Chapter 271: Image

On the fifteenth day of the first month in the ninth year of Chongzhen, a few snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Even though Anqing had not suffered the calamity of war, this year's Lantern Festival was far more subdued than in years past. Only a handful of households had prepared lanterns, scattered firecracker pops sounded around the city, and the passersby all looked listless.

Because word had come of Roving Bandits appearing at Qianshan, Anqing Prefectural City was under martial law again. The Community Soldiers from every ward took turns manning the walls, and that included the rank and file of the Canal Gang. Since there was little work in winter anyway and the gang paid two fen of silver a day, these porters and trackers were actually in far higher spirits than the Community Soldiers.

Beneath the City Stairs at Sheng-Tang Gate, Tan Laizi pulled his scarf up a little higher, tugged his melon-skin cap down lower, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and hurried past a group of Canal Gang members heading up onto the wall.

"Tan Laizi! When are you gonna pay back that wine money you owe, you dog, running off like that?"

"If you don't pay up tomorrow, we'll beat you up again."

Someone had recognized him, and the Canal Gang crowd all began jeering and cursing. In normal times, if a bunch of lowly laborers dared mock him, Tan Ya would have cursed them till their ancestors' graves smoked. But Tan Laizi had lost his swagger lately; he just kept his head down and walked fast, not intending to engage with those laborers.

A voice came from the other side of the street. "I heard you took a wife in Hezhou — did you bring her back?"

A burst of raucous laughter erupted at the City Stairs. Tan Laizi could tell it came from across the street, so it wasn't the Canal Gang. He ripped off his melon-skin cap on the spot and spun around, ready to brawl with the man, but when he turned, he saw it was Shopkeeper Mace. That day, when he'd been pulling cross-river customers outside the man's inn, this shopkeeper had brought his workers and given him a severe beating. Normally, having joined the Canal Gang, he wouldn't have feared him, but today the gang would certainly not help him out, so he was definitely no match for Shopkeeper Mace.

Tan Laizi spat on the ground and cursed fiercely at the people on the street. "Let me tell you lot, the Roving Thieves I killed in Hezhou are piled higher than a rooftop! Go ask around all of Hezhou — who doesn't say Tan Ya is a man of righteous valor? Lord Pang met me, Tan Ya, in person at Dangtu, and he's going to put me in an important post when he returns. You pack of blind dogs, we'll see who dares cross Tan Ya then."

This fierce tirade did not frighten anyone; instead, they cursed even louder. Tan Laizi dared not linger in battle and hurried east amid the jeers. Only after walking a good stretch to Kangji Gate, where no one on the street paid him any mind, did Tan Laizi slow his pace.

The street was lined with squatting beggars, along with common folk who had fled from every direction. Tan Laizi kept his head down, stealing glances at the women among them as he walked.

"A few dewy-fresh ones here." Tan Laizi felt inside his shirt. The two taels Lord Pang had rewarded him at Dangtu — over these past few days since returning, several creditors had hounded him, and he'd paid back nearly one tael. After eating, he had only about nine Mace left. Though the price of people had plummeted, it hadn't dropped to the point where nine Mace of silver could buy one.

"If only I hadn't lost that silver in Hezhou." Tan Laizi looked up at the overcast sky and cursed under his breath. "Those dog-spawn thieves, stealing Tan Ye's silver — well, they got hacked into meat paste and fed to horses by the Roving Thieves in Hezhou anyway. The leftover bone scraps all got dumped into the Great River. Can't even find a corpse to bury."

The image of the thieves' gruesome fate surfaced in his mind. Tan Laizi's mood improved, and his steps grew noticeably lighter.

He walked all the way to City Wall Street, to the right of Kangji Gate. Tan Laizi stopped in front of an alley. Cooking smoke drifted through the narrow lane, carrying wafts of food aroma. He hesitated a moment, then slowly walked in and knocked on the courtyard gate of the second house.

