Chapter 117: Funds Must Flow to Have Loopholes

After Zheng Xi'er became pregnant, Zhang Yunxiu dared not be careless and specifically found two experienced midwives to serve her personally.

At the same time, for five or six days in a row, Zhang Yunxiu stayed huddled by Zheng Xi'er's side, doting on her until she could not take it anymore.

In the living room of the bedroom, Zheng Xi'er leaned against a soft cushion, looked at the rushing Zhang Yunxiu, pursed her lips, and couldn't help but chide: "You should go out and walk around. With your way of nursing me, I'll be dizzy from you before I even give birth."

"You really don't need me to stay with you?" Zhang Yunxiu asked.

"No need, I'm not that delicate. You just go busy yourself with your own affairs," Zheng Xi'er smiled broadly and urged, "You keep doting on me, I'm actually a bit unaccustomed to it."

"Oh, so you're starting to get annoyed with me now?" Zhang Yunxiu feigned anger, though he was happy in his heart.

He knew that Zheng Xi'er was doing this because she did not want to be a burden to him.

The two had long been intimate, and with Zheng Xi'er being pregnant, her courage had grown: "I just dislike you, hurry out and get busy. When you're done and Xi'er has finished giving birth, I'll let you fuss over me all you want."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and nodded, stood up to kiss Zheng Xi'er on the forehead, and left the living room without looking back.

Zheng Xi'er gave a doting smile, and a unique flush appeared on her beautiful cheeks.

After leaving Zheng Xi'er's bedroom, Zhang Yunxiu looked up at the clear sky, feeling much more relaxed.

To be honest, whenever he saw Zheng Xi'er now, he wished she would give birth to the child in her belly immediately.

Those days of waiting were long and agonizing.

Now it was good; Zheng Xi'er had taken the initiative to let him go out to handle business. He would just go out for a stroll, and the child would be born.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yunxiu curled his lips, his heart filled with twelve parts of joy.

Walking quickly out of the villa, Zhang Yunxiu headed straight for the North Bureau of the Jinyiwei. As soon as he stepped into the office, Han San heard the movement and smilingly welcomed Zhang Yunxiu into his own office to sit down.

He ran back and forth, serving tea and pouring water.

Zhang Yunxiu signaled for him to stop busybodying, had him sit before him, and asked: "Han San, how many martial monks are willing to join our fleet now?"

"Not many, just barely fifty people," Han San replied respectfully.

"And the rest? Is it because they think the money isn't enough?" Zhang Yunxiu asked, his face full of suspicion.

"No, it's mainly because they're afraid their reputation won't be good," Han San gave a sheepish smile and added, "These monks used to be monks, and now suddenly becoming thugs for a merchant fleet, they still feel a bit awkward about it psychologically."

If you can't even eat your fill, do you still care about face?

Zhang Yunxiu curled his lips; it was hard to reason with these bald donkeys anyway.

You look down on me, and I don't think much of you either.

After stewing in his heart for a while, Zhang Yunxiu instructed Han San: "Since that's the case, find a way to recruit some young and strong men from the commoners. Remember, we are not an army, we are a merchant association, a merchant association."

"Understood," Han San nodded and smiled.

"By the way, that guy Zhao Yuanda is said to have opened a shop in Beijing, and the business is booming?" Lowering his head to ponder for a moment, Zhang Yunxiu seemed to think of something and couldn't help but ask Han San.

"That's right, many men in this capital go to his place," Han San grinned.

"You went too?" Zhang Yunxiu asked, turning his body.

Han San's face turned red, his expression became extremely unnatural, his eyes drifted, he turned his gaze elsewhere, and replied in a low voice: "The little one doesn't need to, the little one practices health preservation every day."

You just keep being stubborn.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled without exposing him, then stood up and walked out of the small room: "Let's go, accompany me for a stroll in the capital."

"As you command."

The two walked one after the other, not riding in a carriage, just walking around the capital, and finally arrived at Chongwen Gate at dusk that day.

At that time, the sky had not yet completely darkened, the blood-red sunset cast its afterglow, and the white snow on the roofs reflected each other, stirring up a unique color.

