Chapter 536: Conversation (1)

Among the countless wealthy and noble households in Guangzhou City, the Zong Family was without a doubt a great mansion of the second tier.

The Zong Family's first Family Head, as far back as the Jiajing era, passed the imperial examination as a poor certified student and became a presented scholar, smoothly changing the family's social standing. After that, the Zong Family flourished day by day, with generations of descendants immersed in the path of the civil examinations. Over more than a hundred years, although the Zong Family never produced any renowned officials or great Confucian scholars, the supply of provincial graduates and certified students never ceased, making it a standard scholarly family, a household of Confucius and Mencius.

By the Chongzhen era, the Zong Family, specializing in the study of the sages, still stood firm within the Zhengqi administrative district of Guangzhou City, with a current Jiangxi Circuit Intendant, a current Gansu County Magistrate, and provincial graduates and certified students holding teaching posts at home — a so-called family of officials.

Coming from such a place of Confucius and Mencius, one can imagine that Zong Ben, the seventh young master of the Zong Family, who held no civil examination rank, was accomplished neither in letters nor in martial arts, and was born of a concubine, lived under just a little bit of pressure. This was probably why Zong Ben stood before the family gate today, took a deep breath, and did ample psychological preparation before entering.

Stepping forward, Zong Ben entered the residence through the side gate amid the gatekeeper's greeting.

Inside the Zong Family residence, with its vast grounds and layers of courtyards, people naturally came and went. In the Late Ming, the economy collapsed and the population swelled; masses of unemployed lower classes had nowhere to go and could only seek food and shelter by serving in wealthy households. This naturally led to a custom of keeping servants among the powerful families, because the cost of keeping servants had greatly decreased.

As the young master ranked seventh in the Zong Family, even though born of a concubine, Zong Ben would encounter household staff who saluted him along the way. At these times, Young Master Zong naturally played his true role, giving them all a gentle smile, seemingly a scene of perfect harmony.

However, one cannot just look at the surface; one must look at the details. When a man who looked like a steward made a perfunctory salute to Zong Ben and then straightened up and swaggered off before waiting for his response, Zong Ben's true status in the Zong Family became faintly visible.

The show of a servant bullying the master has been playing out at every moment since the advent of feudal society, and it is no different in ancient or modern times, in China or abroad, through the Tang, Song, Yuan, or Ming dynasties. Even someone as powerful as Zhang Pu, the leader of the Restoration Society and the top figure of the Late Ming's foremost opposition party, was mocked by the family servants in his youth — "What can a trampled straw-sandal wearer ever do?" — precisely because he was born of a concubine.

Young Master Zong turned a blind eye to the scene just now, because he had long been accustomed to it since childhood.

Just like this, he made his way all the way to the central hall for discussing family affairs and met his clan elder brother Zong Han in the main room.

The current core members of the Zong Family were divided into two branches. Among them, Zong Han was not only the oldest but also the eldest son of the main branch who managed the clan's affairs, and on top of that, he held the title of certified student — far beyond what Zong Ben, a concubine's son from the Second Branch with no civil examination rank, could compare to.

After entering the main room, Zong Ben waited until the two household staff reporting matters had left, then rose from the chair at the lower seat, respectfully stepped forward, and gave a deep bow to Zong Han, who was sitting in the seat of honor: "Greetings, eldest brother."

"Seventh Brother has come. Mm, no need for excessive courtesy. Sit."

Wearing a square flat-topped cap and a wide cyan robe, Zong Han was a man past fifty, with a thin face and a graying goatee on his chin. Probably due to years of scolding various people, Zong Ben's clan elder brother had hard, cold facial lines and was the type who rarely smiled or joked.

"It has been many days since we last met. I hope eldest brother has been well."

Although the two sitting there were of the same generation, in terms of age, Zong Han was a full twelve-year cycle and more older than Zong Ben, so he looked much older.

