhongxin ran his fingertips along the edge of the teacup, his gaze darkening. "It's still hard to say whether he's acting under someone's orders or simply trying to curry favor."

He paused, then changed the subject, his tone decisive and leaving no room for doubt: "No matter what, hold off for now, don't ship any more goods recently."

"I originally planned to transport that batch of grain to the northern desert as soon as possible, but now it seems that I have to wait until the storm has completely passed before I can do so."

Although Fan Zhongyi felt a little regretful, he understood the implications and nodded in agreement, saying, "I'll listen to you, brother. Better safe than sorry."

This wait lasted for a month.

Datong Prefecture was peaceful and quiet; there were no government officials coming to question them, and no more rumors about smuggling resurfaced.

Fan Zhongxin observed for several days and, seeing that there was indeed no movement, breathed a sigh of relief and issued an order to prepare for shipment.

This time, the cargo is grain. The northern desert region is short of food, and people mainly eat meat and dairy products. After the grain is transported there, they can bring back rare items from the northern desert region on the return trip, such as furs, matches, glass, and rouge.

Although the Jin state also possessed these goods, the Ming dynasty and the Jin state had established border trade markets.

However, high border taxes keep their prices high.

The Fan family smuggled the goods, which reduced the price by more than half. Even if someone questioned them, they could produce forged "official customs clearance documents" and claim that they had purchased them through legal channels.

Soon after, the grain was transferred from the official granary. Fan Zhongxin stood on the city wall, watching the procession of carriages and horses slowly drive away. He felt his eyelids twitching violently and his heart was filled with unease.

He clenched his fists and muttered, "God help me, please don't let anything happen."

Whatever is scary comes from it.

Late at night, Fan Zhongxin had just fallen asleep when he was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

He sat up abruptly, his heart skipped a beat, and before he could speak, Fan Zhongyi called out urgently from outside the door: "Brother, something terrible has happened."

"The imperial envoy has returned and is heading towards the official granary!"

"What?" Fan Zhongxin's vision went black, and he almost fell off the bed.

He staggered to his feet, not even having time to put on his shoes properly, rushed to the door, grabbed Fan Zhongyi's arm, and his voice trembled: "How could this be? Didn't the imperial envoy leave a month ago? How come he's suddenly back?"

"I do not know!"

Fan Zhongyi was sweating profusely and his eyes were red: "The news that my men just got from the city gate says that the imperial envoy led a team of elite soldiers and entered the city quietly, heading straight for the official granary."

"Brother, we've fallen into their trap! They deliberately waited until we let our guard down before launching a surprise attack!"

Fan Zhongxin felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and only one thought remained in his mind: It's over.

A batch of grain had just been transferred from the official granary. If the imperial envoy found out that the granary was short of grain, and followed the clues, their smuggling of weapons and collusion with the enemy in the northern border would be exposed sooner or later.

At that point, not only will the Fan family's foundation be lost, but even the lives of the entire family will be in danger.

"Brother, what should we do? Think of something quickly."

Fan Zhongyi grabbed his hand and shouted urgently, "Why don't we run now?"

"We'll flee to the Ming Dynasty overnight. With our relationship with the Ming Dynasty, we're sure to be able to make a comeback there."

run away?

Fan Zhongxin's heart stirred, but he immediately shook his head.

He worked his way up from a small merchant to a wealthy businessman in Datong Prefecture. This business was built through his hard work and dedication. How could he be willing to give it up so easily?
Moreover... things haven't reached a dead end yet.

He took a deep breath, a fierce glint in his eyes, clenched his fist, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Why are you running?"

"burn!"

"Burn down the official granary so they can't find anything out."

"Big brother..."

Fan Zhongyi was stunned by his words, his lips trembling as he said, "That's hundreds of thousands of shi of grain!"

Although it was an official granary, thanks to the Fan family's connections and bribes, a lot of rats were stuffed inside, making it easy to burn down the granary.

But precisely because they were so deeply involved in the affairs of the official granary, the Fan family would not be able to escape once the official granary collapsed.

"It must be burned."

Fan Zhongxin glared at him fiercely, his voice hoarse: "At this time, we must not be soft-hearted."

"If the deficit in the official granary is discovered, which of our thirty-member Fan family will survive?"

"Burning down the government granary will at least cut off their trail, and we'll still have room to maneuver."