The door opened. A man holding a rice bowl appeared in the doorway; steam still billowed from the bowl, and a freshly picked-up piece of meat sat right on top. His features bore some resemblance to Tan Laizi, but his expression was far from friendly when he saw him.

Smelling the meat, Tan Laizi secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva and, head down, made to walk inside. The man braced his hand against the doorframe, blocking the way in, and looked at him impatiently. "What are you here for?"

Tan Laizi didn't look at him, tilting his head arrogantly to the side. "It's the Lantern Festival today. Naturally, I came to see Father and Mother."

"Coming empty-handed to see Father and Mother?" The man withdrew his hand and steadied his bowl. "The people at the docks say you gave up a perfectly good Brokerage business to join the Canal Gang instead. Can you carry loads or pull a boat?"

"Lord Pang insisted I go."

The man curled his lip. "What could Lord Pang possibly see in you? Spare me the empty talk. Now that it's a holiday, you remember my house. How much silver did you rack up in debts outside this year? If you're in debt, don't come knocking at my door. You want to lead those creditors to my doorstep? Don't say I, your elder brother, am heartless — think about how many rotten debts I've helped you pay off over the years. You can forget about getting any more money from me now."

Tan Laizi raised his head indignantly. "Go ask at the docks — Lord Pang alone rewarded me ten taels of silver! How many Roving Thieves did I kill in Hezhou? If it weren't for that damnable thief, who'd want anything from your..."

An old man's voice from inside cut him off. "If he came empty-handed, let him leave. Saves us the aggravation of looking at him."

Tan Laizi kept his head down, breathing heavily.

"You hear that? He's telling you to go. Since the family's been divided and you never give any money normally, there's no need for you to come during the New Year either."

Tan Laizi's head drooped, like a deflated leather ball. He glanced at the meat on that bowl, then dragged his feet toward the alley entrance. The courtyard gate behind him slammed shut with a bang.

Just as he reached the alley entrance, the courtyard gate sounded again. Tan Laizi spun around quickly, but it was an old woman who had followed him out. She walked with very small steps, and Tan Laizi hurried back a couple of paces to meet her.

"Mother, walk slower."

The old woman's face was full of worry. She took hold of Tan Laizi's sleeve and said with concern, "You know your brother and your father don't like you coming. Why put yourself through this misery during the New Year? Have you run out of silver?"

"I have some." Tan Laizi quickly fished out the remaining nine Mace of silver from his shirt. "I brought silver for you. If it weren't for that heaven-cursed thief in Hezhou, I'd be rich right now."

Tan Ma didn't even look at it and pushed it back. "Keep it for yourself. Your mother has food and drink here — don't you worry about me."

She looked him up and down for a moment, then added, "So now you've joined the Canal Gang? What good is it running with those laborers? Is it because you don't have the money to renew your Broker License? Your mother still has a couple pieces of jewelry here. Come by tomorrow at noon and take them to pawn. Whatever happens, you must hold on to that Broker License."

"The Broker License doesn't need renewing until the year after next. I've got money. Lord Pang truly values me. I'm a cudgel gang leader in the Canal Gang now, not some laborer. Mother, go ask all over the city — who at Sheng-Tang Ferry dares cross Tan Ya now? Take the silver, and if you see any little thing that catches your eye, buy it and use it. Your son has plenty of money."

With that, Tan Laizi pressed the silver into Tan Ma's hand. Hearing him speak so earnestly, she looked at the silver in her hand, half-believing, half-doubtful.

Tan Ma reached out and brushed the snowflakes from Tan Laizi's shoulder. "Ah, past twenty and still no family of your own. Your brother is only two years older than you, and his eldest is already five."

"Mother, I'm married. My wife is from Hezhou."

"Then bring her back quickly for your mother to see."

"We got separated crossing the river."

Tan Ma sighed quietly. Tan Laizi quickly added, "She can always be found."

"In this chaos of war, where would you even look? You, after all, need to have an heir..."

Tan Laizi cut her off before she could finish. "Mother, go back inside and eat. When Lord Pang returns, he's going to put me in an important post. By then, I'll have my pick of the best."