"Mm. The family has been uneventful. As for you, I haven't seen you for ten days or a month — has some mishap occurred at Haojing'ao?"

As mentioned before, Zong Ben's main job was as a Shopkeeper of a Commercial Firm. So where was his Commercial Firm? Not in Guangzhou City, nor at the docks outside the city, but right on Macau Island.

This Commercial Firm at Haojing'ao could be said to be the very foundation of Zong Ben's livelihood. As early as ten years ago, Zong Ben, who was then being pushed aside by clan members, resolutely took the little capital he had scraped together from various sources and opened a Commercial Firm on the island occupied by the foreigners.

However, although Zong Ben could not get ahead within the clan, once he stepped out of the family gate, the Zong Family name could still be brandished and put to use. So, on one side, he used the family banner to organize Great Ming goods and open up smuggling channels, and on the other side, he managed carefully in Macau. Over these years, he had managed to carve out a small territory for himself.

"Heh heh, I am pleased to inform eldest brother that at Haojing, not only was there no trouble last year, but there was actually some growth."

Zong Ben's current status was roughly equivalent to an externally assigned independent Shopkeeper in a public-private partnership with the family. He spent most of the year traveling between Macau and Guangzhou, and every so often, he would return to the family residence to settle accounts.

The ostensible reason Zong Ben returned to the residence today was also to make the year-end report: due to the sailing schedules of the Sea Merchants over in Macau, Zong Ben usually did the accounting only after the new year had turned.

While reporting the good news, Zong Ben pulled out several yellow paper slips from his sleeve pocket and handed them with both hands to his eldest brother in the seat of honor.

"There were truly many foreign merchants arriving at port last year, and most of the goods stockpiled at the counter were cleared out. Heh heh, it comes to forty thousand taels of silver, which is considerably more than in previous years — a prosperous year, one could say."

"Mm, not bad."

After looking over the accounts on the yellow paper, even Zong Han, who originally wore a stern expression, now showed a slight smile.

"Heh heh, eldest brother flatters me." After a moment of Chinese-style modesty, Zong Ben took a slight step forward and pointed from the side at the next slip: "The remaining southern goods at the counter have also found a buyer. Now we only wait for the foreign merchants' ships to depart in a few days, and the accounts can be cleared. At that time, apart from seventy percent as funds for purchasing goods this year, the remainder can all be remitted back to the residence according to the old rules."

"Mm, good, truly good!"

When Zong Han's gaze finally swept over the cash income figure at the bottom, his smile grew considerably more.

Seeing his eldest brother nodding repeatedly, Zong Ben struck while the iron was hot with another good matter: "It is also thanks to eldest brother's care over these years that your younger brother has the situation he has today. In a few days when the funds are remitted, eldest brother can send Zong Fu to the counter. Your younger brother has also set aside a personal gift for eldest brother, along with some rare novelties from the foreign lands, and will have Zong Fu bring them all back."

At this point, Zong Ben extended his fingers and gestured a discreet number.

"Good, good!"

At this moment, the originally aloof Zong Han, Certified Student Zong, finally dropped his airs completely, lightly patted the back of Zong Ben's hand, and said: "Sit, sit. Serve tea."

When Zong Ben finally took a sip of tea, Zong Han first praised his own brother with a face full of smiles: "Old Seven, if we speak of the way of the Merchant within the clan, you should be the top."

"Not at all, not at all. Eldest brother praises me too highly."

After a couple of lines of mutual commercial flattery, Zong Han probably felt he had given Old Seven enough face this time, so his Daoxue nature took over his body and mind again... After thinking for a moment, Zong Han came out with another speech: "However, these foreign goods can be used, but the foreign people — you had best not deal with them."

Zong Ben was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this: "Oh? What do you mean by that?"

"Alas, you have little learning and do not see matters clearly; this is not your fault."

