Chapter 522: Signs of Trouble in Liaodong

The fourteenth year of Emperor Jia Zhao, the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, nightfall.

By sunset that day, the Love Shenjing was once again blanketed in heavy, goose-feather snow; in less than an hour, everything was a shimmering white.

Although the sky had darkened, Ningrong Street was not as empty as it usually was at this hour; instead, it was filled with the sounds of shouting men and neighing horses, the air thick with activity.

The two Jia family mansions, East and West, were not closed up early as they usually were at this hour; instead, the east side gates of both were wide open, with stewards and many servants bustling about at the entrances.

A large caravan of horses had arrived from distant Liaodong, transporting various goods for the New Year, finally coming to a halt at the side gates of the two mansions.

Last year, Jia Zhen and his son were convicted of crimes, the Ningguo Prefecture was stripped of its title and raided, and the eight or nine farms in Heishan Village that originally belonged to the Ningguo Prefecture were all confiscated by the imperial court as they were part of the Ningguo noble estate.

The Rongguo Prefecture also had eight farms as noble estates in Liaodong, less than a hundred miles from Heishan Village. Because Jia Cong had his title downgraded and inherited the rank, those eight farms were correspondingly reduced to six.

Although the noble estates of the East and West mansions were both in Liaodong, they were not in the same location. Yet, this year, their harvest returns arrived at Ningrong Street on the same day, one after the other, by coincidence.

……

Count's Mansion, outer courtyard side hall.

Jia Cong was talking with a youth of similar age. This youth was named Zhou Guangcheng, one of the five orphans raised by Qu Hongxiu back in the day.

These five were Zhou Guangcheng, Jiang Liu, Wang Dequan, Liu Ping, and Bao Zhu.

Among these five, Zhou Guangcheng and Wang Dequan had been arranged by Jia Cong to work at a perfume workshop outside the Love Shenjing, where they learned the perfume extraction techniques Jia Cong had created himself.

Liu Ping followed Feng Shi, the mother of Ying Lian, to manage the business of the Xiuniang Perfume Shop in the Love Shenjing.

As the Xin Chun Hao firm began to develop in the Jiangnan region, Wang Dequan was sent by Qu Hongxiu to be responsible for the Xin Chun branches in Gusu and Yangzhou.

Jiang Liu had roamed the streets since childhood; he was clever and quick-witted, skilled at gathering information and secrets, and followed Jia Cong as his personal attendant.

Among them, Zhou Guangcheng was the most daring and meticulous, and the most capable of decisive action.

Back then, he had received instructions from Jia Cong to enter the Prince Beijing's mansion alone, where he successfully carried out the matter of the Prince Beijing's presumptuous poem.

This caused Prince Beijing Shui Rong to lose his chance to compete for the position of Commander of the Nine Provinces, and from then on, he was shunned and avoided by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao.

Jia Cong also perceived that among these five, Zhou Guangcheng had the greatest talent for pioneering and the potential to handle matters independently.

Originally, because of the incident at Prince Beijing's mansion, Zhou Guangcheng needed to hide his tracks and head to Jin Ling, and in the end, he was sent by Jia Cong beyond the passes to manage the Liaodong Xin Chun branch.

The two noble estate farms in Liaodong, worth one thousand shi of grain, were also managed on Jia Cong's behalf by the Liaodong Xin Chun branch.

……

Zhou Guangcheng said, "Cong Sanye, regarding your two farms in Liaodong, ever since they were converted into noble estates, the Xin Chun branch has hired capable stewards and farmers locally to manage them.

Every so often, I take people to inspect the farms and screen the population there for diligence or laziness; now, those who remain are all people who work with heart."

"This year's harvest, excluding various grains totaling eight hundred shi, also includes various poultry like chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep, wild game like roe deer, bears, and pigs, as well as furs, medicinal herbs, and river and sea products, totaling three thousand six hundred and thirty-five taels of silver."

"Since the beginning of winter this year, the weather around the Nine Borders has been strange, colder and more unbearable than in previous years. Many of the cattle and sheep on the farms froze to death or were lost. If next year brings good weather, the harvest will be even better."

Zhou Guangcheng then took out the account books for Jia Cong to review; they contained the detailed accounts of the year-end harvest.

Jia Cong was quite surprised to hear that the two noble estate farms had a harvest worth three thousand six hundred taels.

Back when he was granted the title of Count Weiyuan, he could have chosen top-tier noble estates in the prefectures and counties near the Love Shenjing or in the wealthy lands of Jiangnan.

But because he was granted a hereditary title, the imperial favor was heavy, shaking the court and the public, and he was the focus of ten thousand eyes.

