Chapter 16: Two Salted Fish Sunning on the Riverbank

Zheng Shuqing ultimately lacked the courage to directly defy the court's decree. He obediently handed over the blueprints for the grain ships. Although Kuizhou continued to accept orders and build ships, since the court had dispatched officials from the Directorate of Waterways to directly station in Kuizhou to supervise ship production, the profits that should have gone to the Kuizhou prefectural office were now taken over directly by the Directorate of Waterways.

Resistance was out of the question—the Directorate of Waterways was under Li Linfu's management, so that path was completely blocked. Tricks like selling next year's ship quotas or playing "futures ship" games were all off the table. Whether they would succeed or not was beside the point; slapping Li Linfu's face was no laughing matter.

Kuizhou possessed a prosperous shipbuilding industry, yet now he could not lay hands on a single copper coin. Zheng Shuqing felt as though his heart were being cut by knives. Watching piles of yellow copper coins and even gold, silver, and other valuables pass right under his nose every day—the frustration of it was beyond words.

Not only that, he had no choice but to have Yang Ruoxu escort 250,000 strings of wealth to Yangzhou for transshipment, keeping only 50,000 strings, planning to see whether Fang Chongyong could come up with some way to "win it back" when the time came.

Looking at the empty storehouse, recalling how he had spent the better part of half a year exhausting himself to rake in money, Zheng Shuqing felt as though every ounce of strength in his body had been drained.

Even a philanderer bedding ten women in a single night would not be as spent as he was.

On this day, Zheng Shuqing wore the front-buttoned hemp short shirt and loose ankle-baring trousers common among Kuizhou folk, with a bamboo hat on his head. Leaving his aides and attendants behind, he dressed looking much like a fisherman by the river. He came alone to the riverbank outside the city, gazing at the Kuizhou River Pass, which had by now essentially returned to normal operation, his heart a tangle of emotions.

Over the past half month or so, every time a grain ship was delivered, Zheng Shuqing had felt as though it were raining copper coins from the sky. Now, watching these grain ships—piled up like mountains of money—frisking back and forth through the Kuizhou River Pass, clearing customs even faster than before, for a moment he did not know whether to cry or to laugh.

The broad road to making money had been blocked. He was still 100,000 strings short of what needed to be sent to Chang'an. With only 50,000 strings in hand, how was he to win it back?

Turning the 50,000 strings in hand into 100,000 strings before next year's Lantern Festival—Zheng Shuqing, who had never run a business before, was stumped. Once the scale of a business grew large enough, quantitative change would produce qualitative change, and business would no longer be simply business.

The network of connections, channels, and protective umbrellas needed to maintain a business was like a bottomless lair. You had no idea what monsters lurked inside. Doubling 50,000 strings to 100,000 in the short term—easier said than done!

"Prefect Zheng seems quite at leisure, free from the troubles of filthy lucre, growing broad and contented. I also slept very well last night—haven't slept that soundly in a long time."

Fang Chongyong's childish voice came from behind, making Zheng Shuqing's eyebrow twitch with irritation.

Damn it, can't you see I'm in the middle of being miserable!

"Say whatever you like. It's over this time… completely finished."

At this moment Zheng Shuqing was like a salted fish already dried stiff at a fisherman's home—he had given up on treatment entirely. He sat casually on the sandy ground by the river, getting a head start on the bright, open-minded feeling of returning home idle after being dismissed from office.

He had raked in so much that his life was probably safe. Thinking of this, a bitter smile appeared on Zheng Shuqing's face.

This "Sage" in the Daming Palace in Chang'an was truly not ordinarily greedy.

"Prefect, windfall industries are unsustainable, unless the power of the government intervenes to carry out monopolized sales in the form of taxation.

Look—this custom grain ship ordering has now effectively become a kind of tax. Even though various places have already begun building new grain ships, the customs clearance certificates are still firmly gripped in the government's hands. The price of grain ships hasn't dropped one bit, and the extra money has all been scraped away by local prefectural offices and sent to Chang'an.

I hear that merchants in various places now jokingly call it the Grain Transport Tax. A thousand years from now, Prefect, you'll be famous—as the first Inspector to levy a grain transport tax, your name will echo through the ages."

Seeing Zheng Shuqing looking like a man who had given up on treatment, Fang Chongyong could not resist teasing him.

"Why don't you say a few words less. Who exactly came up with this mandatory unified standard for grain ships? Others may not know, but surely you do?"

Zheng Shuqing could not be bothered to chat with Fang Chongyong, the "chief culprit."

"Prefect Zheng, don't hold a grudge."

Fang Chongyong sat down beside Zheng Shuqing, likewise gazing out at the river. The two of them at this moment were like two salted fish sunning themselves on the riverbank.

Eyes open, they were sunning; eyes closed, still sunning!

"Prefect Zheng, would you like to hear a story? One related to the Sage."

Fang Chongyong asked abruptly.

Zheng Shuqing was now about as lively as a dead dog. He grunted and said nothing.

