Chapter 1924: Still Owing External Debts

He nearly passed out from the shock, his mind in a daze, and it took a long while before he regained his senses. At this moment, Wang Yansheng's heart was already suppressed to the extreme, but he still tried his best to restrain himself.

Wrapped in endless disappointment, yet the mind that had played the fool for over a decade was now exceptionally clear. Shoving aside the several people who crowded around him wearing expressions of concern, Wang Yansheng rose and picked up another ledger, asking in a "calm" tone: "If these accounts are true, with the mansion's monthly expenditures being so enormous, even five thousand or ten thousand strings of cash, you could spend it all clean. With less than a thousand strings on these books, how long can that last? The year has only just begun—are we not going to live through the rest of it? There must be something wrong with these accounts. Speak—where is the problem?"

Hearing Wang Yansheng bring this up, Wang Yinghao and his two brothers exchanged glances with the several stewards. It was Wang Yinghao who spoke in a low voice: "The court's salary is disbursed on time every month, and the properties outside the mansion also bring in income, so we can still manage......"

Such an explanation naturally could not convince Wang Yansheng. He said viciously: "Even adding your brothers' official salaries, that's only about five hundred strings a month. What use is such a paltry sum? What property income? How much could it possibly be? You must be hiding something from me—tell this old man the truth!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yinghao's face was full of conflict. After hesitating for a moment, he still lowered his head and urged: "Father, please don't worry about this. Your sons can handle the household affairs, and we will find a way to raise the funds for the South Seas voyage as soon as possible!"

"What way? Steal? Cheat? Or rob?" Wang Yansheng completely exploded. Reversing the sword hilt, he viciously struck Wang Yinghao with it: "At this point, you still try to deceive me. Do you truly think this old man is senile and can be bullied?"

Wang Yinghao cried out in pain and fell to the ground, grimacing, but he paid it no mind. Kneeling right there on the spot, he bowed and said: "Father, please calm your anger! Your son would not dare!"

With that, he began kowtowing, very forcefully, making thumping sounds. After just a few bows, he grew somewhat dizzy, and the skin on his forehead was broken, yet he still did not stop—perhaps he had never been this harsh on himself in his entire life. Watching his eldest son rather harm himself than tell the truth, Wang Yansheng's heart kept sinking.

He kicked him over with one foot, then turned to look at his other two sons: "You two—speak!"

These two sons looked presentable enough, but faced with their father in such a state, they were utterly cowardly. They exchanged a glance, then both lowered their heads simultaneously, pretending not to have heard, unwilling to utter a single word.

Seeing this reaction from the two, Wang Yansheng immediately understood—these two unfilial brats also had a share in the emptying of the family's coffers. Shifting his gaze away from them, he slowly walked to a steward with a graying beard and raised his sword to rest it against the man's neck: "Wang Jin, you've followed me for over forty years. You wouldn't lie to me. Speak up!"

Looking at his old master, who had already grown somewhat frantic, the old servant named Wang Jin's eyes showed a trace of reluctance. He was not afraid of the sharp blade at his neck—he was merely worried about his master's health, which truly could not withstand any more shocks.

However, when Wang Yansheng turned ruthless, he was the type to acknowledge no kin. Seeing the man remain silent, he looked entirely ready to slit his throat. Having sobered up somewhat, Wang Yinghao rose, shouting "No!" and tried to snatch the sword from Wang Yansheng's hand, only to be kicked over again.

At this point, Wang Jin could no longer hold it in. After hesitating a moment, he decided to tell the truth: "The mansion's accounts have a shortfall—some external debts are covering it......"

At this, Wang Yansheng was completely stunned. He never imagined he would receive such an answer. His withered hand was now exceptionally strong as he suddenly grabbed the man's lapels, glaring fiercely at the steward: "Are these words true?"

"Yes!" Wang Jin let out a long sigh, and his aged face also showed some shame.

Wang Yinghao, seeing the old steward reveal the truth, could not help but collapse into a sitting position, not bothering to get up, utterly dejected. With two "clatter" sounds, the sharp sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Wang Yansheng laughed twice, and the laughter carried a note of desolation: "This old man was a hero all his life, yet in my twilight years I must suffer such humiliation. A proper ducal mansion, reduced to living on borrowed money—a laughingstock, a laughingstock!"

Wang Yansheng was furious, and also deeply puzzled. How could this be? Logically speaking, even relying solely on his annual salary as Commandery Duke should be enough to support the entire household. Of course, as those enormous expenditure items floated up in his mind, this perfectly reasonable thought quickly turned gray......

Even someone as tough as Wang Yansheng could barely withstand such a situation. He sat down again, lost and dejected for a while, then raised his eyes to ask, his tone carrying endless weariness: "Who did you borrow money from?"

Wang Jin said in a low voice: "Some prominent worthies and wealthy merchants in the countryside, and also Kang Ning, the great merchant of Luoyang."

"Kang Ning!" Wang Yansheng recalled, then said: "The one who sells furs?"

"Yes!" Wang Jin said.

