Chapter 12: Undercurrents Surge

Chang'an is the Tang's gold‑selling pit; fine goods from everywhere are sent there by various means, so the cost of living here far exceeds that of other major cities, and the degree of commodity monetization is astonishing.

Ten thousand strings of cash elsewhere is astronomical, but in Chang'an that's not necessarily so; genuine wealth can be squandered in less than a year.

And Pingkang Quarter is the Tang's legal "red‑light district", the red‑light district within the gold‑selling pit.

Its northwest corner houses the Imperial City; every important imperial edict is issued from there daily, and some officials who enjoy entertainment may head straight to Pingkang Quarter after court.

Pingkang Quarter is famous not only because it gathers Qin Lou and Chu Guan and a crowd of dashing scholars, but also because its nightly revelry inspires countless literati, and many famous Tang poems were penned there.

The record *Chronicles of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao Eras* notes: "In Chang'an there is Pingkang Quarter, the dwelling of courtesans; the capital's heroes gather here, and each year new jinshi visit with red tickets." Hence contemporaries called the place "the marsh of elegance".

Directly north lies Chongren Quarter, where many Tang aspirants awaiting official appointments gather—those who have passed the imperial exams and await a vacancy.

It is similar to the gathering place of Fang Chongyong's former "candidate cadres".

Logically, those entering Pingkang Quarter should be scholars, poets, singers, and courtesans.

Unexpectedly, Li Linfu's official residence is right in this mixed crowd, standing proudly without any embarrassment.

Perhaps Li Linfu knows well that "the most straightforward loyalty is to be unreserved," so Li Longji not only doesn't mind, but thinks Li Linfu is "genuinely sincere".

At this moment, fifty‑something years old, the seemingly refined Li Linfu is in an unremarkable small study of his residence, reviewing various dossiers. The robe he wears is a fine linen garment presented from Kui Prefecture.

There is also a middle‑aged man in his forties, his face weathered, dressed in an inconspicuous gray cloth robe, masquerading as a fallen scholar to serve Li Linfu. His name is Wang Hong; like Fang Youde, he is a Censor‑Inspector, but he oversees the capital region, wielding far more power than the former Fang Youde.

His meeting with Li Linfu is also extremely low‑key; he dares not even wear his brocade robe when leaving.

"Wang Hong, the situation in Kui Prefecture is raging, full of controversy. What's your view?"

Li Linfu puts down the dossier, asks with a smiling, friendly tone.

He refers to Zheng Shuqing's plan to reform Kui Prefecture's river gates and unify the grain‑transport boat standards. The matter has stirred a hornet's nest; since Li Linfu now heads the Capital Water Bureau, many press him to resolve it properly.

Kui Prefecture's river gates are blocked; the issue is neither trivial nor minor. Many specialties from Shu are shipped along the Yangtze to Yangzhou, then via the Grand Canal to Luoyang, and finally to Chang'an.

Is the route reasonable?

Not at all, yet it is necessary, because Chang'an is the Tang capital, the emperor's seat. All irrationality must become rational before this reason.

The Kui Prefecture affair is boiling, yet Li Longji has remained completely silent, neither dismissing Zheng Shuqing nor ignoring the matter. In fact, his attitude is the classic "read but no reply".

"I am unaware, please, Left Prime Minister, enlighten me."

Wang Hong says humbly, daring not to act rashly.

"You boast that your financial acumen surpasses all at court; can you not give a clear reason?"

Li Linfu's face still bears a smile, though it looks a bit strained. He strokes his handlebar mustache, appearing thoughtful.

"Left Prime Minister, many whisper privately that Zheng Shuqing is reckless and should be removed, tried in Chang'an by the Grand Justice Temple… some think you should also cut off your own arm to show resolve."

Wang Hong scoffs and explains, but Li Linfu impatiently waves his right hand, signaling him to shut up.

"I am not asking how to deal with Zheng Shuqing, but how to handle the Kui Prefecture plan. Don't you know that investigating Zheng Shuqing now is slapping my face? What do you mean by saying that?"

Li Linfu is already somewhat displeased, his habitual smile fading.

Wang Hong knows that although he was recommended by his relative Yang Shenjin, his backing is not Yang Shenjin but Li Linfu. Yang Shenjin is arrogant and rude to him; the surface reason is that, deep down, Wang Hong knows only Li Linfu can get things done, while Yang Shenjin is not cut out for big matters.