Out of various considerations, he acted with low profile and chose his noble estates in the newly opened frontier lands beyond the passes.

This move had the intention of not coveting wealth and luxury, but rather of bowing his head and establishing himself in the wild frontier lands. At the time, there were even censors who submitted memorials praising him for this.

Jia Cong's decision to settle his estates in the Liaodong frontier had a sense of setting an example for the noble families, and Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was happy to do a favor in this matter.

He had the Ministry of Revenue select the best farmland in the newly opened frontier to serve as Jia Cong's noble estate.

Originally, when the Ministry of Revenue granted the estates, they had stated that these two farms could yield five thousand taels of silver a year, and after accounting for annual wear and tear, there would be a harvest of over four thousand taels.

Currently, Jia Cong had only held his title for a little over half a year. According to the Ministry of Revenue's estimate for the two farms, the harvest should have been no more than two thousand taels, so the harvest figure reported by Zhou Guangcheng far exceeded Jia Cong's expectations.

……

According to Jia Cong's deduction, the most important reason for such a harvest in just half a year was Zhou Guangcheng's proper management of the farms.

Zhou Guangcheng was an orphan who had lived in tight circumstances; Qu Hongxiu's upbringing and Jia Cong's support, combined with their deep gratitude and loyalty, made him trustworthy and capable.

Only with such a trustworthy and capable person could these two farms have such an excellent harvest.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Revenue's estimate for the harvest of the two farms was, for some unknown reason, much lower than the actual output...

Based on this output, the annual harvest of the two farms in a normal year should be around six thousand taels.

Zhou Guangcheng added, "Over the past half year, the imperial court has established towns and counties across a thousand miles of the frontier, dispatching civil officials and military generals to station there, and trade beyond the passes is becoming increasingly prosperous."

"Thanks to Cong Sanye's foresight, you had me take people to establish a branch in Liaodong early on. Now, the branch has set up two workshops locally, recruiting local women and children of appropriate age to process the goods shipped from Jiangnan."

"The Liaodong branch sells Xin Chun Hao perfume, soap, toothpaste, and other self-produced goods locally, and purchases furs, medicinal herbs, timber, and other local products from Liaodong to sell in the south."

"Sister Xiu, following Cong Sanye's wishes, has selected twenty boys and girls aged thirteen to eighteen from the refugees and orphans adopted in the Love Shenjing and Jin Ling, and sent them in batches to the Liaodong branch for training."

"These youths have all been in Liaodong for at least three months and have adapted to the climate and water there. The clever ones among them have already become capable backbones of the branch."

"Although the branch has been established for only half a year, the profits earned are already equivalent to forty percent of the total revenue of the Jin Ling and Jiangnan headquarters. I think that in another two years, the business of the Liaodong branch will not be weaker than that of Jiangnan."

Jia Cong smiled slightly and said, "World affairs are like a game of chess; the saying 'grass belly, gold corners, silver edges' is exactly this principle."

"The land beyond the Liaodong passes is seen by ordinary people as a fierce and remote place, but once it is recovered and opened up by the imperial court, it becomes a place with great potential."

"You are all friends from my youth. Back then, when Sister Xiu and I started the perfume workshop in the Love Shenjing, you all contributed greatly. Managing the Liaodong branch well is crucial for the Xin Chun Hao firm."

"As soon as I have the opportunity, I will find a way to help you all get positions in the Imperial Household Department, so you can have a proper status."

Zhou Guangcheng stood up, bowed to Jia Cong, and said solemnly, "Back then, I received Sister Xiu's upbringing and Cong Sanye's training and cultivation, which is why I have today. I will definitely help Cong Sanye look after this family business in Liaodong!"

Jia Cong asked again, "I heard that recently in the Nine Borders, there have been frequent raids by scattered soldiers under Anda Khan of the Tu Man tribe?"

Zhou Guangcheng replied, "In Liaodong, I have contact with merchants from various places and have also heard about the Tu Man tribe's raids on the borders."

"In recent years, the climate in all the provinces of Da Zhou and the Nine Borders has been very abnormal. Every deep winter, the grasslands of Mobei suffer from constant snow disasters, making survival difficult."

"According to rumors from merchants at the Nine Borders, Anda Khan of the Tu Man tribe has been conquering east and west for years, subduing many scattered tribes of the remnants of the Mongols. Now, he controls over one hundred Battalion Commander, and his elite archers are said to number two hundred thousand."

"His strength has already surpassed that of the large Mongol tribes like the Southern Desert tribe and the Haoqite tribe. In the past few months, places like Datong and Xuanfu have been raided many times by grassland cavalry, all said to be scattered soldiers of the Tu Man tribe."