"When the Sage first established the Military Commissioners, he was already on guard against their rebellion. Various institutional checks constrained them, and moreover, the rations and military pay needed for war were often not entirely supplied by the local region. At first, this arrangement posed little problem, because the commissioners still had many militia troops under their command who were regularly rotated."

Fang Chongyong's words were not without reason, but Zheng Shuqing could not figure out what the other party was trying to say. He was merely a local official versed in civil administration; bringing up Military Commissioners was truly overestimating him.

"So what? What of it?"

Zheng Shuqing could not help asking.

"The Sage believes that if military farms are established in the borderlands to supply the garrison armies exclusively, it should be sufficient for military rations. In fact, the central authorities now rarely provide the rations portion at all.

But military pay is still firmly gripped in the court's hands, and they refuse to let go. A considerable portion of the wealth produced in the border garrisons still needs to be transported back to Chang'an. Financial authority has not been entirely placed in the hands of the Military Commissioners.

For example, in this standoff between the Jiannan army and Nanzhao, the court is holding its troops in place according to Wang Yu's plan, and the forces under his command cannot move recklessly, because without rewards, there is no army.

The court did not openly ask local prefectural offices to pay up, which is why the Zhang Choujian Qiong affair happened. And I looked into it—in fact, the transfer of wealth was done under the pretext of repairing the Great Buddha of Leshan. You all did it very discreetly."

After Fang Chongyong finished speaking these words in a measured tone, Zheng Shuqing sprang to his feet like a coiled spring, as though suddenly awakened!

"Are you saying that the Sage did not want to release financial authority, yet encountered an emergency requiring military action, and so he requisitioned Kuizhou's customs revenues?"

Zheng Shuqing had suddenly straightened out this line of reasoning he had never considered before. The more he thought about it, the more a chill ran through his entire body!

"Exactly so. Moreover, through the unwitting Wang Yu, Nanzhao was lulled into complacency. Zhang Choujian Qiong's operation achieved surprise. Prefect Zheng, you are truly meritorious to the state."

Fang Chongyong spoke with a trace of regret.

It was all a setup, right from the start! Li Longji was simply shameless to the extreme!

"So the wealth that Zhang Choujian Qiong sent was also hijacked by the court's men, and ultimately delivered to Chang'an…"

Once enlightened, Zheng Shuqing instantly straightened out the logic. If the mastermind behind it all was Li Longji, then everything fell perfectly into place.

"But… why did the Sage still require me to raise the customs revenues a second time?"

Zheng Shuqing could not figure it out no matter how he thought about it, a foul breath stuck in his chest with no outlet. Since Li Longji already knew everything, playing him like this was going too far.

Having been made to fork over an extra 300,000 strings to Li Longji—no human being could stay calm about that!

"Because Your Excellency the Prefect did, after all, commit the crime of deceiving the sovereign. The Sage naturally wanted to teach the Prefect a lesson to vent his anger. I dare wager that if the Prefect were to attempt hanging himself and be rescued, once the news got out, he could weather the crisis with ease. However, the Prefect's official career would also end right there."

Fang Chongyong said leisurely.

Zheng Shuqing plopped down onto the sandy ground, dumb as a wooden chicken.

"I also suspect that the court currently lacks a talented finance official to assist Chancellor Li in implementing the newly formulated fiscal policies in detail.

The Sage, or perhaps Chancellor Li, probably feels the Prefect could handle this, and so wants to test the Prefect's ability to rake in money… manage finances. Kuizhou is a commercial port where the standard tax system exists in name only; commercial taxes are substantial, and customs revenues are frighteningly large. This way, with interference eliminated, it would be easy to see how capable the Prefect truly is.

Perhaps the Sage and Chancellor Li both want to see where the Prefect's limits in financial management lie. Without a crushing debt behind the Prefect, he might not give it his all. Of course, this is merely my conjecture.

But I am certain of one thing: if the Prefect can make up the funds the Sage demands, then after returning to the capital to report, the Prefect's appointment as the court's finance official—and eventually even rising to the rank of Chancellor—should not be far off."

Hearing these words, only four characters surged in Zheng Shuqing's heart:

Terrifying beyond measure!

"Actually…"

Fang Chongyong was about to say more, but seeing Zheng Shuqing looking at him with puzzlement, he swallowed the words he had wanted to say. After all, it concerned his own father, Fang Youde. With the road back to Chang'an not yet paved smooth, it was best not to invite complications.

This time the court's intention to pilot a 'monetary tax' in Kui Prefecture is quite obvious; it hopes that my father, Fang Youde, can thoroughly investigate local livelihood conditions and provide firsthand material for the pilot. The court has long been fully aware of Kui Prefecture's situation; the long-standing alternative tax payment method obviously has its merits, worthy of careful study by the central authorities and broader promotion.

Unfortunately, my stubborn father Fang Youde never thought of that much; he keeps saying the local officials are colluding, and he merely believes that Zheng Shuqing and his ilk are deliberately undermining the court's statutes.