"So he's gotten into the money-lending business now?" Wang Yansheng said flatly.

"He doesn't lend to just anyone. It's said that quite a few high officials and nobles have reached out to Kang Ning, and he turns none away......"

"Can you not see through such a trick?" Wang Yansheng said mockingly, looking at his sons and his old partner.

Wang Yinghao spoke up: "The mansion only borrowed five thousand strings from Kang Ning. We've already repaid part of it, the interest isn't high, and Kang Ning has never made any excessive demands of the ducal mansion!"

As he said this, Wang Yinghao even carried a hint of self-satisfaction. Wang Yansheng's heart, meanwhile, sank to the very bottom. How had he fathered such pig-stupid sons? He had previously thought his eldest son possessed a bit of the scant intelligence available, but now it seemed such petty cleverness would only invite disaster—better to have remained a good-for-nothing like his two younger brothers.

"When he finally opens his mouth, will he give you room to refuse?" Wang Yansheng shot Wang Yinghao a cold glare, no longer even having the energy to be angry at his lack of ambition.

With a grim face, he thought for a long while, then looked at Wang Jin and instructed: "Go tell the lads preparing to head south to wait in peace for two days. The funds and expenses—this old man will surely have them ready!"

"But the mansion truly has little ready cash!" Wang Yansheng spoke with such conviction, but Wang Jin had no confidence whatsoever and reminded him worriedly.

"Are you going to defy my orders?" Wang Yansheng gave him a cold look.

"I wouldn't dare. This old servant will notify them right away!"

Wang Yansheng paid no attention to his three sons. He picked up the sword from the ground, twirled it twice, and sheathed it, then called for the several warehouse keepers and headed toward the storeroom.

Bafang Tower, located in Luoyang's North Market, was a mid-sized restaurant with no small reputation. Its dishes were excellent—especially since delicacies from all corners of the realm gathered there. Its owner was Kang Ning, the great merchant of Luoyang.

Decades of shifting winds and changing fortunes applied to the Great Han's commercial world as well. Against the historical backdrop of great handicraft development and great expansion of the commodity economy, wave after wave of wealthy merchants rose, and equally, wave after wave of great traders fell for various reasons. Only those who could stand firm for decades truly deserved the title of "great merchant and grand trader." And what they relied upon was by no means merely a clever head for business—in a privileged society like the Great Han, background came first.

Kang Ning was clearly such a man. His origins were not ordinary—he was originally named Kang Yanning, a clan nephew of Kang Fu, a minister of the previous dynasty. And Kang Fu was the father of Kang Yanze, the Baron of Hechuan. The Wang and Kang families had only fallen out due to a conflict between their grandchildren, and the relationship between Kang Yanze's line and Kang Ning's line seemed none too good either. The relations among them were somewhat complicated.

Speaking of Kang Ning, he had started early. As far back as the twelfth year of Tianfu, he was already in business. At that time, the realm was still torn by war, bandits swarmed the land, and even the Liu family that had just entered Kaifeng faced questions of whether they could hold the realm. Doing business back then meant risking one's life.

Benefiting from his origins, he had capital to build on. Kang Ning was also bold—he took some clansmen, bribed some bandits and refugees, and went to Huainan to buy (rob) grain, then transported it back to Kaifeng.

At that time, Kaifeng had just received several hundred thousand new Hedong troops and civilians. What they had most of was mouths; what they lacked most was grain. With a dou of rice at three hundred wen, simply getting the grain through successfully meant enormous profits. After only three trips, Kang Ning's capital had quadrupled.

However, the grain profiteering business was not a long-term path. Although the court tacitly approved—even secretly supported—their bringing in grain from outside to fill the capital, Kang Ning had the foresight to shift direction early.

Kang Ning's new target was the "transport industry," which at the time had extremely thin profit margins. And his very first client was the Great Han court itself. Relying on the Kang family's reputation, he went directly to Wang Zhang, the then Finance Minister, and expressed his willingness to help the court transport grain to the front lines. To gain trust, he first donated a hundred dan of flour. Wang Zhang, who was racking his brains over the army's upcoming campaign, was moved by his "sincerity" and agreed to let him try, assigning a portion of the task to Kang Ning.

The road from Kaifeng to Ye City was not far. Du Chongwei's rebel army was besieged by Gao Xingzhou within Yuancheng, and Kang Ning's group had rich experience in grain transport. Together with what he had donated, the first batch of five hundred dan of military grain was successfully delivered to the front lines.

With the first success, everything after went smoothly. Over the entire "Pacifying Du" campaign, Kang Ning and his men helped the court transport over three thousand dan of military grain—no less significant than the contribution of an auxiliary battalion.

As for the entire transport business, Kang Ning didn't make a penny—in fact, he poured all the profits from his earlier grain business into it. But it must be said, this was the beginning of Kang Ning's rise to wealth. Strictly speaking, he had established connections with the court—and specifically its core power organs—far earlier than the Kang Yanze brothers. And there was nothing more secure, nor more profitable, than doing business under official protection......