Sparse cooking smoke drifted, and the scent of fireworks followed the cold wind into Zhang Yunxiu's nostrils.

Zhang Yunxiu stood on the city wall, looking out at Beijing, and everything before his eyes seemed to become small.

"It's truly huge, this Beijing," Zhang Yunxiu held onto the damp and cold city wall and couldn't help but sigh.

"Indeed, it is just such a city; every order it issues can change the pattern of the world," Han San followed up and smiled in agreement.

"Hahaha, you, a mere Thousand-Household, are now concerned about the world's situation?"

Zhang Yunxiu grinned and tilted his head to tease Han San. Han San was not annoyed, but instead took the opportunity to flatter Zhang Yunxiu: "It's because I've been by the Young Master's side for so long; through constant exposure, I naturally understand a few things."

"You, these two lips of yours are like they've been smeared with honey; I can't outtalk you."

"It's all thanks to the Young Master's training."

Zhang Yunxiu looked at the humble, bowing Han San, smiled, and did not reply.

The two stood like this on the Chongwen Gate wall, quietly admiring the scenery.

Until the golden sun was shrouded by the black curtain and the moonlight climbed onto the city wall, the two descended the city gate and walked on the deserted streets.

After walking along the street for a while, Zhang Yunxiu suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but ask: "By the way, didn't we ask the Emperor for an edict to have the Weapon Bureau allocate three hundred Bird Muskets and twenty Cannons to the fleet? Have you inspected the quality of those Bird Muskets and cannons?"

"Very bad, many are old antiques, their age is even greater than mine," Han San frowned and said in a low voice.

Zhang Yunxiu darkened his face and stopped walking.

Han San followed with an emergency stop. The two looked at each other, and Han San was the first to explain: "Actually, you can't blame the people at the Weapon Bureau. It's just that this damn Weapon Bureau originally fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works. During the reign of the Ancestor, the Divine Machine Battalion was famous, and the Emperor naturally had to keep such sharp weapons in his own hands."

"Thus, the Weapon Bureau became jointly managed by the Ministry of Works and the Inner Palace."

"The money comes out of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Revenue has Ministers, Vice Ministers, as well as Directors and Secretaries. Then it goes to the Ministry of Works' Ministers, Vice Ministers, and Secretaries, and the palace officials also want to get a piece of the action."

"A Bird Musket that originally cost fifteen taels, by the time it reaches the Artisan, it's lucky if five taels of silver remain."

*Hiss. * The more times money changes hands, the more people reach out for it. Zhang Yunxiu recalled a famous saying from an old accountant in later generations: "Funds must flow to have loopholes; the longer the line of flow, the more places there are to play tricks."

If this were allowed to continue, the Weapon Bureau would sooner or later be ruined by this bunch of people.

After figuring this out, Zhang Yunxiu narrowed his eyes and asked Han San: "Who is responsible for supervising the Weapon Bureau?"

"Ministry of Works Secretary Liu Gui, and then there is the Weapon Bureau Ambassador Sun Yuan," Han San thought for a moment and replied respectfully.

"Do you know where Sun Yuan's house is?"

"I know, it's just two alleys to the left of Chongwen Gate."

"Let's go, let's go see his house."

Zhang Yunxiu was anxious and urged Han San to lead the way; the two of them plunged into the night and headed straight for Sun Yuan's home.

After turning through two deep and secluded alleys, Han San and Zhang Yunxiu arrived together in front of a small courtyard glowing with a faint light.

The small courtyard was very dilapidated; the seven-foot-square door panel was pitted and scarred, giving one a sense of ruin at a single glance.

Without waiting for Zhang Yunxiu to speak, Han San stepped forward a few paces, stretched out his fist, and knocked lightly on the door.

"Coming, coming."

Soon, a burst of hurried footsteps came from inside. "Gently, gently, don't you look at what time it is now? If you break our door, will you pay for it?"

"Creeeak."

A harsh sound arose, and a middle-aged woman poked half her head out from inside the door. She rolled her yellowish eyes to glance at the two of them and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Is this Sun Yuan's home?" Zhang Yunxiu asked.

"Yes, what is it?" the middle-aged woman replied.