Without waiting for the old woman to reply, he walked straight out of the alley and headed back toward Kangji Gate.

Today was the Upper Lantern Festival, and many households ate an extra meal. Even lunch had meat, and the fragrance of meat filled the streets everywhere.

Saliva welled up in Tan Laizi's mouth, and his stomach growled noisily, but he had only two copper coins in his shirt — definitely not enough to buy meat.

Enduring the hunger, Tan Laizi walked with his head held high into Kangji Gate. Inside, there were many women with straw markers stuck in their hair selling themselves, all of them looking like recent refugees.

Tan Laizi stopped in the street and glanced left and right. Seeing no one who knew him, he swaggered over to the roadside.

The refugees and women, seeing his bearing, assumed he was from a wealthy household and all perked up. Without a word, Tan Laizi reached out and pinched a woman's face — an instantly smooth sensation in his hand. Tan Laizi grunted, as if unimpressed, and felt his way downward, pinching his way through every woman in the row.

Utterly satisfied, Tan Laizi shook his head. The line of people selling themselves behind him all watched him go with disappointment, lamenting the lost chance to enter a wealthy household.

By now he had reached the gate tunnel of Kangji Gate. This was Anqing's small dock, the place with the heaviest foot traffic at the entrance. Although the city gates were closed under martial law, one could still shelter from the cold wind here, so the local beggars had claimed every spot.

Right in front of him was a beggar holding a battered bowl with five or six copper coins already inside. Seeing Tan Laizi stop, the beggar quickly raised the bowl and held it out before him, waiting for alms. Tan Laizi felt around inside his shirt, making the motion of fetching money. A nearby beggar, seeing this, immediately shuffled over and lined his bowl up beside the first.

Tan Laizi extended his hand over the bowls. Both beggars watched his hand expectantly, waiting for a string of copper coins to drop from it.

Suddenly, Tan Laizi struck with both hands at once, snatching up the copper coins from the two battered bowls, and fled like dust blown on the wind into the inner street of Kangji Gate, leaving behind two beggars staring in stunned disbelief.

"What use is summoning beggars? Even if they're cheap, I don't want them."

Outside the bustling Treasure Gate in the south of Nanjing, gongs and drums thundered. Crowds gathered along the street to watch the excitement. Two Teams of horse-drawn carts lined both sides of the road, with the Great River Silver Bank's advertisement boards hanging from both sides of each Chexiang. A prominent Silver Ingot was displayed on them, with a winding river channel shape encircling it below, and the four large characters "Great River Silver Bank" written above.

Liu Ruogu shouted loudly to several of his subordinates, "Our Silver Bank is for great aristocratic houses. Using beggars is lively enough, but it doesn't match our Silver Bank's image. Give each of them a few copper coins and send them off. Tell the band and the cart Teams to move out, and tell them to be loud. If I hear the noise isn't loud enough, I'm docking their wages."

One of his subordinates shouted back, "I'm just afraid the Central Warden Office might not permit crossing through the city."

Liu Ruogu waved his hand. "It was all settled just now. They've already taken the silver. Just head toward Taiping Gate. As long as we don't go into the Northern Warden Office's jurisdiction, it's fine."

Moments later, the two cart Teams set off amid the clamor of gongs and drums — one heading toward the Temple of Gratitude, the other heading outside the city.

The people riding on the carts tossed out flyers while shouting at the top of their lungs, "Grand opening of the Great River money house! At Huaiqing Bridge Head on Three Mountains Street! Earn interest on your deposits, starting at three hundred taels. The Hezhou Restoration Society Licentiate can vouch for it — the Great River money house is trustworthy and secure..."

The crowd was boisterous, following the cart convoy off to see the excitement. Liu Ruogu let out a breath of relief.