Zong Han put on the manner of an earnest elder brother instructing a younger one: "That gang of treacherous people from the foreign lands, taking advantage of the moment when our Great Ming State's fortune has faltered, used ingenious playthings to pave their way, colluded with the degenerates in the court, and seized the vital land outside our Guangzhou City, ascending into the hall and entering the inner chambers. That bandit leader, the Cao Clan, has usurped authority, not only holding the key post of Regional Commander but also privately occupying the foreign territory — this is exactly like the military governors of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Now the traitor is powerful; let him be rampant for a time. But since ancient times, the Han and the traitor cannot coexist. When the court frees its hands in the future, this military governorship will ultimately be abolished. When the troops arrive then, those jumping clowns will all be ashes!"

"Ah!" Zong Ben was tongue-tied upon hearing this.

Zong Han was very satisfied with his academically poor younger brother's expression, so he continued: "Our Zong lineage is a distinguished scholarly family; our sons have received imperial favor for generations. On such matters of great right and wrong, we must be clear-eyed and bright-hearted, with foresight and knowledge. You have read little of the sages' learning in the past and spend your days mingling with those Merchants; I fear you do not understand where the great cause lies."

Zong Han's tone gradually turned cold: "I am guiding you today precisely because I fear you will be muddled and fail to see the greater situation, becoming too entangled with those traitors... You must know that the might of heaven is awe-inspiring. If you fail to recognize the overall situation and remain blindly ignorant, when the day comes to set things right, humph, the Zong Family will not be able to save you!"

By the last sentence, Zong Han's voice and expression were both stern.

"Your younger brother respectfully receives your teaching." Zong Ben rose and bowed. At this moment, he naturally had to put on an obedient and receptive posture... Could he possibly tell his eldest brother that he had previously chatted intimately with the Cao Bandit for a few lines at a meeting?

Seeing his academically poor younger brother's good attitude, Zong Han set his mind at ease. Next, probably feeling that his earnest efforts just now had made the atmosphere a bit awkward, Zong Han stroked his beard with one hand, gazed out the door at the central courtyard, and with a gentle expression, reminisced about the past: "Back when you were to go to Haojing, there were certainly many in the clan who raised difficulties. After all, our house is a scholarly family; for a son of the clan to run off and mingle in that place of foreigners — what kind of appearance is that? Do we still want the teachings of the sages or not?"

"Old Seven understands, understands." Zong Ben now wore a face full of gratitude: "Back then, if eldest brother had not given the go-ahead and allocated some silver from the common fund as capital, your younger brother would absolutely not have what he has today."

"Mm, it's good that you remember." Zong Han demanded that others remember things, yet he himself had long forgotten how, back then, he had sat by and watched Zong Ben leave home with the attitude of sending off a stray dog: "Your uncle passed away early; you have lacked upbringing and discipline since childhood. You must always engage in self-reflection to avoid going astray."

"Your younger brother will reflect on himself." Zong Ben had no idea how many times he had bowed his head and accepted teaching today.

Zong Han's "caring-style lecture" came to an end here; this was apparently his unique way of "thanking" his good-for-nothing clan brother.

On an ordinary day, even if Zong Ben returned to the residence to report on his duties, it would be strictly business, quick and decisive — who had the patience to listen to his eldest brother, that old pedant Zong Han, deliver such a lecture? All the more so since the accounts Zong Ben presented this year not only left ample profit for the residence but also privately promised Zong Han a sum of money and foreign goods.

There was, of course, a reason why Zong Ben was humbling himself and enduring all this today.

The next moment, sensing that the atmosphere was harmonious and perceiving that his eldest brother was in a good mood, Zong Ben first lowered his head and drew a long breath, a trace of resolute expression appearing on his face. Then he raised his head, a smile piled on his face and determination in his eyes, cupped his hands toward Zong Han, and said: "There is still one matter I must ask eldest brother to agree to."

"Oh, no harm. Speak and let me hear it."

"My mother's grave — I wonder if it could be moved into the Zong Family ancestral tomb?"