He paused, his tone becoming even more somber: "The lives and fortunes of our entire Fan family of thirty are far more precious than those hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain."

"Now is not the time to worry about food, it is the time to save lives."

Seeing the determination in his elder brother's eyes, Fan Zhongyi hardened his heart and nodded heavily: "Okay, elder brother, I'll go and make the arrangements right away."

After saying that, he turned and rushed out.

After Fan Zhongyi left, Fan Zhongxin paced back and forth in the room alone, his steps heavy as if filled with lead.

He walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky outside, gritted his teeth, and muttered to himself.

"Fine, you're playing dirty tricks on me and trying to make things difficult for me, then you won't have an easy time either."

"Currently, there is a famine in the Central Plains, but the imperial court is hoarding these hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain as military rations, intending to use them against the Ming Dynasty."

A cold smile flashed in his eyes: "Now we'll burn it all down and see what they use as military rations."

"Without food, how can the army fight?"

"Perhaps, my fire will be another contribution to the Ming Dynasty."

As long as we can get through this ordeal, the Fan family will be able to hold their heads high when the Ming Dynasty takes control of the Central Plains.

Not long after, a burst of flames shot into the sky from the direction of the Datong Prefecture granary, the orange-red flames licking the night sky and dyeing half of the sky crimson.

Fan Zhongxin stood on the high platform in his courtyard, watching the ever-growing sea of ​​fire. He had just breathed a sigh of relief; the evidence was finally destroyed.
Before he could even relax, a servant came running over, tumbling and crawling, his voice filled with extreme panic: "Master, something terrible has happened!"

"The Second Master sent me to report that the Imperial Envoy... the Imperial Envoy was burned to death in the government granary."

"what?"

Fan Zhongxin was struck dumb, frozen in place, his composure instantly crumbling.

"What did you say? The imperial envoy is inside too? How could this be?"

He clearly only ordered the burning of the granary, without causing any casualties, and never intended to involve the imperial envoy.

"I heard from the people at the official granary that when the Imperial Envoy saw the fire, he insisted on personally leading people in to put it out."

"But not long after he went in, the beams of the granary collapsed, trapping him inside..." the servant explained, trembling.

Fan Zhongxin's clothes were instantly soaked with cold sweat.

This is bad, this is really bad.

Burning the granary was merely to destroy evidence, but burning the imperial envoy to death completely changed the nature of the matter.

This is an open act of defiance against the Jin Dynasty court, a heinous crime of treason.

He originally thought that with the Pu San family backing him up, even if things got out of hand, he could suppress them. But now that even the imperial envoy is dead, even the Pu San family probably can't protect him anymore.

Even more frightening is that, in order to protect themselves, the Pu San family might immediately "sacrifice the pawn to save the king," shifting all the blame onto the Fan family.

"We can't wait any longer, we have to go."

Fan Zhongxin snapped out of his daze, a resolute glint in his eyes, and decisively instructed the steward, "We can't stay in Datong Prefecture any longer. Pack your things immediately, take your whole family, and leave the city as soon as the gates open at dawn."

Over the years, Fan Zhongxin had been involved in smuggling and had prepared several escape routes outside the city, including carriages, horses, and customs documents.

The Fan family, consisting of more than thirty people, carrying their packed gold, silver and valuables, left Datong Prefecture early the next morning, taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on the official granary.

At this time, the fire was still burning, and the 500,000 shi of grain inside would probably burn for a long time.

Fan Zhongxin's heart was in his throat the whole way, and he only breathed a sigh of relief when he was sure there were no pursuers.

He glanced back at the receding outline of Datong Prefecture, his heart filled with resentment.

This was the foundation he had built up over half his life, but now he had to abandon it. However, compared to the lives of his entire family, this was nothing.

Three days later, a fierce argument was taking place in the imperial palace of Zhongdu, the capital of the Jin Dynasty.

King Wanyan Yonggong of Yue glared angrily: "Our Jin imperial envoy was killed in Datong, the official granary was burned, and less than 200,000 shi of grain remain out of 500,000 shi."

"This is a blatant provocation against our Great Jin Kingdom and a disrespect to His Majesty. It must be thoroughly investigated, the mastermind found, and the perpetrators brought to justice."

Privy Councilor Pusan ​​Shilie remained calm and firmly said, "Your Highness, Prince Yue, please calm your anger."

"There is one thing I don't understand: when did the imperial court send an imperial envoy to Datong Prefecture? How come I didn't know about it?"