Jia Cong said, "While you are in Liaodong, pay more attention to the movements of the Mongol remnants beyond the passes. Since we are doing business in Liaodong, and it is said that 'chaotic soldiers make it hard to gather merchants,' we cannot turn a deaf ear to such movements."

"Once something happens, you can use the flying feathers to send me a message in time. When you go back this time, I will have Ai Li prepare more trained birds for you to take back to Liaodong, in case of emergency."

……

Rongguo Prefecture, west side gate, a crowd of people had gathered, frequently entering and exiting.

A middle-aged man dressed in coarse fur, with a rough face and wearing a warm hat, was standing at the entrance, fawning over Lin Zhixiao.

Back then, Wu Jinxiao, the elder brother of Wu Jinxian, managed the eight or nine noble estate farms of the Ningguo Prefecture in Liaodong. In the past, the two brothers would come to the capital together every year to pay the harvest returns.

Ever since the Ningguo Prefecture was raided and all its noble estates were confiscated by the imperial court, Wu Jinxiao had been living in retirement at home. This year, only his younger brother, Wu Jinxian, came to the capital alone.

The servants nearby were counting the New Year harvest sent from the farms; once a batch was counted and transported into the mansion, he would sing out the report for verification.

Although the singing voice was not loud, passersby who occasionally heard it were all envious of the luxury and prestige of the Rongguo Prefecture.

"Twenty large deer, thirty roe deer, fifteen muntjacs, fifteen Siamese pigs, fifteen wild boars, ten cured pigs, twenty wild sheep, twenty green sheep, two hundred catties of various mixed fish."

"One hundred live chickens, ducks, and geese each; fifty wind-dried chickens, ducks, and geese; twenty pairs of bear paws; twenty catties of deer tendon; fifty catties of sea cucumber; forty deer tongues; fifty ox tongues; twenty catties of dried razor clams."

"Eight hundred catties of top-grade silver frost charcoal, one thousand catties of medium charcoal, two thousand catties of firewood charcoal."

"Ten shi of imperial rouge rice, sixty hu of green glutinous rice, sixty hu of white glutinous rice, fifty hu of various mixed grains, one thousand two hundred shi of common rice for lower use..."

Lin Zhixiao flipped through the account book reported by Wu Jinxian, and after reading page by page to the end, he frowned and asked, "Steward Wu, this year's total harvest is worth five thousand taels of silver. Why is it more than two thousand taels less than last year?"

"Where did such a large deficit come from?"

Wu Jinxian smiled apologetically, "The Great Steward does not know, but this year the harvest on the Liaodong farms is getting worse and worse. Heaven is not granting us food."

"It started raining at the end of spring and continued until the end of summer; there wasn't a single clear day for five days in a row. Everything in the fields rotted from waterlogging. In the past, we had to water the fields, but for the past half year, we have only been thinking about how to drain the water from the soil. In the ninth month, there was a hailstorm the size of bowls, covering nearly a thousand miles of land, injuring thousands and thousands of people, houses, and livestock. Until the end of the year, the heavy snow blocked the mountains and never stopped."

"Life is truly bitter. These harvests were all scraped together; we had to drain our marrow to prepare them. We would rather suffer ourselves than let the masters in the mansion lose face."

"I ask the Great Steward to speak a few good words in front of the masters, so our efforts will not be in vain."

Lin Zhixiao did not believe a word of Wu Jinxian's bitter complaints; he just treated this old scoundrel as if he were singing a folk song.

He had been dealing with the two brothers, Wu Jinxiao and Wu Jinxian, for more than ten years; did he not know the tricks in their bellies?

Recent news from the north indicated that the farms the Wu family had set up locally were not much worse than the Jia family's farms. Wasn't this wool coming from the sheep itself...

……

Lin Zhixiao said, "Steward Wu, in the past, you always reported the harvest of the Black Liaodong farms to Steward Lai. This is my first time taking over this matter, and I can't be sure for a moment."

"Whether the harvest is good or bad, and whether it should be like this, it's not for me to say. Now that Cong Sanye Cong has inherited the hereditary title, he is the master of both the East and West mansions. It must be for him to say."

"I heard that Cong Sanye's noble estates in the East Mansion are also in the Black Liaodong area, and he also came to deliver the harvest today. He is more familiar with the situation there than I am. I will report the account book to Cong Sanye and ask him to decide."

Wu Jinxian's expression changed upon hearing this. He stepped forward and said, "Although this old man is in Liaodong, I have heard Cong Sanye's prestige all along the way. I think he must be a master who cherishes and pities his subordinates."

