Chapter 1863: Instructions

"I've already told you time and again, warned you sternly — the situation is different now, you must stay in line and keep a low profile!" Dang Jin continued to rage: "But that beast, bold as could be, still dares to act recklessly and ignore my words! Stealing some family money and grain is one thing, but he dares to abuse the people, harm living beings — he courted death, and dying was what he deserved!"

"Yes! Yes! Father is right!" Seeing that Dang Jin's furious mouth showed no sign of stopping, Dang Chonggui nodded along while supporting Dang Jin to a seat in the hall, consoling him: "Things have come to this — getting angry won't help. Why ruin your health over that beast!"

"You're right — not worth it for that beast!" Hearing this, Dang Jin's mood finally settled somewhat.

After a serving maid presented warm milk wine and he took a sip, Dang Jin sighed with misty old eyes: "I am dull by nature, retired to Yangzhai, far from the court — grasping the shifts in court affairs was never easy for me.

Before Duke Rong passed, he sent letters — you saw them too. Even Duke Rong was that cautious; what right do people like us have to act wantonly? If we don't know when to hold back, how could we come to any good end?"

"Father's painstaking care and earnest instruction — your son takes it to heart!" Mention of Zhao Kuangyin made Dang Jin's spirits sink somewhat; seeing this, Dang Chonggui bowed solemnly in salute.

Parents dote on their youngest — this held true for Dang Jin as well, especially since he had only two sons in all. The eldest son, Dang Chongyi, had inherited Dang Jin's mantle; trained in martial arts from childhood, he had once been a member of the "Fengchen Battalion" and had served as a guard in the ranks beside Emperor Liu. He had since held posts in the military continuously, and was currently serving under Wei Prince Liu Min of Anxi, governing a prefecture's military and civil affairs. Though he couldn't match those outstanding talents, his future was still well secured, and in all likelihood Dang Jin's title would pass to the eldest son.

Dang Chonggui was not like his elder brother, but because he had always stayed at home, filially caring for his aged father and managing household affairs, being close at hand naturally earned him Dang Jin's deep affection.

Looking at his beloved son, Dang Jin said: "I hope this time, you'll actually take my words to heart!"

"Your son will strictly discipline the household from now on!" said Dang Chonggui.

Dang Jin nodded, slowly leaning back in his chair, and sighed softly: "In this life of mine, I've achieved fame and success, bringing glory to the family name. The splendor and comfort of the world — I've enjoyed what there was to enjoy. I have no regrets! If not for you worthless juniors, would I be this long-winded?"

As he spoke, Dang Jin couldn't help showing his irascible side again, slapping the tea table: "I had already let go of all desires, wanting only to enjoy my old age in peace — but the court won't allow it, insisting on stirring things up! What is that Pan You anyway? A petty man drunk on power. I think some people figure that with Duke Rong gone, we old-timers can be trampled at will!"

"Father, surely it's not that bad!"

"Enough! Let's not speak of these vexing matters!" Dang Jin waved his hand, his gaze falling back on Dang Chonggui. After a moment's deliberation, he said earnestly to him: "This old body of mine — who knows how much longer it will hold out. After I die, this title goes to your elder brother!

The court's established rules, I cannot go against. Still, this great family estate will always have a share for you. These years you've managed the household affairs and properties with considerable skill — keep playing to your strengths.

Don't harbor resentment. Look on the bright side!"

Hearing this, Dang Chonggui's expression shifted for a moment, and finally he clasped his hands and said: "Father, rest assured — how could your son harbor resentment! The estate you built for your descendants, we will maintain with due care. I dare not speak of expanding its glory; preserving its continuity is the proper duty.

Your son and eldest brother will stand together in unity, sharing weal and woe. Brother takes the official path, I take the mercantile — together we safeguard the Dang family enterprise."

Whether Dang Chonggui's words were partly sincere or not, they sounded deeply gratifying to Dang Jin's ears. Looking at him, he smiled with a comforted old heart: "Very good! Very good!"