"I have misspoken, I have misspoken…"

Cold sweat beads on Wang Hong's forehead; although Li Linfu's tone is calm, Wang Hong feels a suffocating pressure from him.

"Left Prime Minister, regarding Kui Prefecture, I cannot see clearly."

Seeing no special reaction from Li Linfu, Wang Hong speaks sincerely.

"Proceed then; let the Censorate drop the investigation. If anyone pressures you, shift the topic to the Capital Water Bureau and let them investigate."

Li Linfu puts down the dossier, seeming still eager, leaving Wang Hong a bit bewildered. He had earlier spoken ill of Zheng Shuqing, hoping Li Linfu would 'cut off an arm to survive' and quell the matter after investigating Zheng Shuqing. Yet Li Linfu appears indifferent.

Wang Hong feels uneasy.

Similar matters seem minor, but any small issue in Tang politics cannot withstand fermentation. A trivial thing can brew into a major affair. From a power‑play perspective, Wang Hong's view is precise.

Apart from his limited grasp of Li Longji's thoughts.

Wang Hong leaves Pingkang Quarter with a gloomy face; after he departs, Li Linfu personally drafts a flawless memorial on unifying the grain‑transport boat standards in Kui Prefecture.

He intends to use this newly acquired weapon to provoke Zhang Jiuling into action, then make Li Longji grow to dislike and distance himself from Zhang Jiuling, preparing for Zhang Jiuling's eventual dismissal.

"As long as no one interferes, three hundred thousand strings is just a month's matter."

Li Linfu sighs.

Kui Prefecture is truly a nightmare; those standards and credential‑based entry methods are simply brilliant! After years in office, he hasn't seen such a dazzling strategy.

Many ministers think Zheng Shuqing is being unreasonable, but Li Linfu sees the huge benefit. The experience in Kui Prefecture could be spread along the canal. Of course, such thankless work he is too lazy to undertake.

Li Longji does everything to create a country and capital he can enjoy. Everything else is unimportant.

Li Linfu has already seen through Li Longji!

Yet why can a stubborn man like Fang Youde produce such a uniquely gifted prodigy son?

This question has long puzzled Li Linfu with no answer.

"A prodigy? How does he compare to Li Mi?"

After a long time, Li Linfu looks at the sprawling regulations on the paper, pondering while murmuring to himself.

Dealing with Zhang Jiuling still lacks the final blow!

First use this memorial to nail a nail onto his coffin.

Li Linfu thinks with a hint of pride.

……

Fang Chongyong does not know what's happening in Chang'an, but he knows Kui Prefecture has already become busy.

The shipyards along the coast are operating at full capacity, working day and night, still recruiting within Kui Prefecture's capital city.

Orders pour in one after another, even a wealthy client once placed an order for ten grain ships at once! Merchants whose boats cannot pass the river gates also idle not; they unload cargo at Kui's ferry dock and then transport round timber, iron nails, and other necessities upstream and downstream.

Grain ships generally use mortise‑and‑tenon joints, demanding a lot of iron. Many merchants temporarily unable to clear customs, yet unwilling to idle, become suppliers for Kui's many shipyards. Aside from a few unscrupulous traders, others quickly spot a lucrative opportunity.

The massive population movement thus spurs prosperity in all trades of Kui Prefecture's capital city.

Inside Kuizhou City, people were discussing whether to build a shrine for Zheng Shuqing to honor his achievements in developing Kuizhou's undertakings.

That noon, the sun blazed fiercely. Fang Laique held a bamboo umbrella for Fang Chongyong as they went to the riverbank to inspect the shipbuilding progress. Now grain ships are delivered daily, river-pass traffic runs smoothly, and the situation is far smoother than Zheng Shuqing had earlier estimated.

"My lord, isn't it a bit bad that we eat every day at the prefecture office's public canteen?"

Fang Laique asked hesitantly.

"Public canteen" refers to the government office's cafeteria; since the Tang dynasty, officials and clerks have had the custom of eating work meals near their workplace, with each office paying for its own staff's meals, similar to Fang Chongyong's government cafeteria in his previous life.

The public canteen at the Kuizhou Prefecture Office not only charges no fee, but also provides excellent food!

