Huangming

Chapter 139 Fen River Hangs Like Ice, Sparrow Gold Hook Sinks

To the west of Beijing lies the Shanxi Provincial Administration Commission.

Shanxi Province is bordered by the Taihang Mountains to the east, the Lüliang Mountains to the west, Yanmen Pass, Ningwu Pass, and Piantou Pass to the north, controlling the main route for the Mongols to move south, the fertile land of Henan to the south, and the Fen River Valley in the middle, a region with developed agriculture and a dense population.

It is known for its beautiful landscape.

Its enclosed terrain made it a "second line of defense" against Mongol cavalry (the first line of defense being Jizhou and Xuanda).

When Xu Da launched his northern expedition in the early Ming Dynasty, he first captured Shanxi and then attacked Dadu (Beijing), which demonstrates its strategic geographical location.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Shanxi Provincial Administration Commission, with its unique geographical location and military-political structure, developed two important commercial routes:

One of them is the Tea Horse Road, a trade route that passed through Datong and Zhangjiakou to Mongolia, which became an important intersection of the agricultural economy of the Central Plains and the nomadic economy of the grasslands.

Along this trade route, agricultural products such as tea and cloth were frequently traded with nomadic specialties such as horses and furs.

Secondly, there was the Salt and Iron Road, through which salt produced in the Hedong Salt Lake was continuously transported to Shaanxi, Henan and other places via the Fen River system.

This salt lake had an annual output of over 100 million catties, and its salt tax revenue accounted for a quarter of the total national salt tax during the Wanli period, with the Shanxi merchants controlling 70% of the trade share.

In addition, as important border towns, Datong and Taiyuan in Shanxi Province are guarded by more than 100,000 border troops year-round.

This massive military force created a huge market for military supplies. Shanxi merchants profited immensely by contracting the supply of grain, cotton cloth, and military equipment, and by colluding with border generals.

However, these legitimate trades were merely the surface of the Shanxi merchants' wealth.

The real source of their exorbitant profits lies in illegal border smuggling and collusion between officials and businessmen.

The Shanxi merchant group, represented by the Fan family of Jiexiu, smuggled strategic materials such as ironware, which were strictly prohibited from export, to the Later Jin through the Datong horse market, in exchange for ginseng, mink fur, and other commodities with ten times the profit.

At the same time, they also bribed salt administration officials to transform the salt permit privilege into a family-owned monopoly resource.

It was through this combination of legal and illegal means that the Shanxi merchants accumulated astonishing wealth in the late Ming Dynasty, and the Fan family of Jiexiu was one of the most prominent among them.

It was now the 27th day of the 12th month of the first year of the Taichang era.

Fenzhou Prefecture.

Jiexiu County.

Snow is falling.

There are only three days left until the Lunar New Year.

Inside the Jiexiu County government office, Wang Chengen's brows were furrowed, for his trip to Jiexiu County to confiscate the property of the Shanxi merchant Fan family had yielded very little.

Fan Yongdou, the clan chief, died suddenly before he arrived and was hastily buried.

His son, Fan Sanba, has disappeared without a trace; only Fan Yongdou's nephew, Fan Yubin, has been captured.

The only property confiscated by the Jiexiu police was the Fan family's ancestral home; the value of their land, shops, and goods therein was less than 100,000 taels of silver.

Although not all of the Fan family's assets were in their hometown of Jiexiu, the salt certificates and salt fields of Datong and Xuanfu were priceless.

However.
His assets in Jiexiu shouldn't be this small.

There is no doubt that someone notified the Fan family in advance, and this person is probably of high status.

Wang Chengen looked at the obsequious magistrate of Jiexiu and asked, "When you received the notice to confiscate the Fan family's property, did you immediately go to search and confiscate it? Did Fan Yongdou die suddenly before or after he learned of the confiscation?"

Wang Yunzhang, the magistrate of Jiexiu County, was a rather old man over fifty, but he looked quite prosperous. When questioned by Wang Chengen, he quickly replied:

"The moment I received the order to confiscate the Fan family's property, I went to search it. The seals were all from a month ago. As for Fan Yongdou's sudden death, it was a month and a half ago. However, the Fan family was afraid of affecting their business, so they kept the news a secret. I beg Your Excellency to see the truth."

