Chapter 30: Hangzhou

Standing at the bow and gazing out, the ancient city wall of Hangzhou loomed towering and thick, vast and imposing.

Cao Chuan's party traveled east along Tiao Creek, crossed West Lake, and entered the Canal. Ten li from the city, the scene before them was already one of bustling prosperity: tea houses, wine shops, eateries, dense population, clustered merchants, boats on the canal jostling stern to bow, laborers coming and going on the embankments, hawkers clamoring, a great throng of activity.

Chu Jianli, a merchant of many years, was naturally no stranger to Hangzhou City. He came out of the cabin at this time to join Cao Chuan, chatting and laughing as he pointed out the sights along the way.

Five li north of the city, once past Guanyin Temple, one was considered to have entered the city precincts.

From this point on, the formal traffic jam began, the boat stopping and starting. Large numbers of salt warehouses and rice granaries began to appear on the riverbanks. A short distance further was the city gate toll station — Desheng Dam. After queuing to pay the road maintenance fee, the boat turned its bow west, passed under Desheng Bridge, then turned back east, winding and squeezing along until lamp-lighting time, when the party finally disembarked, standing outside Wulin Gate north of the city.

Chu Jianli knew the route well. Ignoring the many large inns in the city precincts, he walked straight into an establishment called Ruifu Residence. Seeing Third Lord and the Shopkeeper in intimate, comradely whispers, Cao Chuan understood that this was likely the designated reception point for the good fellows.

The Shopkeeper quickly arranged lodgings for everyone — a two-courtyard compound, reasonably spacious for twelve people. Daoist Cao naturally followed his old rule, taking a secluded side room in the backyard for cultivation alone, leaving the main room for Chu Jianli.

With that, the matters were concluded. Everyone ate a huge meal, then took turns bathing in wooden tubs, and slept soundly through the night without further mention.

Early the next morning, Cao Chuan rose and tidied himself. He had originally intended to discuss the house matter with Third Lord, but found Old Chu very busy, constantly calling people over for whispered conversations and then dispatching them out again.

Since that was the case, they would each attend to their own business for now.

He called Zhao Si over, casually picked three attendants, and the group sauntered straight toward the Inner City.

After entering the city, Young Master Cao strolled up onto the city wall to view the landscape. He discovered that the West Lake Avenue, Wulin Road, and Stadium Road from his own memory were all river channels at this time. The entire Hangzhou City, as far as the eye could see, was a crisscrossing water network of fields and streams, just like the legendary water city of Venice.

Sighing over the impermanence of worldly affairs and the vast changes of time, the group descended the city wall and wandered all the way toward the bustling populated areas. The streets were already lively in the early morning — fishermen selling shrimp and crabs, vegetable farmers with shoulder poles, short-shirted hawkers passing in succession, and from time to time, lavish servants in silks and satins escorting ornate carriages and sedan chairs, shouting their way through.

Along the flagstone-paved road, the group began shopping at the rows of shops lining the street. Cao Chuan's goal today was to shop, and incidentally investigate the market conditions to see if there was anything good to bring back and exchange for some currency. He didn't care what the shops sold; now he entered any shop he saw.

The harvest was not small. When the group emerged from the ready-made clothing shop, the attendants had turned into lavish servants, and even he himself had been sweet-talked into a silk Daoist robe from Su Workshop, which the Shopkeeper claimed was the currently fashionable style.

A while later, emerging from Treasure Pavilion, he was fully equipped with all manner of jade pendants, rings, and sachets. Young Master Cao also held an extra bamboo-thread fan in his hand, gently waving it as he strolled in the winter day, exuding a fresh and enduring air of dashing elegance.

Wandering aimlessly for a whole day, they even ordered a table at a hotel by West Lake at noon. Overall, this great Ming Dynasty metropolis gave him a feeling of just so-so. It was lively, certainly, and incomparably real, but far less convenient than the Hengdian he was familiar with. Not to mention the too many beggars along the way, one also had to constantly watch out for landmines — one misstep and you'd need to change shoes. When crossing bridges, you could see dead bodies below. Overall, the user experience was not very good.

The unlearned and unskilled Young Master Cao naturally would not know that the few beggars and corpses of starvation he saw on the streets today were merely the appetizer under the Little Ice Age disasters of the Late Ming. Starting next year, the Chongzhen First Year, unprecedented floods, droughts, locust plagues, epidemics, and various disasters would take turns appearing. Large waves of refugees would continuously wash over the wealthy Jiangnan region. The scene of a living hell would formally descend before long, until the fall of the Ming Empire.

Of course, today's harvest was not without gain: a set of old flower pear wood furniture. Cao Chuan had already had the shop assistant pack it and send it back to the inn. Other than that, there wasn't much else.

It was not until evening that the few of them returned to the inn, picking their teeth. Just as they reached the inner courtyard gate, they ran into Old Chu seeing someone out.

The person being seen out was clearly of wealthy background — round and plump, in a thin lined-silk robe. On his chubby face, his eyes were narrowed into a line, and his voice was not soft as he spoke: "Third Lord, rest assured. Liu He will return and report to the Master at once. There should be news by tomorrow."

Chu Jianli also cupped his hands with a beaming smile: "Then I must trouble Steward Liu for this."

"Third Lord is too polite. If not for my Young Master being unwell recently, and the Master having no mind for outside affairs, he would certainly have met with Third Lord. Fortunately, there is plenty of time ahead; there will always be opportunities to become close."

As they spoke, the two walked out of the courtyard gate. This Steward Liu saw Cao Chuan, paused slightly, gave a faint nod, and brushed past.

Entering the inner courtyard, he saw the set of flower pear wood tables and chairs he had ordered already placed in the yard. Without a word, Cao Chuan put them away into his ring, then went to the main hall to wait. Not long after, Chu Jianli returned from seeing the guest off.

The two exchanged information, and only then did Young Master Cao learn that while he had been shopping all over town, this side had already completed meetings with various traveling merchants, armed escort agencies, and representatives of fellow circles. In short, any power with business on the Huihang Ancient Trail and certain groups on the path had probably learned by now that Zhexi Tiger Chu San had come to Hangzhou City to handle affairs.

Surprised, Cao Chuan had originally intended to ask: Is being so blatant really a good idea? But after thinking it over, he let it go. He had only stayed in the bandit den for a few days and was far from understanding how these ancients conducted matters. Since Chu Jianli was doing it this way, it was unlikely he lacked any sense of measure. Better to ask about something else.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to discuss the house matter, Third Lord seemed to know what he was thinking and said with a beaming smile that the house matter had already been settled.

Then he began to explain.

That round and plump Steward Liu just now was the steward of the great Huizhou Merchant household in Hangzhou City: the Liu Yaozu family. The Liu Family and Pingfeng Stronghold were strategic partners, with dealings going back to the early years of Liu Yaozu's father and grandfather's generation.

The Old Liu family had also started out through traveling trade in the early days, running merchant caravans every year on the Hui-Hang Road. Successive Fort Masters of Pingfeng Stronghold had all been on good terms with the Liu Family. The two sides secretly shared information, sold out teammates, and had done many jobs assisting in highway robbery. Now that the Liu Family's power was established, several of the scholars they sponsored had become officials. By Liu Yaozu's generation, they even held the Imperial Academy Student title. The Liu Family had washed their feet and come ashore, stepping into the ranks of the gentry, and their business had grown ever more vast.

Just now, before Cao Chuan had returned, he had already spoken at length with the Liu Family's Second Steward, Liu He, and clearly explained all the recent events in the mountains.