After all, Prefect Zheng Shuqing sometimes goes to eat there; if we upset this prefect who has lived in luxury since childhood, wouldn't we just be asking for trouble?

"Is anyone gossiping?"

Fang Chongyong frowned slightly and asked, knowing full well that his actions would surely offend people.

An eight- or nine-year-old boy has become a favorite beside Prefect Zheng, and even the prefect himself treats him with utmost respect—how could those clerks not gossip behind his back? Guarding against talk is harder than guarding against a river; such things will likely follow him his whole life.

To be envied by none is to be mediocre!

If one truly seeks tranquility, the only way is to be a salted fish without desire or pursuit.

Fang Laique nodded and said, "They all say my lord is a monster."

"Heh, those are just mediocre people, jealous of my talent."

Fang Chongyong sneered.

Just then, he saw Zheng Shuqing approaching with a beaming smile, accompanied by two attendants.

"Sir, you seem to have happy news."

Fang Chongyong smiled, bowed, and asked.

"That's not exactly happy news."

Zheng Shuqing stroked his long beard, then waved at the two servants beside him, gesturing for them to leave and not get in the way here.

"Look, what is this?"

Zheng Shuqing handed a thick letter to Fang Chongyong for him to read.

"Li… Your Majesty, aren't you expecting too much of us, sir? We've already scraped together three hundred thousand strings of cash with great difficulty, yet he wants even more money? He just opened his mouth asking for an additional hundred thousand strings? Even if we minted coins, we couldn't fill that gap!"

Fang Chongyong almost threw the letter straight to the ground!

"Face! Does Li Longgi still have any face! Damn it!"

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but want to curse; he had racked his brains to make money, and yet the emperor's opening demand was a hundred thousand strings.

"Heh, not to mention a hundred thousand strings—Fang Chongyong doesn't even want to give an extra ten strings!"

Suddenly, he recalled that Li Longgi seemed to be a man who openly took his daughter-in-law, a wind-like figure.

"Well, if that's the case, then it's fine—asking for more money should just be routine, so let it be."

Fang Chongyong's moral bottom line is very flexible; in a situation where a knife is at his throat, he can consider lowering his bottom line as much as needed.

After all, in Li Longgi's eyes, all his subjects are flying hawks and running dogs. What's wrong with squeezing a bit more money out of a running dog? Is there any problem?

Do running dogs still dare to disobey?

"Sir, the emperor needs more wealth, yet I'm already stretched thin—why are you still beaming with joy?"

Fang Chongyong asked, utterly speechless.

"Hey, you just don't get it. The emperor's opening this mouth means that what we're doing in Kuizhou, he doesn't mind—in fact, he even appreciates it! If we get this done, then future promotions are practically guaranteed, right?"

"Of course, once I get promoted, you taking the civil service exams will be a breeze, right?"

Zheng Shuqing said with a look of triumph. This could be called finding life in a desperate situation—those three hundred thousand strings were, to him, like a mountain crushing down! Who would have thought that in just over ten days, the situation would be completely turned around? Now those "deposits" plus the "donations" sent by ship merchants have exceeded a hundred thousand strings.

This would have been unimaginable before.

"Sir, you're getting happy too early—storm clouds are gathering; we need to prepare early."

Fang Chongyong sighed helplessly; this prefect truly has an optimistic disposition.

When playing cards, the first win is just paper; the later win is the real money. The lesson of opening champagne at halftime is no longer just a martial-arts legend.

"Precautions? Against what? I've been worried about the emperor's attitude all along; now that I've confirmed it, what's left to worry about?"

Zheng Shuqing said, speaking grandly. As for Li Longgi, the more his officials oppose him, the more he insists.

"Sir, don't you think we've blocked many people's sources of wealth?"

Fang Chongyong asked, helpless; he feared that if he didn't speak up, something major would happen.

"What could happen?"

Zheng Shuqing asked doubtfully, not really taking it to heart.

"There aren't many mountain or water bandits in Shu, but there might be desperate outlaws, right? I'm saying, suppose there were a water bandit gang that, taking advantage of our lack of preparation, burned down every riverside shipyard one by one—what would you do, sir?"

"What to do?"

Zheng Shuqing really hadn't considered that—the city's standing forces are only fifty unity militia! The riverside shipyards aren't all next to Kuizhou Prefecture City; if there's a thousand days of banditry, where's the logic of guarding against them for a thousand days?