Chapter 47: Fishing for a Mandarin Fish

After leaving the Forbidden City, Zhang Yunxiu locked himself in his room, pondering where to get so much merchandise.

First was the problem of money, and second was the problem of supply and time.

For three days in a row, he was so worried he kept pulling at his hair.

Once the morning hours passed that day, Zhang Yunxiu finished his breakfast and sat down in the small parlor with Zhang Fu.

Zhang Fu had long known of Zhang Yunxiu's predicament and racked his brains along with him. Suddenly, he slapped his palm and exclaimed, "Gongzi, we can avoid paying for the goods upfront; we can wait until they are sold, then slowly pay back the cost."

"Will that work?" Zhang Yunxiu looked hesitant, then added, "Besides, the Emperor's intent is that he doesn't want to spend a single penny of his own capital this time; once the items are sold, the Emperor must take the lion's share."

"No, no, Gongzi, have you become muddled?" Zhang Fu's face was full of excitement, but noticing his slip of the tongue, he corrected himself, "Gongzi, think about it: this is selling things for the Emperor. As soon as they enter the Imperial Palace, the value of their goods will surely double."

"That's right." Zhang Yunxiu slapped the table, stood up abruptly, and muttered, "Never mind settling the payment slowly; even if they were asked to pay out of their own pockets, I reckon some would be willing to give it a try."

"That is exactly the logic."

Zhang Fu echoed him. With Zhang Yunxiu having thought of a way to break the deadlock, his mood lightened significantly, and he hurriedly ordered, "Very well, go now and tell You Qi and Xu Jue to help us gather the prominent merchants in the capital."

"As you command." Zhang Fu acknowledged the order and left.

On the other side, Feng Bao had also long since learned the news that the Emperor intended to open a market within the Inner Palace.

Regarding such a monopolistic business with ten-thousand-fold profits, he, an old miser, would naturally not let it slip by easily.

That evening, after he finished his shift and returned home, he sat in the main hall as usual after dinner, listening to a songstress singing in a warbling voice for a while.

Once the song ended, Xu Jue seized the opportunity and walked up.

"Master, this afternoon, Young Master Zhang's steward, Zhang Fu, asked us to help him find merchants in the capital."

Feng Bao was unhurried; he took a small sip of tea before laughing in a shrill voice, "This is for the Emperor's business. The Emperor is dissatisfied with the Senior Grand Secretary cutting his Inner Treasury expenses, so he ordered Zhang Yunxiu to open up new sources of revenue in the palace."

Because the Emperor was dissatisfied with his father cutting his expenses, this money still had to be raised by Zhang Yunxiu himself.

"Then Master, shall we help or not?" Xu Jue asked cautiously.

"Help, why wouldn't we help?" Feng Bao stood up, patted Xu Jue on the shoulder, and said, "If the Senior Grand Secretary falls in the future, our wealth and status will still have to depend on this brat."

"Ah?!"

Xu Jue was startled, but Feng Bao raised his eyebrows, narrowed his triangular eyes, and said, "What 'ah'? Haven't you seen how the Emperor is being led around by this brat?

This kid is full of unbridled energy and has absolutely no regard for the etiquette of scholars, yet he happens to suit the Emperor's tastes."

The Emperor lives deep within the palace; who among those around him isn't trembling with fear?

This kid has taken the Emperor out of the palace several times, and each time he thinks he's done it flawlessly, really treating him like a blind man, isn't he?

Feng Bao was furious that this kid was bewitching the monarch and treating him like a deaf man's ears—mere decoration.

Yet the Emperor just happened to like this sort of thing, so for the sake of consolidating his position, Feng Bao just turned a blind eye to it.

While Feng Bao's thoughts were in turmoil, Xu Jue suddenly spoke again, "Master, since Zhang Yunxiu is so favored, why don't we just help him to the end and cover the money for him?"

"No need." Feng Bao waved his hand and gave a dry laugh, "Fishing requires finesse; we must let him know our power. By pulling and releasing, we will hook him onto our line."

"Master's strategy is perfectly in line with Sun Tzu's Art of War." Two beams of light flashed in Xu Jue's eyes.

Feng Bao did not commit, continuing, "We can help, but don't let this kid have it too easy. First, if a young person has it too easy, they are prone to taking a big fall later; second, if it's too easy, how will this kid remember our favor?" "Then I will drag my feet for a few days to temper this kid's temperament?" Xu Jue licked his lips and asked tentatively.

"You may." Feng Bao nodded slightly, stared into Xu Jue's eyes, and instructed, "Don't let him feel we are distancing ourselves, but don't let him feel we have matters that depend on him either. You must grasp this balance, understand?"

"This servant understands." Xu Jue smiled and was about to leave, but suddenly thinking of something, he froze in place.

"Do you have something else?" Feng Bao asked.

Xu Jue nodded and stammered, "Gongzi, after being stripped of his rank and made a commoner, his mind has become active again, clamoring to find a proper job to do..."

"You bastard!" Feng Bao was so angry his face turned dark, and he stomped his feet, cursing, "That animal! He committed a monstrous crime and caused such a huge disaster for the Senior Grand Secretary and for me! If I hadn't begged everyone, would he still be alive?"

"Beating a court official, resisting the court's tax laws—what great majesty he has. Think of me, having entered the palace for decades; who haven't I met with soft words, caution, and a smiling face? Even when walking, I keep my crotch tight, fearing a fart might pop out a grain of rice."

"And he, on the other hand, causes me trouble everywhere."

By the end, Feng Bao was so angry his neck had turned red.

"After all, the person wasn't beaten to death by him, and besides... you only have this one bit of family lineage." Xu Jue knew his master's temper and persuaded him in a low voice.

Feng Bao cursed, but after hearing what Xu Jue said, his mood suddenly became heavy.

He had only this one nephew and was counting on him to carry on the family line, even though the kid was a good-for-nothing.

He couldn't just ignore the animal.

After bowing his head in silence for a long time, Feng Bao raised his head and said, "Sigh, let that animal wait a while longer. Once the heat dies down, next spring, send him to Nanjing to be a minor official."

Xu Jue nodded in agreement and stepped over the threshold in a few strides.

Disturbed by Feng Bangning, Feng Bao had completely lost the mood to listen to music and waved his hand to dismiss the others.

He sat alone in the yellow pear-wood chair in the main hall, eyes slightly closed, as the past half-life flashed through his mind.

Entering the palace at 12, becoming a Drafting Eunuch in his forties, he had spent fifty years in this Forbidden City of flashing blades and bloodless killings. He was tired, truly tired, especially watching the Emperor grow up.

As he gradually aged, there was a moment when he truly had the thought of retiring.

But it was only for a moment.

That life of having the power of life and death, with a carriage when going out and beautiful slaves when entering—once one has lived it, it is impossible to quit.

He was accustomed to the flattery of those around him, accustomed to being held up by others.

Accustomed to the Emperor calling him "Da Ban."

He had accompanied the Emperor for more than ten years, watching the Emperor grow from a young child with hair in bangs into a ruler of a generation.

At first, the Emperor followed his lead in everything; big matters or small, he would consult him on every detail.

How glorious that was? Thinking of this, a smile flashed across Feng Bao's aged face.

At this moment, a cold draft blew through the hall, and he shivered, waking from his memories.

"The weather is getting colder and colder."

He stood up, tightened the sable cloak on his body, and walked toward the bedroom.

(End of chapter)