The court should now have recognized the drawbacks of the rent, labor, and tribute system, which are closely tied to the dissolution of the militia system; it can implement monetary tax reforms in certain key places (such as Yangzhou), and adjust the tax proportions of rent, labor, and tribute across different regions, optimize material transport routes, and so on.

However, the grain transport reforms of recent years have had little effect; shipping grain from Guandong to Chang'an incurs enormous expense, causing Li Longji to doubt the importance of grain transport in supporting Chang'an's prosperity.

Since the canals are unusable, I'll think of another method.

Thus many reforms, before they even began, died in the womb after only a preliminary pilot.

Thinking of this, Fang Chongyong couldn't help but feel a sigh; Zheng Shuqing might be a competent Tang official, or perhaps could navigate the capital with ease upon taking office. But discussing these era's trends with him would surely be grossly overstepping.

In a social atmosphere where everyone believes 'Our Great Tang is invincible under heaven,' uttering such 'out-of-date' words obviously makes one a non-mainstream figure in society.

At that moment, Zheng Shuqing and Fang Chongyong saw Gu Kuang carrying a bundle, with simple luggage, preparing to set off, seemingly coming to look for them.

"Envoy Zheng, Young Master Fang, I, Gu Kuang, am about to set off for Chang'an to report for duty."

Gu Kuang's face showed uncontrollable joy, yet also some sorrow.

"Brother Gu, I said you'd be promoted, and look—you really have been."

Fang Chongyong said teasingly.

Gu Kuang's expression shifted, finally turning into a long sigh.

"This official post came about… truly… shameful."

Gu Kuang does not consider mentioning this matter glorious; he wrote a letter saying the red lotus rice was burned, and yet he got promoted!

What kind of world is this!

I don't know whether it was that document pleasing the nobles, or Fang Chongyong's poem 'Weeding at Noon' that pleased some high-ranking literati; in any case, Gu Kuang rode this wave to rise, and now everyone in Chang'an knows that Kui Prefecture has an honest little official who toils hard in the red lotus rice paddies.

"By the way, Brother Gu, if anyone in Chang'an asks you whether the red lotus rice was really burned, just answer, 'Seems so, I don't really recall,' that sort of vague reply will do; don't be too honest."

Fang Chongyong reminded him earnestly.

Gu Kuang nodded, somewhat hesitantly saying: "The court has sent people again to Kui Prefecture to guard those several hundred mu of red lotus rice fields. I can't spare any for you all; I'm truly sorry."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand indifferently; Gu Kuang still hasn't figured out the situation.

After delivering that document, his task was done; as for transporting the rice later, naturally the 'insiders' on this line will handle it, ensuring every link gets a whiff of the red lotus rice's fragrance, guaranteeing the rice's integrity from the source.

Otherwise, if what Gu Kuang wrote in the document is one thing and what he actually does later is another, wouldn't that be setting people up to be ruined?

"Well then, farewell; may we meet again in Chang'an if fate allows."

Gu Kuang bowed deeply to Zheng Shuqing and Fang Chongyong, then turned and left, very clean and decisive.

"Have you come up with any financial plan?"

Zheng Shuqing asked quietly.

Now he feels a surge of ambition again; he wants to return to Chang'an, become a provision official! Become a capital official, to hold power!

Whether it succeeds depends on Fang Chongyong's this hammer of a deal!

"To defeat Cao Cao, one should use fire attacks; all preparations are complete, only lacking the east wind."

Fang Chongyong watched Gu Kuang's receding back, muttering to himself.

Unfortunately, Zheng Shuqing, who hasn't read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, completely fails to grasp the meaning of this meme.

"Indeed, we currently have no method. However, if we lie low for a month and wait until after the autumn harvest, we will have a way."

"Wait for the autumn harvest? Why wait for the autumn harvest?"

Zheng Shuqing asked, bewildered. Kui Prefecture produces little grain; the city's food consumption mostly relies on shipments from Shu, with some also coming from Jingxiang.

"After the autumn harvest, Shu and Jingxiang will have grain, and prices will be low. With our fifty thousand strings of cash, we can buy plenty of grain."

Fang Chongyong said with a mysterious expression.

Zheng Shuqing waved his hand and said: "In recent years, the Tang dynasty's grain price spread is never high, no matter the time; reselling grain yields hardly any profit."

"Not reselling; we're going to brew wine."

Fang Chongyong looked into Zheng Shuqing's eyes and continued: "We'll brew the Wuxia Spring liquor that can be bought anywhere in the prefectural city."

"'Spring' was often used as a suffix for liquor names in ancient times; for example, Wuxia Spring and Jianan Spring are such examples."

"Wuxia Spring… what's good about it? Kui Prefecture's fine liquors are only Yun'an qumi spring."

Zheng Shuqing frowned slightly, still not grasping Fang Chongyong's train of thought.

"Wine is not drunk this way; nor is it sold this way. You'll know when the time comes, sir."

Fang Chongyong stretched lazily and said: "Who says a salted fish can't turn over? Before next year's Lantern Festival, I will prove it—even a dried salted fish can turn over!"