I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

When the rice sellers sold the rice to the rice merchants, they also had to charge a handling fee, which was 2 fen of gold per 100 grains of rice.

In other words, the officials could earn a handling fee of 3/4 liang for every 100 liang of rice they handled—this was the so-called "exorbitant profit".

Along the banks of the Sumida River near Asakusa, there were 51 large granaries belonging to the shogunate, which was also the place where the shogunate distributed rice stipends.

To facilitate transactions, the Zhacha all opened shops called "Zangsu" in front of Tibet.

In Japanese, "藏" means warehouse. 藏前 means warehouse front.

Hidden houses lined the streets near the shogunate's granaries.

On the day when rice is distributed, the banks of the Sumida River are bustling with activity.

After receiving their stipends, the samurai could walk a short distance to a nearby lodge to exchange the rice for money.

These special merchants who monopolized the "rice trade" were the most typical, and also the most despised, privileged merchants.

They can be described as financial professionals of the Edo period, "big shots of Wall Street".

Rice was a form of hard currency during the Edo period.

In any era, those who monopolize the trade of hard currency... are incredibly terrifying.

Compared to ordinary civilians, samurai had far more expenses.

Maintaining a samurai sword, purchasing formal attire, hiring servants, drinking and socializing... each of these items represents a considerable expense.

Therefore, even a samurai with an annual income of tens of gold coins would find it difficult to live a comfortable and extravagant life.

With a vast amount of hard currency at his disposal and a fortune in his pocket, the Jacha (a high-ranking official) would naturally not let go of this huge business opportunity.

Thus, these "Wall Street tycoons" used the annual tributes and stipends of daimyo and samurai as collateral to engage in usury, accumulating an extravagant fortune of piles of gold and jade.

Especially in the mid-to-late Edo period, inflation became increasingly severe.

Although the money the samurai earned from exchanging rice remained the same, their expenses were increasing. More and more samurai were mortgaging their rice stipends to the "Zhacha" (officials in charge of renting money), and some even mortgaged their rice stipends for the next two years.

In order to limit the expansion of wealth of the zashi (officials in the imperial court), in the 9th year of Kyoho (1724), the shogunate stipulated that only 109 designated people could serve as zashi and form an organization similar to a guild, strictly prohibiting annual interest rates from exceeding 15%.

However, the samurai could not do without the charioteers.

To convert rice into money, one still needs to rely on Jacha's connections and financial resources.

After the number of Jacha was limited, their status actually became higher.

Although the shogunate restricted loan interest rates, there were still ways to collect more money.

For example, when lending money, you should ask for an extra gift.

Alternatively, in the event of overdue payments, a penalty equivalent to one month's interest may be charged.

At that time, wealthy people who frequented theaters, Yoshiwara and other entertainment venues and spent lavishly were called "tsurujin" (通人).

Most of the most famous "Eighteen Great Masters" were Zhacha (a type of official).

This shows just how wealthy and extravagant the e-do officials were.

You toil away for a year and only earn a few dozen taels of gold; while others spend over a thousand taels of gold in a single night in places of pleasure and debauchery like Yoshiwara and theaters.

The bicycle you're reluctant to ride, others stand up and pedal furiously.

The female celebrity who appears ethereal and untouchable to you is now submissive and humble in front of others.

The samurai had no dignity whatsoever in front of these privileged merchants who rode in sturdy carriages and wore silk robes.

A single penny can bring ruin to even a hero – the status of warriors gradually declined due to the constant trading of rice and money.

Money and power are inseparable twins.

Without a doubt, these privileged merchants, who held a high position, had maintained a significant social status since Tokugawa Ieyasu established the shogunate in Edo.

Without their connections in the "rice-for-money" trade and the layers of exorbitant interest loans, more than half of the daimyo and samurai across the country would be plunged into dire straits.

Therefore, both high-ranking officials of the shogunate and daimyo of various local domains were happy to befriend privileged merchants, and at the very least, they could not afford to offend them.

The heinous collusion between officials and businessmen... that's how it came about.

Privileged businessmen bribe bureaucrats.

Bureaucrats provide various conveniences to privileged businessmen.

The collusion between the two sides has transformed privileged merchants into a new elite class that reigns supreme over the samurai class.

Even high-ranking officials have to give preferential treatment to privileged merchants, let alone ordinary people.

As privileged merchants become increasingly arrogant, what follows is naturally a widening gap between the rich and the poor and increasingly acute class contradictions.

In reality, the evil deeds committed by privileged businessmen have long surpassed the low-level acts of bullying villagers and harassing women on the streets.