"Hmph, that 'imperial envoy' is not an imperial envoy officially appointed by His Majesty. He is merely someone His Highness privately sent to Datong to investigate a case."

"Besides, the weather in Datong has been dry lately, and the official granaries are full of grain. It might just have been an accidental fire. Why is Your Highness making such a fuss and insisting that it was done on purpose?"

He knew better than anyone that Fan Zhongxin's smuggling business was connected to his nephew, and that most of the profits ultimately went into his own pocket.

The reason Wanyan Yonggong kept pressing this matter was not because of the imperial envoy or the grain, but because he wanted to use it to implicate his nephew and bring him down.

Therefore, he had to hold on and absolutely could not let Wanyan Yonggong's scheme succeed.

In fact, upon learning that the imperial envoy had been burned to death, Pusan ​​Shilie immediately sent men to Datong to silence him.

He had to silence the Fan brothers forever, otherwise his nephew would be finished once they were arrested.

"Accident?"

Wanyan Yonggong sneered: "Fifty thousand shi of grain burned down to only two hundred thousand shi, and my court officials were killed in the fire. You call that an accident?"

“Pu San Shi Lie, you are clearly protecting the murderer.”

"Your Highness, the King of Yue, cannot make false accusations."

Pusan ​​Shilie also became angry: "I am wholeheartedly devoted to the Great Jin, how can you say I am protecting him?"

"It is Your Highness who has privately dispatched people to exercise the power of an imperial envoy. Now that something has gone wrong, you want to shift the blame to others. I really cannot agree with that."

The two of them were arguing with each other.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Wanyan Yongji squinted, his face haggard, his heart burning with rage.

Regardless of the infighting within the court, the 300,000 shi of grain burned in Datong Prefecture was a real loss. That grain was the foundation of the Great Jin Dynasty and the military rations it used to deal with the Ming Dynasty and stabilize the court.

Thinking of this, his heart ached terribly.

"enough."

Wanyan Yongji slammed his hand on the dragon throne, his voice hoarse yet carrying a hint of authority: "What kind of behavior is this, arguing back and forth like this?"

Wanyan Yongji was already unpopular and lacked prestige. Even though he was now displaying his imperial power, Wanyan Yonggong was still not intimidated. Instead, he stared at him with a provocative look.

They seemed determined not to give up until they brought down Pusan ​​Shilie.

Wanyan Yongji was furious about this, feeling that these princes of the imperial clan simply didn't respect him.

However, there was no other way. In order not to provoke a backlash from Wanyan Yonggong, Wanyan Yongji could only turn his attention to Pusan ​​Shilie.

This incompetent man can't even control his own subordinates, causing such a huge mess.

However, the King of Yue now wields immense power in the court. If Pusan ​​Shilie falls, he will lose someone who can restrain the King of Yue, and his position as emperor will become even more unstable.

After much deliberation, Wanyan Yongji finally spoke, his tone clearly biased: "We've investigated this matter thoroughly, but we haven't found any leads."

"In my opinion, it must be those grain merchants in Datong Prefecture who were blinded by greed and secretly colluded with outsiders, which led to the fire in the official granary."

"Order the garrison in Xijing to immediately arrest the Fan family and other related individuals, interrogate them rigorously, and make sure to find out the truth."

He deliberately pinned the blame on the "minor figures" of the Fan family, thus both giving King Yue an explanation and protecting Pusan ​​Shilie.

At the same time, this opportunity can also be used to get rid of those unruly people under Pusan ​​Shilie's command, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

What Wanyan Yongji didn't know was that Fan Zhongxin had already fled Datong Prefecture with his family long before he gave the order.

It took time for messages to travel between Datong and Zhongdu.

This period of time was enough for Fan Zhongxin to travel westward and reach the banks of the Yellow River.

At this moment, Fan Zhongxin was sitting on a boat heading to Hexi, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The boat quickly reached the middle of the river. Once they crossed this great river, they would be in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and they would be completely safe.

He stood at the bow of the ship, gazing in the direction of the Jin Kingdom, his eyes resolute, and murmured to himself, "Datong Prefecture, Zhongdu... I, Fan Zhongxin, will definitely return."

Once he reaches the Ming Dynasty, given his connection with the Ming, he will eventually be able to make a comeback and reclaim everything that belongs to him.

(End of this chapter)