Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 787 The Second Division of the Western Depot's Execution Bureau and the Field Affairs Division of the Eastern Depot's Service Bureau

Bai Zhaoye led Xu Fang to the backyard, where the bluestone path was swept clean. Several pomegranate trees grew in the yard, their branches laden with heavy, unripe fruit. When the wind blew, the leaves rustled and carried a sweet fragrance.

They had only taken a few steps when the young man suddenly spoke up: "If I remember correctly, Manager Bai's esteemed name should be Bai Zhaoye, right?"

Bai Zhaoye paused, turned to look at the young man, and then bowed slightly: "Reporting to you, sir, I am indeed Bai Zhaoye. May I ask your honorable name, sir?"

"My surname is Xu, and my given name is Fang," the young man said calmly.

Bai Zhaoye stepped to the side, cupped his hands, and gave a proper bow: "I pay my respects to Officer Xu. I was unaware of your arrival and have failed to greet you properly. I hope you will forgive me."

Xu Fang nodded, acknowledging his gesture.

As the two turned a corner, they saw a waiter dressed in a gray cloth jacket walking towards them from the opposite direction. The waiter was carrying a clean cloth and an empty tray, seemingly on his way to the second-floor reception room to clean up the tea and snacks that Bai Zhaoye and Qi Biaojia had used.

The waiter clearly didn't recognize Xu Fang, but seeing Manager Bai personally leading people towards the backyard, he didn't say much, only silently bowing and nodding to make way for her.

"Don't go up to the second floor yet." As they passed each other, Bai Zhaoye instructed, "First, brew two cups of tea and prepare two plates of snacks, then bring them to the quiet room in the backyard."

"Yes, sir." The waiter quickly replied, bowed to Xu Fang and Bai Zhaoye, and then hurried towards another entrance leading to the kitchen.

“That guy just now,” Xu Fang withdrew her gaze from the shop assistant and turned to Bai Zhaoye, “was he also from the factory?”

“Reporting back to the superior, all the shop assistants and handymen in the entire weaving workshop are our own people selected by the main factory.” Bai Zhaoye paused, then added, “However, those old scholars who copy books in the detached courtyard are locally hired. But they are only responsible for copying manuscripts for takeout, such as the official gazette, and do not care about anything else. They usually only stay in the detached courtyard and do not come here.”

Xu Fang nodded, her gaze sweeping around before finally settling on a room with its door tightly shut not far away. Above the door of that room hung a wooden plaque covered with a thin layer of gray, bearing the three characters "Printing and Dyeing Workshop" in regular script.

"Just now outside, I overheard you and that scholar talking about book engraving?" Xu Fang asked.

“That’s right.” Bai Zhaoye followed his gaze to the wooden plaque whose paint had peeled off and said frankly, “Just now I was discussing with that Scholar Qi about engraving and selling books.”

Xu Fang raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. For someone of the rank of "Juren" (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level), Qi Biaojia's appearance was indeed rather young. However, he didn't delve into it further, simply asking, "Can you really carve books here?"

"No." Bai Zhaoye shook his head with a smile. "This weaving workshop is just a facade. We don't have the tools or craftsmen for engraving. At most, we can only organize the manuscripts and send them to the printing press in the capital. The printing press will then be responsible for typesetting, engraving, and printing, and finally, the finished books will be shipped out for sale."

"Then what's the point of putting the dyeing and printing room here?" Xu Fang pointed to the sign on the door of the dyeing and printing room. "To make the shop look more like a proper bookstore?"

"Your superior has misunderstood," Bai Zhaoye explained. "This dyeing workshop already existed when we took over the shop; we just didn't specifically dismantle or alter it."

Xu Fang nodded slightly, her gaze shifting from the wooden sign, and then uttered another word: "Take over? You just said that."

Bai Zhaoye nodded and said, "This shop used to be affiliated with a Han family member in Zhongwei, Tianjin. It was a bookstore that combined printing and engraving, selling classics and historical texts. Later, the head office sent us to Tianjin to establish ourselves, and they let us 'buy' this bookstore from the bank through proper procedures as ordinary buyers. However, we didn't pay any money when we bought the bookstore; we just took the contract to the government office and paid the deed tax, so it was considered a takeover. Don't the higher-ups know about these things?"

Xu Fang shrugged: "These matters should be handled directly between your factory, the management company, and the bank."

The words "your factory" gave Bai Zhaoye a general idea that the young man in front of him, who looked like an imperial envoy, was probably a eunuch from the Western Depot. However, to be sure, he still asked tentatively, "But the Western Depot will probably still get involved, right? After all, there's an asset transfer involved."

“The filing is handled by the General Affairs Department,” Xu Fang looked at Bai Zhaoye and smiled silently. “If we were to inquire directly, we wouldn’t be talking like this now.”