"Oh, it's like this," Zhang Yunxiu smiled. "We are officials from the Ministry of Works and have some matters to discuss with Sun Yuan. Because the matter is urgent, we have no choice but to disturb you, Madam."

"Ah! So it's the great lords from the Ministry of Works." The middle-aged woman's attitude improved significantly. She opened the wooden door, invited Zhang Yunxiu and the other inside, and simultaneously shouted at the top of her lungs, "Husband, come out quickly, the great lords from the Ministry of Works have something to ask you."

"Coming, coming."

A lean, middle-aged man wearing only an unlined garment ran out rapidly.

It was none other than Sun Yuan, the Ambassador of the Weapon Bureau.

A Ninth-Rank official.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu and Han San, Sun Yuan rolled his eyes to size them up. Feeling that the two were somewhat unfamiliar, he couldn't help but ask, "For what matter have you two superiors come?"

"Regarding the Bird Musket," Zhang Yunxiu said, stepping straight into the Sun family's main hall.

As expected.

Sun Yuan felt bitter and followed closely behind their footsteps.

The group sat in the main hall. Sun Yuan's wife prepared a basin of charcoal fire to keep them warm, then retreated.

Zhang Yunxiu turned his gaze to scan Sun Yuan's main hall. Seeing that it was cold and damp, with quite a bit of clutter piled in the corners, he asked, "Master Sun, how is it that you are an official with a rank in the imperial court, yet your life is still lived so bitterly?"

"This is nothing. This year, they even issued a bit more of the salary in silver; otherwise, we wouldn't even be able to afford to repair this roof," Sun Yuan laughed at himself.

The salary for a Ninth-Rank official was five shi and five dou of rice per month, which was much better than that of the common people.

It was just that everything in the capital was expensive, and as a small official, he had no grease to skim, so he could only rely on his salary to barely get by.

"Ambassador Sun, I will only ask you one thing: do you want to live in a big house?" Zhang Yunxiu tempted him.

"Who wouldn't?" Sun Yuan asked back with his eyes widened.

"If you want to, then tell me: to build one qualified Bird Musket at the Weapon Bureau, how much silver does it actually take?" Zhang Yunxiu took the opportunity to ask.

Seeing that the two had an extraordinary bearing and had asked about such confidential matters right away, Sun Yuan couldn't help but become vigilant. "This... this, I am not too clear on it either. Only those Artisans would know. In the end, I am just a layman."

At this moment, Han San, who had not spoken until now, knitted his brows and suddenly said sternly, "Sun Yuan, stop playing dumb with me. If we could find you, it means we know your situation inside and out."

"Confess honestly."

As he spoke, he slapped his golden badge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard onto the table.

Seeing it, Sun Yuan was so frightened that his legs trembled, and he begged for mercy repeatedly, "Superiors, spare me! Superiors, spare me! This lowly one shouldn't have stolen iron from the Weapon Bureau to sell; this lowly one shouldn't have stolen iron from the Weapon Bureau to sell."

"What kind of nonsense is this? I am asking you how much silver it takes to build a qualified Bird Musket," Zhang Yunxiu couldn't be bothered with these sordid affairs and just continued with the previous question.

Sun Yuan cursed himself for having a loose tongue and hated that he had spilled the beans too quickly.

He lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then said timidly, "At least seven or eight taels of silver, I suppose."

"Then why the hell did you report fifteen taels of silver?" Han San cursed from the side.

"How much silver a Bird Musket costs is not something this lowly one decides. It is determined by the big shots in the Inner Palace together with the Ministry of Works. This lowly one is just responsible for carrying it out. Besides, the silver doesn't even reach seven or eight taels by the time it gets to my hands."

"Alright, alright. I didn't come here to hold you accountable." Zhang Yunxiu knew the waters were deep and didn't want to get stuck in them, so he simply ordered, "I will give you enough iron now; you build three hundred qualified Bird Muskets for me."

"I won't play games with you either. For every Bird Musket built, once it passes inspection, I will pay you one tael of silver."

Paying by the piece directly should be much more efficient than everyone eating from the same pot.

"One tael of silver?" Sun Yuan's eyes widened.

"Think it's too much? Then five mace."

"Not too much, not too much, it's just right."

(End of chapter)