The bandit chaos in Jiangbei had already receded, but Nanjing, separated from Puzikou by only a single river, was still in lingering shock. Yet those who had fled were returning one after another, and the great aristocratic families crossing the river from Jiangbei still made Nanjing their first choice. Even many people from Yangzhou were crossing the river to come. Having experienced the terror of the Roving Bandits approaching the city, they urgently needed a place in Jiangnan to settle and rebuild their lives. So although the Roving Bandits had not been gone long, Nanjing's real estate market had already begun to recover, and the city streets were bustling again in turn.

Pang Yu wanted to launch both the silver bank and the gambling house in Nanjing simultaneously, but the most urgently pressed project was the Great River Silver Bank, with the gambling house a secondary priority. Seizing the opportunity during the market chaos of the previous days, Liu Ruogu had bought a spacious three-story storefront at the head of Huaiqing Bridge, one of the most prosperous areas in Nanjing. It cost four thousand taels of silver, thirty percent below market price — a rare instance of benefiting from the Roving Bandits' presence.

After the purchase, they had been renovating the place while simultaneously carrying out promotional work. Pang Yu had all sorts of bizarre ideas: besides the newspaper, he also wanted to do ground promotions at the docks and inside the city. Liu Ruogu had never done anything like this before, and only today had they finally managed to get it underway, albeit with difficulty.

He hurried back to a congee tent by the city gate and met Pang Yu, who had just arrived today. Pang Yu had gone to Jurong to see Zhang Guowei; the matter had apparently gone rather smoothly, and his expression was very relaxed when he returned to Nanjing.

When the Roving Bandits had reached the river, the Jiangnan Times' circulation had soared. With the paper's relentless daily propaganda, this Lord Pang was now famous throughout Nanjing. Many people practically believed that Garrison Commander Pang of Anqing had single-handedly saved all of Jiangnan. Amid the surging tide of public opinion, Nanjing's officialdom was also taking notice of this minor Garrison Commander. Although Liu Ruogu knew the real situation, he was even more cautious when facing Pang Yu.

"My lord, the cart convoy has all set out. Today we still need to hang advertisements at Xiaxinhe Dock. Would my lord like to go take a look?"

Pang Yu clasped his hands behind his back. "What's the price?"

"We contacted several of the best-located establishments. Each gets two taels of silver to let us hang our sign for a month."

"Very cheap. They still don't understand the market rates." Pang Yu laughed, then stepped out and pointed at the congee tent. "We need to hang the silver bank's signboard above the congee tent as well."

"But the people eating here are all beggars, and they can't read. My lord just said earlier that beggars don't suit our silver bank's image."

"Naturally, it's not for the beggars to see. All advertising is for the customers to see. Doing charitable works and using beggars for promotion are two different things. These wealthy people all fancy themselves literati and take even greater pride in doing good — whether their kindness is genuine or feigned. Our silver bank currently only accepts deposits of three hundred taels or more. The people we face are these cultured rich. We can't just do business; we also need an image. We must cater to our target customers' tastes."

Liu Ruogu could only nod in agreement. He still did not quite understand Pang Yu's methods at present, and even when there were things he did not understand, he still dared not disobey.

Pang Yu closed his eyes and muttered to himself for a moment, then looked at Liu Ruogu. "The city gates have heavy foot traffic. There are thirteen city gates, and the busy ones are mostly on the south side. All six gates on the south side must have congee tents. Fengyi Gate on the north side is a good location — set up a congee tent there too. Hang signboards on all of them. That will cover the city gate advertising. For the seven bridges from Shicheng Gate to Hongwu Gate inside the city, the five bridges over Qingxi, and the six bridges over the Qinhuai River — every bridge head must have a signboard."

Liu Ruogu hurriedly committed it to memory. Pang Yu spoke very quickly; Liu Ruogu had to keep up with the new content while simultaneously recalling what had just been said, so every conversation with Pang Yu made him very tense.

But this time Pang Yu did not continue, as if he too was pondering something.

"Does my lord have any further instructions?"

Pang Yu raised his right hand. "The harbors, city gates, and bridges are all covered. I've also thought of one more type of place for advertising, where the targeting would be even more precise. It would be awkward for us to approach them — we'll have to get Fang Yizhi to give it a try."