Bai Zhaoye's eyes twitched, and he chuckled awkwardly, "Hehe, I see."

Xu Fang didn't dwell on the topic any longer, and in the blink of an eye, she turned back to the matter of book engraving: "How are your business negotiations with that Scholar Qi going?"

Bai Zhaoye breathed a small sigh of relief and quickly replied, "There are still some minor details, but I've covered most of what needs to be said. As for materials, including engraving and printing, we, or rather the factory, will handle it all. Therefore, the engraved printing plates belong to us. Any subsequent reprints will be discussed separately. Since they only provide the manuscript, the profit sharing is 20/80, meaning that for every 100 copies sold, the author, Mr. Feng, will receive the profit from 20 copies, and the remaining 80% will go to us."

“Mrs. Feng?” Xu Fang asked sharply, “Didn’t you just call him ‘Scholar Qi’? How come you’re calling him Mrs. Feng now?”

“Oh, here’s the thing,” Bai Zhaoye quickly explained. “That Scholar Qi is not the author; he was just publishing it on behalf of a friend. The author of the manuscript is surnamed Feng, named Feng Menglong. Moreover, Young Master Qi also said that he would not take a single penny of the profits from the publication of this book; all of them would be deposited into his bank account.”

"Wow," Xu Fang raised an eyebrow, her eyes showing interest. "What book is it?"

“It’s a collection of vernacular novels, called ‘Stories Old and New’ or ‘Stories to Awaken the World’,” Bai Zhaoye replied, pausing before adding, “I’ve read it. It tells strange tales from the streets and alleys. Some are about moral lessons, and others are about human relationships. The stories are quite good and not difficult to read. It should sell very well.”

As they spoke, the two had arrived at a room deep in the backyard. This was Bai Zhaoye's signing room. A brass lock hung on the door, its surface polished to a gleaming shine, clearly indicating it was frequently used.

Bai Zhaoye took a bunch of keys from his waist, picked out the corresponding one, and unlocked the door with a "click". After pushing open the door, he turned to the side and made a "please" gesture: "Xu Shangchai, please come in."

Xu Fang nodded, stepped inside, and subconsciously glanced around the room.

This signing room was slightly larger than the room where Bai Zhaoji and Commander Chen had their secret meeting yesterday. While the furnishings weren't luxurious, they were quite orderly. In the main room was a set of table and chairs for the host and guests, both made of ordinary elm wood with plain cotton cushions on the chairs. In the left side room was a large pear wood desk, upon which were stacks of documents, an inkstone, and several writing brushes. Beside the desk stood a bookshelf, neatly arranged with various classics, including even the *Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty* and the *Collected Explanations and Supplementary Regulations of the Ming Dynasty*. The right side room contained a simply made earthen kang (heated brick bed). Bai Zhaoye invited Xu Fang to sit in the main seat, then retreated to the doorway and quietly closed it. He then walked to the guest seat below and stood there, not daring to sit down first.

Xu Fang did not sit down immediately. He put down the embroidered spring knife he had been carrying all the way, and then took out a bronze waist token from his pocket.

The front of the waist tag bore the inscription "West Depot" at the top, followed by "Second Division of the Execution Bureau" and the name "Xu Fang." The back read, "For Imperial Envoy Use Only; Not to be Lent or Lost; Violators Will Be Punished." Xu Fang handed the waist tag to Bai Zhaoye, her tone becoming more serious: "Let me formally introduce myself. I am Xu Fang, Deputy Director of the Second Division of the Execution Bureau of the West Depot. I am here in Tianjin on orders from the Directorate of Ceremonial to routinely inquire about your station's affairs."

Before he finished speaking, he took out a brown paper envelope from his pocket, opened it, took out a neatly folded document, and handed it to Bai Zhaoye: "This is an authorization order issued by the Directorate of Ceremonial, and it also has the signature of your factory's Admiral Cui. Please take a look."

Bai Zhaoye accepted the waist token and authorization with both hands. He didn't dare to spend time looking at them carefully, only quickly glancing at them before handing them back to Xu Fang. Then, he lifted the hem of his long robe, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed to Xu Fang, saying, "This humble officer, Bai Zhaoye, the chief officer of the Tianjin station of the Eastern Depot's Outer Affairs Division, pays his respects to Commander Xu! Commander Xu, if you have any questions, this humble officer will answer them without reservation and will never dare to conceal anything!"

Xu Fang took the waist tag and authorization certificate, put them back in her bosom, sat down in the main seat, and raised her hand to help him up: "Please get up. I'm just here to learn about the current situation of your station, nothing else. You don't need to be so nervous."

"Yes!" Bai Zhaoye kowtowed again before slowly getting up.

