Chapter 65: Selling at a Low Price? I

Very quickly, the second round of selection ended, and among the remaining dozen or so people, Liang Bangrui was among them. Of course, Zhang Jing also kept an ace up his sleeve and did not reject the good intentions of others.

As for tributes and bribes, he turned no one away.

However, these people were far less generous than the Liang family; a flicker of regret crossed Zhang Jing's mind, but it quickly dissipated.

Fifty thousand taels of silver was already an exorbitant price, and with the shops the Liang family was selling off at a pittance everywhere, he had raked in seventy thousand taels from the Liang family alone.

These days, his mood was simply excellent; even when he passed gas, the scent carried an air of joy.

On the other side.

Zhang Yunxiu sat upright in the living room, planning intensely, preparing to uproot Zhang Jing in one fell swoop.

He pondered secretly, assessing the situation and timing, grasping for the moment to strike and hit this poisonous snake hard in its vital spot.

As long as he dared to select Liang Bangrui, that would be his death date!

Moreover, this informant could not be Feng Bao, nor could it be himself, lest the Emperor sense something.

After much thought, the Managing Eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, Wei Qing, was just the right size and fit.

At this time, the Beginning of Summer had passed, and the sunlight poured down recklessly from the high sky, landing on the glazed tiles of the opposite roof, refracting light like a rainbow.

Zhang Yunxiu's gaze flickered, and he returned to his senses from his thoughts.

At this moment, Zhang Fu stepped in from outside in a great hurry.

"What is it?" Zhang Yunxiu asked.

Zhang Fu spat out two puffs of hot air before saying with a trembling voice: "The Liang family... the Liang family is selling off their property at a pittance, and that scoundrel Zhang Jing has sent people to follow and buy them up. Should we also follow and buy some?"

"No need." Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand with a smile, picked up the teapot on the table to pour a cup for Zhang Fu, and teased, "He is a grasshopper after the autumn frost now; let him be rampant for a while longer. These things, sooner or later, I will take them all back."

Zhang Fu gulped down the tea, wiped his mouth, and laughed: "The Young Master's foresight is deep indeed. Once Zhang Jing is raided by the Emperor, let alone these shops, even his own house can be turned upside down."

"That is the logic."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and added, "The good show has only just begun. When the main performance starts, we will let Zhang Jing know what it means to be plunged into darkness."

It is only a pity that Zhang Siwei did not participate in this selection, otherwise, both could have been caught in one net.

This guy disguised himself extremely well; although he was a Secondary Assistant in the Grand Secretariat, he consulted Zhang Juzheng on every matter, big or small.

A living, breathing, obedient subject.

Furthermore, as he was the nephew of Zhang Juzheng's good friend Wang Chonggu, Zhang Juzheng trusted him quite a bit.

He could hardly go and tell old Zhang, "After you die, this is the thing that will lead the charge against you." Zhang Yunxiu was certain that as long as he dared to say this, Zhang Juzheng would surely claim he was having a hysterical episode again.

Simply put, he stopped thinking about Zhang Siwei's affairs.

Seeing that Zhang Yunxiu had not spoken for a long time, Zhang Fu glanced at his master's expression and whispered a reminder: "Young Master, word has come from the River Patrol Censor; the fifty thousand Salt Permits you want are afraid to be difficult to handle. Without the Emperor's imperial decree, he can at most produce thirty thousand Salt Permits."

The Huai Salt Field is the greatest of all salt fields under heaven, with over seven hundred thousand Salt Permits annually, each permit for four hundred catties.

Zhang Yunxiu opened his mouth like a lion, asking for five hundred thousand permits at once; it was indeed too frightening.

This matter should have been under the jurisdiction of the Huai Salt Transport Commissioner, but since both offices were located in Yangzhou, Wang Zhuan, as the Director-General of Grain Transport and a favorite of the current Senior Grand Secretary, naturally dared not be negligent.

Thirty thousand Salt Permits were sent out through gritted teeth. "I will speak to the Emperor about this," Zhang Yunxiu pondered briefly and said bluntly, "You tell Imperial Censor Wang that these fifty thousand Salt Permits in our hands can earn far more than in the hands of those merchants."

"Where does the Young Master intend to sell them?" A trace of doubt appeared on Zhang Fu's face as he continued, "The price of official salt is too expensive; a catty costs at least fifteen wen, and up to thirty wen. The price of private salt is several times cheaper than official salt."

"In most places, people still eat mostly private salt."

"Don't you worry about it for now; in any case, when the time comes, we will be able to return the principal with interest."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and spoke vaguely. Zhang Fu did not dare to press further, simply nodding and replying: "Then this servant will go and write to the River Patrol Censor again to clarify the stakes."

"Hmm."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded slightly and stood up to walk toward the door.

Inside the Liang Family Mansion on Chongwen Street, dark clouds loomed, devoid of the prosperity and bustle of the past.

The head of the family, Liang Mancang, sat in the large living room with a dark, gloomy face and furrowed brows, his hands constantly flipping through account books.

Every now and then, two sighs escaped his withered lips.

Now he was riding a tiger and could not get off; he had to proceed.

Zhang Jing was watching like a tiger, his arrogance overbearing; if he gave up halfway, not only would the initial expenses be wasted, but his son would also be in imminent danger.

He had a son in his middle age and was willing to give his heart and soul for this son.

"Sigh, forget it, forget it. As long as Rui'er can marry the Princess and fulfill the words of that Zhao Zhenren, even if we spend more silver, it is worth it." Throwing the account book onto the table, Liang Mancang closed his eyes tightly and sighed heavily.

The silence lasted for quite a while before footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall.

Liang Mancang opened his eyes and looked out; seeing it was his steward, he stood up and asked urgently: "How is it? Has it all been handled?"

The steward nodded and said with a sobbing tone: "After selling the fabric shop and the jewelry store in the west of the city, plus the twenty thousand taels you have, we can barely scrape together forty thousand taels. But Master, those two shops are the lifeblood of our family; to sell them off at such a pittance..."

"It is all worth it for Rui'er." Liang Mancang waved his hand to interrupt him, his tone brooking no doubt, "If Rui'er cannot survive this hurdle, what use is it for me to keep this silver?"

The master had already spoken; how could the steward dare to refute?

He nodded in agreement and continued: "Except for the maids and servants who truly could not be let go, I have given silver to most of the maids and servants in the mansion and sent them away."

"It is I, Liang Mancang, who is incompetent; I have failed them."

"Master, please don't say that."

The steward's eyes turned red, his voice choking as he said, "Following your instructions, we settled an extra month's wages for them and gave each an additional five taels of resettlement silver, enough for them to live on for a long time."

"To be able to meet a master like you is a blessing we servants have cultivated over several lifetimes."

Liang Mancang was also moved by the steward's words; he waved his hand, sat back in his chair, took several deep breaths to calm his emotions, and looked at the steward, saying: "If there is anyone I have failed the most, it is still you."

"I owe you a leg."

"This servant is long healed." The steward shook his head and, in front of Liang Mancang, walked a few steps in the room, "Look, Master, the injury from that old dog's bite, this servant has long since recovered."

Seeing the steward limping but still looking relaxed, hot tears welled up in Liang Mancang's eyes again.

(End of chapter)