Wang Chengen sneered inwardly, but showed no emotion on his face.

"Even His Majesty, far away in the Forbidden City, has heard of the Fan family's immense wealth, enough to rival that of a nation. How come when we came to confiscate their property, we couldn't even find 100,000 taels? As for Fan Yongdou's sudden death a month and a half ago, which was kept secret, doesn't the magistrate think all of this is too much of a coincidence?"

“The angels are present.”

In the head seat of the main hall sat a middle-aged man dressed in an indigo-blue prefectural robe.

It was Liu Zunxian, the prefect of Fenzhou Prefecture.

He wore a black gauze hat, a jade belt with a bronze seal hanging from his waist, and his robe was embroidered with cloud and wild goose patches, displaying the majesty of a fourth-rank civil official.

“What Magistrate Wang said is all true. The claim that the Fan family is richer than a country is just hearsay. I never thought that people would actually believe it.”

"Oh? Really?"

When Wang Chengen's cold gaze swept over him, Liu Zunxian immediately put on a smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; instead, it made the muscles on his cheeks look somewhat unnaturally stiff.

"But if we only confiscated less than 100,000 taels in Jiexiu, we won't be able to explain ourselves back to the palace!"

Wang Chengen is still relatively restrained.

He could already sense that the two people in front of him were definitely connected with the Fan family of Jiexiu.

Perhaps they're still in the same boat as the Fan family.

"Isn't this easy?"

Wang Yunzhang, the magistrate of Jiexiu, immediately said, "As long as the envoy can obtain the salt permits, we can afford even 500,000 taels of silver."

Wang Chengen remained noncommittal, saying, "Salt permits are a matter for the Hedong Salt Transport Office; how could my family possibly have a say in that?"

Seeing that the angel was not stupid, Liu Zunxian, the prefect of Fenzhou Prefecture, also offered a suggestion: "There are many fertile fields on both sides of the Fen River. The angel can identify these fields as belonging to the Fan family and confiscate them directly. They are worth tens of thousands of taels of silver."

Wang Chengen asked, "Are the fertile fields on both sides of the Fen River truly the property of the Fan family?"

Liu Zunxian said with a smile, "As long as the angel says he is, no one dares to deny it."

They've pinned their hopes on him to seize land.

If this causes a civil unrest, he'll be the one to take the blame!

Wang Chengen's hand, hidden in his sleeve, was already clenched into a fist!
He looked at Wang Yunzhang and Liu Zunxian as if they were dead. Did he really think I was a fool?

Are you that easy to fool?
Wang Chengen emphasized in a soft voice, saying:

"One is one, and two is two. What we say doesn't count."

Seeing that Wang Chengen was unwilling to do this or that, the prefect of Fenzhou shrugged and said, "Then this humble official has no way to help him."

"You have no solution? How are we supposed to explain this to your family?"

Wang Yunzhang and Liu Zunxian exchanged a glance and said, "Why don't you just report the situation directly to your superiors? If you can make some good connections, then the 100,000 taels of confiscated money will be a merit in itself."

"That's all."

Wang Chengen seemed deflated and said, "Ten thousand taels it is!"

The eunuch who was confiscating the property sighed and said, "We won't get any information from Jiexiu County. Staying here any longer is just a waste of time."

Seeing that the eunuchs who were confiscating the property had given up, Wang Yunchang and Liu Zunxian both smiled and said, "The envoy should have done this long ago. Although Jiexiu County is not as prosperous as the capital, it is located between Taiyuan and the Taihang Mountains and is a necessary route from Jinzhong to Datong and Xuanfu. There is a den of iniquity here called Yunyuxuan, which is quite characteristic of Jinzhong. Would the envoy do us the honor of visiting?"

Wang Chengen seemed deflated, first letting out a sigh.

"Ah~"

After sighing, Wang Chengen, in a rather reckless manner, said, "I'd like to experience the local customs of Jinzhong."

Seeing that Wang Chengen was willing to collude with them, Wang Yunchang's expression relaxed considerably. He said to Wang Chengen, "I will certainly not disappoint the angel."

