Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 362 The Duke of England's Decision
Zhang Weixian threw the note aside and asked Zhang Zhiji, "What does Wuqing Hou want to do by handing over this note?"

Zhang Zhiji picked up the note and opened it. "I'd like to invite you to Tsinghua University for a chat tomorrow."

"What are you talking about? I'm not going." Zhang Weixian frowned. "Just say I'm sick."

"Uh." Zhang Zhiji placed the opened post in front of Zhang Weixian. "You should take a look first."

Although the four generations of Dukes of Yingguo since Zhang Rong looked down on Li Wei's family, on the surface, or at least in the eyes of outsiders and the Wuqing Marquises themselves, the relationship between the Zhang family and the Li family was still good, otherwise the Wuqing Marquisate would not have sent an invitation letter to the Duke of Yingguo's family.

"Isn't it still the Tianjin issue?" Zhang Weixian was genuinely furious. "That bastard Li Mingcheng has already left my family, and he's still thinking of sending someone to Tianjin?" Zhang Weixian saw the invitation letter, which said he was invited to Tsinghua University to discuss Tianjin business, and immediately assumed that Wuqing Hou had accepted someone's money to insert someone into the lucrative position of Tianjin Zhongwei.

"It's about the Tianjin matter, yes," Zhang Zhiji sensed the sudden seriousness in his father's brow, and he too grew serious. "But I don't think the Marquis of Wuqing is writing to ask for a meeting just to fill the vacancy."

Zhang Weixian blinked, his gaze drifting to Zhang Zhiji's face. "If it's not to fill a vacancy, then why?"

Zhang Zhiji pointed to the word "business" on the post and said, "Of course it's business."

"What business?" Zhang Weixian hadn't asked about the family business for a long time.

"Grain prices in Liaodong have dropped." The Zhang family also had a grain caravan, and it had left Liaodong and returned to the interior earlier than the Zhu and Li caravans. Therefore, Zhang Zhiji actually learned of the falling grain prices even earlier than Zhu Chunchen did, but he didn't react too strongly to it, let alone disturb his father about it.

Zhang Weixian didn't quite understand the phrase "lowering grain prices."

"It's not a loss, it's just that the profit is a little less." Zhang Zhiji said.

"What's there to say?" Zhang Weixian said matter-of-factly. "The Xiong Manzi has implemented grain price controls in Liaodong, so of course grain prices will fall. Do you really think the price of seven taels of silver per dan of meat will remain the same forever?"

Liaodong's economic situation was distorted. With numerous soldiers and abundant silver, the region could not meet its own food needs and had to rely on imports. This kept grain prices high. If rice prices reached four or even seven taels of silver per dan (a dan) within the Great Wall, this would either result in a sudden surge in silver prices, as seen in the case of military pay, causing inflation, or a massive production decline in grain-producing areas, leading to a severe imbalance between supply and demand. In the latter case, some areas would face a virtual cannibalism.

"You know all these things?" Zhang Zhiji was stunned. He always thought that his father didn't understand or care about these things.

"Nonsense! The Ministry of War has already written it down, how could I not know about it?" Zhang Weixian's face flashed with a fleeting smugness. "But the grain prices in Liaodong have dropped. What does that have to do with Tianjin?"

"This trade route may be cut off." After Zhang Zhiji received the invitation from Li Guorui, he immediately sent people to investigate the recent events in Tianjin.

"What do you mean?" Zhang Weixian's emotions fluctuated a little, but not obviously.

"You know Li Changgeng, right?" Zhang Zhiji decided to start the explanation with Li Changgeng.

"The Minister of Finance, Li Youqing. What happened to him?" Zhang Weixian recalled and did not remember having read any memorials related to him recently.

Zhang Zhiji said, "Minister Li was summoned to Beijing to see the emperor. He came to Beijing probably because a military governor named Zhang Quan submitted a memorial to the emperor requesting that the Ministry of Revenue send grain and money to Gaizhou."

"And then?" Zhang Weixian held his chin and twirled his beard. Zhang Weixian's beard was beautifully trimmed, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the "Beautiful Bearded Man."

"Then Minister Li left. He left yesterday." Seeing that his father had no intention of continuing, Zhang Zhiji slowly told his analysis:
"Transporting grain from Weicheng to Beitang, then from Beitang to Gaizhou, and finally from Gaizhou to Liaoyang, all this time can be done by boat, saving a lot of time compared to land transportation. Neither the Tatars nor the Jiannu can disrupt sea transport, and the cost of robbing river ships along the way would certainly be higher than robbing grain transport teams on the road. This way, the manpower required for escorting can also be saved. In this way, even if the grain is transported all the way to Shenyang, the cost of transporting one dan of grain will not exceed one or two taels of silver. In other words, if the emperor really orders Minister Li to make such a change, the land transportation of grain will definitely be cut off."