After pondering a moment, he added with instruction: "In the future, you must keep close ties with the Duke Rong's mansion. The life-and-death friendship of our generation — don't let it fade!"

"Yes!"

"However, as for that Guangyang Earl Zhao Kuangyi, mind your distance!" Dang Jin instructed further.

"Why?" Dang Chonggui was somewhat surprised.

Dang Jin curled his lip and said: "That man's scheming runs too deep — not something you can handle. Duke Rong had barely departed before he was eagerly recruiting old retainers, trying to gather us old brothers under his banner! He — doesn't deserve it yet!"

"What others think, I can't control, but our Dang family will never sing his praises or be used by him. Preserving ourselves — that comes first!"

Dang Chonggui nodded thoughtfully, but still couldn't help voicing a doubt: "Only — Chancellor Zhao now holds high position and great power, and he can still offer us protection. If we offend him, I fear..."

"Who told you to offend him!" Dang Jin's eyes glared wide: "Neither too close nor too far, neither intimate nor distant — just keep your distance! Besides, with his help, how much higher could our Dang family rise? Without his protection, would our Dang family not live well?"

"Who told you to go and offend him?!" Dang Jin glared with both eyes and said, "Not too close, not too far—neither intimate nor distant—just keep your distance! Besides, with his help, how much further could our Dang family rise? And without his protection, would our Dang family's days truly be worse off?"

"Ah, right — pick out the finest set from the fine porcelain fired in the kilns. When I go to the capital next year, I want to present it to His Majesty as a birthday gift!" Dang Jin thought of something and gave the order.

"Your son will see to it shortly!" At this, Dang Chonggui immediately put on a solemn expression.

The reason Dang Jin had been so open-handed and generous regarding land was that, besides seeing the situation clearly, there was another very important reason: land was not the Dang family's main source of wealth.

Yangzhai was a fine place, with two great advantages. The first was medicinal herbs — as one of the Great Han's few medicine capitals, it was one of the Great Han's few major herb distribution hubs, famous far and wide. From cultivation, gathering, and processing to sales, the industry chain was complete and large in scale.

By the twenty-fourth year of Kaibao, Yangzhai's local medicinal herb cultivation area had reached fifty thousand mu, of which nearly one-fifth belonged to the Dang family. Every year there was a "Medicine Trade Fair," where physicians and herb merchants from across the realm would gather to exchange and trade.

And the medicinal herb industry, in the Great Han's current market, was nearly limitless. Most of the herbs produced in Yangzhai were supplied to the government and the military; a portion of the finest were purchased by the palace as tribute; and less than four-tenths flowed to the civilian market — and even that was in short supply.

In the herb trade, as long as you had resources, it was hard to lose money. Yangzhai had both a history of medicine and first-mover advantage, plus a flood of people pouring in to invest — the market was naturally booming.

And the Dang family had carved off a sizable slice of that cake, with returns that naturally couldn't be compared to traditional land management.

The other advantage was porcelain. Thanks to abundant clay resources, Yangzhai's porcelain industry was equally developed in the Great Han. Its Jun porcelain was famous throughout the realm and had already been sold overseas.

Together with neighboring Ruzhou's Ru porcelain, Dingzhou's Ding porcelain, and the south's Jing white porcelain, they were collectively known as the Great Han's Four Famous Porcelains. Of course, the Great Han had many famous kilns, but the ones that had reached scale and dominated the market were these four.

As a local power, the Dang family naturally had a hand in the porcelain industry as well — of Yangzhai's top ten kilns, the Dang family owned two.

Medicine in one hand, porcelain in the other — these were the Dang family's true main sources of wealth.

And thanks to these two quality resources, although land consolidation and concentration in Yangzhai was severe, the common folk of Yangzhai actually lived quite well, with a standard of living among the nation's highest, and basic social contradictions were not as sharp as elsewhere.

If one day the court moved against the medicine and porcelain industries, that would be the real bone-breaking blow for the Dang family.

If one day the court were to move against the two industries of medicine and porcelain, that would be the true crippling blow for the Dang clan.