The peaceful and prosperous environment of the Edo period enabled the rapid development of the commodity economy in major cities and towns, and the seeds of capitalism had already sprouted in regions such as Edo and Osaka.

As a result, privileged merchants are no longer simply classical merchants; they have acquired some characteristics of capitalists.

They will stop at nothing to increase capital.

In years of severe drought, floods, or epidemics, privileged merchants inevitably appear in the market—not, of course, kind and reliable ones.

They hoarded supplies, inflated prices, and disregarded the lives of countless ordinary people.

Those "forces" that make people human, rather than animals, such as law and morality, are nothing more than trivial constraints in their eyes.

Nishino has handled countless cases involving privileged businessmen.

The final outcomes of these cases were all remarkably similar—they were either hastily closed or simply vanished without a trace due to the intervention of some unspeakable "mysterious force."

Nishino has always abhorred this kind of arrogant and domineering behavior that allows someone to control everything.

When faced with privileged merchants led by Jacha, he had only one thought—he felt nauseous just looking at their faces.

That's why he reacted so strongly when he heard the word "Zhacha".

Nishino lowered his head and glanced at the letter in his hand several more times.

"Handwriting? Judging a suspect solely by that is far too hasty, isn't it?"

"No, no, no, not at all arbitrary."

Ebina smiled slightly.

"Look closely, isn't the handwriting in this letter exceptionally neat and beautiful?"

"Yatarou Phoenix House is a master calligrapher who is proficient in 'Yashi' style, so his brushstrokes are particularly easy to recognize, and there is almost no possibility of mistaking them."

The Japanese are accustomed to referring to calligraphy as "Shodo" (書道).

"野迹" refers to the ink marks of Ono no Michikaze.

Ono no Michikaze was a famous calligrapher during Japan's Heian period.

He developed his own "elegant" style based on imitating the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi, and is considered the founder of "Japanese style" calligraphy, holding a particularly important position in the history of Japanese calligraphy.

His calligraphic masterpieces, such as "Imperial Edict for the Posthumous Title of Master Zhizheng", "Draft of Screen", and "Thousand Character Classic in Three Scripts", are regarded as national treasures.

His calligraphy is called "Yasekki" and together with the calligraphy of calligraphers Fujiwara no Sari (Sariki) and Fujiwara no Yukinari (Gonki), they are known as the "Three Traces".

Upon hearing this, Nishino lowered his head again to scan the letter in his hand.

As Ebina had said, the writing style in the letter was exceptionally elegant and refined, showing the style of a master.

Although Nishino knew nothing about calligraphy, he could tell that the person who wrote the letter must have a deep understanding of calligraphy.

At this point, Ebina continued:

"Moreover, there is no such thing as absolutely accurate intelligence in this world."

"The fact that the suspicion against Phoenix House Yataro has deepened is enough reason for us to intensify our investigation into him."

"...That's true."

Nishino nodded slightly.

"So—what are your plans for the next step?"

As soon as Nishino finished speaking, a rude young male voice suddenly rang out:

"Is that even a question? Of course, we'll kidnap Phoenix House Yataro and then give him a good interrogation!"

The speaker was none other than the young man who always wore a cynical expression—Akutsu.

"Akutsu..."

Ichinose turned her head and cast a disapproving glance at Akutsu, as if blaming Akutsu for being impolite and speaking so rudely.

Akutsu, noticing Ichinose's gaze, immediately shut his mouth and stopped talking.

After glancing at Ichinose and Akutsu, Nishino pondered to himself, seemingly lost in thought.

At this moment, my grandson suddenly spoke up:

"Nishino-kun? How are things? We're going to have a 'talk' with that Phoenix House Yataro. Do you want to come with us?"

Nishino paused for a moment, then quickly replied without hesitation:

"Of course! Take me with you too, I want to go and 'talk' to that Phoenix House Yataro!"

Upon hearing Nishino's words, Ebina and the others, except for my grandson, all showed expressions of surprise.

"What? Aren't you welcoming me?"

Ebina quickly said:

"No, no, no, how could that be? We've been short-handed for years in the Kanto region. We'd be more than happy if you, Nishino-kun, were willing to lend us a hand."

Compared to the exhilarated Ebina, Nishino's expression remained indifferent.

"Don't misunderstand, I have no intention of helping you."

"I am only standing with you out of a sense of duty as an 'ally'."

"Now that things have come to this, all I can do is keep moving forward."

"Whether we succeed or fail in the end, I want to witness the final outcome."

At this point, Nishino paused as if remembering something, and added:

"However, I still want to make one point beforehand."

"I only temporarily allied with you because I couldn't stand by and watch the spread of the illusionary substance."