"Hmm." Zhang Weixian listened silently and asked, "How much money has your family made from this business in the past few years?"

Zhang Zhiji calculated for a moment. "If we take into account both direct and indirect gains, there should still be 30,000 to 40,000 taels of silver."

"Will it have a big impact if it is broken?" Zhang Weixian asked again.

"There is definitely an impact, but it may not be that big. This money was originally earned because of the Liao incident." The Zhang family's expenses did not change much because of this trade route. The extra money was basically stored in the Zhang family's small silver treasury, which was directly withdrawn from the circulation field and became dead money.

"Then I am sick." Zhang Weixian said.

"Ah?" Zhang Zhiji was puzzled.

"According to what you've discovered, Li Mingcheng invited me to his magnificent estate, which is even more magnificent than Xiyuan, simply to discuss extending his influence to Tianjin and even Liaodong, in order to prevent shipping from being diverted and preserve this trade route." Zhang Weixian pointed a finger at the invitation. "And this invitation certainly wasn't given to just my family. At least the Duke of Chengguo and the Earl of Pingjiang must have received it. But they're protecting their own interests, and my family won't participate."

"You're so energetic today, going to work at the government office, and you're sick tomorrow. I'm afraid this isn't good, right? At least give yourself a perfunctory welcome." Zhang Zhiji saw his father's unhappy expression and offered, "If you don't want to go, I can go too."

"No!" Zhang Weixian said firmly, "You can't go either."

"Wouldn't that be a huge offense? Didn't you yourself mention the Duke of Cheng and the Earl of Pingjiang?" Zhang Zhiji hesitated. "And what if they manage to secure this trade route without us doing anything?"

"It can't be saved!" Zhang Weixian judged: "The decree that Li Xiangbu brought back to Tianjin must have changed the route."

"What have you heard?"

"Hmph, silly boy. You don't need to hear that," Zhang Weixian said. "Before, the Ministry of Revenue mobilized the entire nation to support the Liao cause. But this year, the quota increase is half of last year's, major construction work in the palace has stopped, and even the emperor's mausoleum has been renovated using the old one." Zhang Weixian's eyes lit up as he spoke. "Yet Liaodong's food and wages haven't decreased at all. In fact, they're even more plentiful than last year. What do you think is supporting this difference?"

"The Imperial Treasury." Zhang Zhiji swallowed. "Do you think the Emperor would allow others to pocket the money from the Imperial Treasury?" Zhang Weixian asked again.

"I don't think so." Zhang Zhiji hesitated.

"That's it, then. It's better to offend them than the emperor," Zhang Weixian said. "We can guess what they'll do and what methods they'll use without even having to think too much. It's better if this kind of thing isn't exposed. If it's exposed, people will die."

"But will it really see the light of day?" Zhang Zhiji expressed his doubts. "This time in Tianjin, with such a serious case, the Li family shielded the imperial criminal. If the Jinyiwei had advanced a little further, the window paper would have been broken. But in the end, didn't the emperor still not punish the Li family?"

Zhang Weixian's expression froze, and his high spirits dimmed a lot.

Although the Jinyiwei had almost completely purged all the middle and senior officers in Tianjin Zhongwei, and Li Mingcheng had also withdrawn from the harem, Zhang Weixian still felt that this was indeed a case with a "limited ceiling" similar to the "Li-Zhang marriage."

In the first month of the 24th year of the Wanli reign, Emperor Shenzong discovered that the Wuqing Marquis Li family had married into the eunuch Zhang Cheng, the head of the Imperial Household Department. He was immediately enraged and ordered eunuchs Tian Yi, Sun Xian, and others to arrest Zhang Cheng and his dozens of dependents.

Things developed so quickly that it seemed as if they had been premeditated. Tian Yi and Sun Xian respectively took away Zhang Cheng's positions as the Chief of the Imperial Household Department and the Commander of the Eastern Depot. Meanwhile, the assets of Zhang Cheng and his cronies were quickly confiscated and put into the inner treasury.

The emperor also sentenced Zhang Cheng and his followers severely. Zhang Cheng himself and some of his followers were spared death due to their long service to the emperor and were sent to the Jingjun Army. A large number of people, including Zhang Xun, the person involved, and Huo Wenbing, the deputy captain of the Jinyiwei, were sentenced to death.