Prefect Liu Zunxian of Fenzhou also stood up and said respectfully to Wang Chengen, "Imperial envoy, please!"

The group set off from the county government office and soon arrived at Yunyuxuan.

Inside Yunyu Pavilion, the warm chambers are filled with fragrance.

The sandalwood table was laden with delicacies, and the aroma of Fenjiu liquor filled the air. Several musicians played softly on the strings behind a screen, producing melodious tunes.

Wang Yunzhang personally poured the wine, while Liu Zunxian clapped his hands, and then a stunningly beautiful woman gracefully entered.

The woman wore a lotus-colored gauze dress, her skin was like solidified cream, her eyes were like autumn water, and as she gracefully bowed, a subtle fragrance wafted in the air.

She moved gracefully to sit down next to Wang Chengen, held the pot in her delicate hand, and said softly, "Please have some, Your Excellency."

Wang Chengen remained calm and let her pour him wine and serve him food, but a hint of drunkenness gradually appeared on his face, and his eyes became slightly glazed.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and lively conversation, Wang Yunchang, seeing that the time was ripe, gave Liu Zunxian a wink.

The latter understood and quietly pulled out a silver note from his sleeve, then gently pushed it to Wang Chengen's hand under the guise of offering a toast.

"The angels have come from afar, and their journey must be arduous. This small token is merely a small token to help you pay for your tea." Liu Zunxian lowered his voice, his smile carrying a deeper meaning.

Wang Chengen glanced down and saw that the face value was a full ten thousand taels of silver, a bank draft from Jinzhong Bank, which could be redeemed on sight.

A slight smile played on his lips as he casually tucked the cup into his sleeve, raised his glass, and said with a smile, "You two are very kind."

Seeing this, Wang Yunchang was secretly delighted and quickly echoed, "Of course, of course! As long as the angel is lenient, in the future..."

Wang Chengen smiled without saying a word, tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He pulled the beauty beside him into his arms and kneaded her for a while, satisfying his urges, before saying, "I'm taking this beauty back to the capital."

Wang Yunzhang was taken aback, and a sense of dissatisfaction immediately arose in his heart: What a greedy eunuch, actually wanting to use the official vehicle for private purposes.

Liu Zunxian, however, generously said, "If the angel likes it, then give it to the angel."

The more greedy Wang Chengen was, the more at ease he felt.

As long as everyone is corrupt, their sordid deeds can remain hidden in the shadows forever.

"Since you are so filial, when we return to Beijing, we will naturally put in a good word for you before the Emperor."

Liu Zunxian smiled obsequiously and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Your Excellency."

"It's just money for bribing officials at various levels," Wang Chengen hinted.

Wang Yun frowned deeply. This eunuch was treating them like a money exchange; he was truly greedy to the extreme!

Liu Zunxian reassured the angel, "Rest assured, everyone from the Directorate of Ceremonial to the officials of various departments has been taken care of."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen's face lit up with relief, and he said, "In that case, I can rest assured."

"Come on, let's drink to our hearts' content! We won't leave until we're drunk!"

What followed was a round of drinking and revelry until Wang Chengen was completely drunk.

As night deepened and the crowd dispersed, Wang Chengen was escorted back to the post station by the Imperial Guards. Once back at the post station, the drunkenness on Wang Chengen's face completely disappeared. He rubbed the silver note between his fingertips and let out a cold laugh.

"Do you really think we're here to freeload?"

He muttered to himself, his eyes sharp as knives.

He originally thought that the prefect of Fenzhou and the magistrate of Jiexiu would put on airs in front of him.

Unexpectedly, he wasn't even willing to pretend.

A blatant bribe?
Do they really think they're some kind of local tyrant?
snort!
"This ten thousand taels is irrefutable proof of your collusion with the Fan family!"

He slowly got up, pushed open the window, and looked out at the pitch-black night sky.

"Tomorrow, I'll see just how deep the waters of Jiexiu County really are!"

PS:

I'm still writing late at night on May 520th. Who can be more miserable than me?

Quickly cast your monthly vote to console them!
Huh huh~
(End of this chapter)