After getting up, Bai Zhaoye still kept his head down, his hands folded in front of him, and stood respectfully in place, not daring to sit down without permission.

Seeing his restraint, Xu Fang said again, "Sit down, there's no need to stand and talk."

"Thank you, Commander Xu." Bai Zhaoye thanked him and sat down, but only occupied half of the chair.

Tap, tap.

Just then, there were two light knocks on the door. The sound was not loud, but it was enough for the two people inside to hear.

Bai Zhaoye immediately looked up at the door and asked in a deep voice, "Who's outside?"

"It's me, shopkeeper," came the voice of the same waiter from outside the door. "The tea and snacks are ready."

Bai Zhaoye did not answer immediately, but turned to look at Xu Fang first. After Xu Fang nodded in acknowledgment, he called out to the door, "Come in."

The waiter pushed open the door and gently entered, carrying a gleaming lacquered wooden tray. On the tray were two celadon teacups, steam rising gently, and two plates of pastries. One plate contained almond shortbread sprinkled with icing sugar, and the other osmanthus cake coated with crushed osmanthus flowers. The aroma of the pastries, carried by the steam from the tea, quickly filled the room.

The waiter was clearly taken aback. He could guess that this "pale-faced scholar" was probably "family," but he didn't expect him to be able to squeeze Manager Bai into the guest seat. He glanced down at the tray in his hand, considered for a moment, and then walked directly past Bai Zhaoye, who was closer to him, to Xu Fang's side and placed the first cup of tea.

Bai Zhaoye's gaze swept over the tray, and seeing that the two dishes of pastries were not the same, he nodded to the waiter who had turned around after the waiter placed the osmanthus cake on the tray.

The shop assistant immediately understood and picked up the almond shortbread again, preparing to place it in front of Xu Fang.

"There's no need for that," Xu Fang said, raising her hand to block. "One dish is enough; I can't eat much anyway."

"Please don't be so polite, Commander Xu. These two dishes are osmanthus cake and almond shortbread. I brought them together so you could have a taste," Bai Zhaoye insisted with a smile, while giving the waiter a "hurry up" look.

"Then come sit down and eat with me," Xu Fang said, pointing to the seat next to her.

"How can this be!" Bai Zhaoye quickly waved his hand. "There is a distinction between superiors and inferiors, and a proper order of seniority. If it were just casual conversation, I might dare to sit next to Commander Xu, but we are discussing official business now, so we must follow the rules and be mindful of seniority. It is already an honor that you have allowed me to sit while you speak. Besides, I usually keep a low profile, handle mundane matters, and eat all the time when I meet guests. I'm tired of the usual stuff. Just now, when I was discussing the publication of the book with that Young Master Qi, we ate something. If I were to do it again, I'd probably get tired of it."

"Then I shall accept it without hesitation." Xu Fang withdrew her hand, and the waiter immediately placed the almond shortbread on the table. Then he quickly walked a few steps and handed the tea meant for Bai Zhaoye to his outstretched hand.

After setting out the tea and snacks, the waiter carried the empty tray and walked briskly out. As he reached the door, he gently closed it behind him.

Xu Fang didn't rush to ask questions, but instead took a slow bite of the osmanthus cake while drinking tea.

“These pastries were sent by a shop called ‘Fuyuanzhai’ in Zhongwei. I heard that their shop has been in Zhongwei for over eighty years and is the best pastry shop in the three Wei areas of Tianjin,” Bai Zhaoye said, trying to curry favor. “I wonder if they suit your taste?”

“There’s a reason his family has been able to stay in business for eighty years. At least they’re willing to use sugar.” Xu Fang swallowed the osmanthus cake, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and rinsed her mouth with the sweetness. “Judging by the ingredients, it must be expensive, right?”

"It's not cheap, but it's not too bad." Bai Zhaoye replied with a smile, "The osmanthus cake you're eating costs one qian of silver for two jin, while the almond shortbread is cheaper, one qian of silver for about two jin and eight liang."

Xu Fang glanced down at the pastries in her hand and said thoughtfully, "One qian of silver is two jin. So one liang of silver is twenty jin. That's much more expensive than meat."

Bai Zhaoye's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know if Xu Fang's words were just a simple sigh or had a deeper meaning. He didn't dare to respond casually and could only dryly echo, "Yes, it is indeed more expensive than meat."

Xu Fang didn't respond further, only tossing the remaining osmanthus cake into his mouth. He chewed slowly, gently rubbing the crumbs off his hands with his fingers. After swallowing the cake, he picked up his teacup, took a small sip, rinsed his mouth with the remaining bits, and then put the teacup down. He looked up at Bai Zhaoye and said, "Alright. Let's get down to business. How's the investigation going on that canal smuggling case that the palace ordered your Eastern Depot to investigate?"

(End of this chapter)