However, the other party involved, the Wuqing Marquis Li family, suffered virtually no damage. Zhang Cheng died mysteriously shortly after being exiled to the Jingjun Army, but Wuqing Marquis Li Wenquan, who orchestrated the marriage, lived peacefully until his death in the 36th year of the Wanli reign. During this time, the Li family even continued to work, a testament to the utter indifference of fate.

In this Tianjin case, the Imperial Guards had clearly already traced the case back to the Li family residence. Luo Sigong's son, Luo Yangxing, had even surrounded the Li family's mansion. Just as Luo Yangxing had said, if the Imperial Guards had advanced just a little further, the situation would have been broken. However, in the end, the case was abruptly concluded with Li Mingcheng's retirement due to illness and old age.

Zhang Weixian could understand that the Emperor's decision was likely motivated by the Empress Dowager's kindness and willingness to spare the Li family. However, he remained dissatisfied. In his view, Li Mingcheng and the other worms that relied on him to suck the blood of Daming should be expelled in one fell swoop.

Zhang Weixian was silent for a moment before speaking in a tone far less earnest than before: "The Emperor's favor isn't eternal. If the Li family continues to defy His Majesty's will, I'm afraid the Emperor's patience will wear thin. The Emperor hasn't punished the Li family, but those in Tianjin who have attached themselves to them haven't escaped."

Zhang Zhiji did not respond.

After a while, Zhang Weixian seemed to have made a decision. He closed the post and tossed it into the wastebasket with precision.

"Anyway, let them do whatever they want. My Zhang family won't get involved in this matter. Starting tomorrow, I'm sick. You'll be by my bedside, tending to me. You can't go out."

"Yes." Zhang Zhiji replied.

"I'm sick and can't go to the government office, so I have to submit a petition." Zhang Weixian put away his serious expression and smiled. "Please draft one for me."

"Just write it yourself." Zhang Zhiji quickly shook his head.

"I still need to read." Zhang Weixian raised the book and shook it.

"I want to read too." Zhang Zhiji patted his chest. "I bought a lot of new books."

"Read it after you finish writing." Zhang Weixian waved his hand. "Go out, and call me when it's time for dinner."

"Yes." Zhang Zhiji bowed. "Who told you to be sick?"

"You little bastard!" When Zhang Weixian pretended to be angry, Zhang Zhiji also left the study.

--------

The next morning, Zhu Changluo was awakened by his biological clock. He opened his eyes and nudged the concubine who was still sleeping beside him.

That was Wen Meiren from Yongshou Palace, and one of the "Christmas gifts" given to him by Concubine Zheng. The reason she appeared here was because the person who was named to sleep with him yesterday was Mipin from Yongshou Palace.

After serving the emperor several times, Mi Mengshang discovered that the emperor was very energetic and her small body was not able to serve him properly. So, the two times she was summoned recently, she would bring one of the seven other sisters who lived in the same palace to the emperor.

Apart from the fact that she was physically unable to bear it, Mi Mengshang also had feelings of sympathy for her brothers and sisters.

Before being redeemed by Consort Zheng Mengjing and sent to the emperor's bed, she and seven other sisters had been eating and living together. When they first entered the palace, they were almost in a state of panic and helplessness every day, especially when they learned that they were redeemed only to be placed as spies by the then crown prince Zhu Changluo.

These emotions reached a peak the day they were collectively presented to the new emperor as exquisite Christmas gifts. They feared the emperor would learn that Concubine Zheng's "presenting pearls and jade and eight concubines to the emperor" was not merely a way to reconcile with him and mend their ways, but also a way for them to gather information about his words and deeds. They didn't know if there was some other conspiracy involved, but they knew that, throughout history, those who served as spies around the emperor usually ended badly.

On August 11, the 48th year of the Wanli reign, Christmas Day, the emperor looked gloomy, unlike the previous night. This nearly frightened them to death. They were deeply worried that the emperor's health had been affected by the previous night's madness. Of course, this wasn't because they loved this man, with whom they had only had a one-night stand, but if the emperor died because of their favor, the next emperor would most likely punish them with a white silk scarf. Even if the new emperor didn't kill them, Concubine Zheng would probably kill them and silence them. But fortunately, in the end, the emperor was fine.

They spent several agonizing days in anxiety until the emperor summoned them to the Southern Study to confront Concubine Zheng.

After that confrontation, Mi Mengshang, the "ugly duckling" among the eight beauties, seized her opportunity to rise to prominence, becoming one of the emperor's most favored concubines. While the others didn't receive favors, and were even neglected by the emperor for a long time, they at least escaped the shadow cast by Concubine Zheng. They no longer had to worry about their identities being exposed, leading to constant anxiety.

(End of this chapter)