"I ask the Great Steward to speak for us in front of Cong Sanye."

As Wu Jinxian spoke, he shook Lin Zhixiao's hand, and a silver note was already stuffed into Lin Zhixiao's hand. This trick had been used on Lai Da many times before.

He thought to himself, is this Lin Zhixiao more brilliant than Lai Da? Everyone has a price; it's just a matter of how much silver.

Lin Zhixiao discovered something stuffed in his hand, looked down, and saw it was a five-hundred-tael silver note. He was slightly startled, thinking to himself that this old scoundrel was ruthless; how much harvest had he embezzled?

But Lin Zhixiao absolutely did not dare to accept this money. He had not forgotten, and had seen with his own eyes, who had dealt with Lai Da and Lai Er back then.

Besides, Jia Cong had promoted his daughter, Xiao Hong, from a third-class maid who was about to be kicked out to a second-class managing maid in the Rongxi Hall. This favor and prestige were worth far more than five hundred taels; he was not yet senile.

He only had one daughter; why would he want so much troublesome silver?

Now it was rumored in the mansion that Cong Sanye had taken a fancy to his Xiao Hong, although it was not certain.

But perhaps his daughter would have a great future. Lin Zhixiao would not pick up sesame seeds and lose the watermelon.

Lin Zhixiao stuffed the silver note back to Wu Jinxian and said, "Steward Wu, there is no need for this. I cannot afford this responsibility. I will let Cong Sanye make the decision, so just wait for my news."

Wu Jinxian saw that Lin Zhixiao did not fall for the trick at all, and he was not only stunned but also felt a sense of panic as he watched Lin Zhixiao head towards the East Mansion.

This Rongguo Prefecture had become so strange; there were actually accounts that silver could not settle. This Cong Sanye Cong had such a fierce momentum; Lin Zhixiao did not even dare to leave any handle.

……

Rongguo Prefecture, outer courtyard side hall.

Jia Cong flipped through the account book handed over by Lin Zhixiao, frowned after reading only a few pages, and after hearing Lin Zhixiao relay Wu Jinxian's rhetoric, he handed the account book to Zhou Guangcheng.

He said, "Guangcheng, these are the six farms of the West Mansion in Black Liaodong. Take a look and see if there are any problems with the accounts."

Zhou Guangcheng carefully looked through the account book and said, "Cong Sanye, these six farms of the West Mansion, although not as good as the two in the East Mansion, are also among the middle-tier."

"Although I only arrived in Liaodong at the beginning of the seventh month, the weather there this year was indeed a bit bad. But even if Heaven did not favor us, it is impossible for the six farms to have a harvest of only five thousand taels for the whole year."

"Even counting the necessary wear and tear, there is a deficit of nearly forty percent in revenue!"

Lin Zhixiao, who was nearby, was shocked upon hearing this. This man surnamed Zhou was an expert; he could tell that things were about eighty or ninety percent wrong just by flipping through the account book. Cong Sanye had capable people around him.

Although Jia Cong had never paid attention to the harvest of the West Mansion's farms before, in previous years, these matters were always managed by Lai Da. Anything managed by this treacherous slave must inevitably involve embezzlement and deficit!

Therefore, even without looking at the account book, Jia Cong knew that there must be black accounts and bad debts.

Coupled with the harvest of the East Mansion's farms reported by Zhou Guangcheng—three thousand six hundred taels for two farms in half a year—anyone could see the trickery in the West Mansion's six farms in Liaodong yielding only five thousand taels for the whole year.

How much of the family fortune of the Ning and Rong mansions had the Wu brothers scraped away over the years? A rough estimate would be a huge sum. These two old scoundrels deserved to die!

……

Jia Cong asked with a cold face, "Lin Zhixiao, how old is Wu Jinxian this year?"

Lin Zhixiao felt a sense of awe when he saw Jia Cong's cold and stern expression, and hurriedly replied, "Both brothers are over fifty years old this year."

Jia Cong said, "You take my words to Wu Jinxian. He is old enough, and it is time for him to wrap up and rest."

"I will not pursue the matters of the mansion in the past for the time being. From now on, he does not need to manage the West Mansion's farms; I will hand them over to Steward Zhou to manage with full authority."

"Tell him that after he goes back this time, he must count and register the property, goods, and population of all the farms of the West Mansion and hand them all over to Steward Zhou. If the accounts are not clear, I will find a way to settle them with him...!"

……

Rongguo Prefecture, west side gate.

Wu Jinxian could hardly believe his ears after hearing Lin Zhixiao's message. He hadn't even seen whether this Cong Sanye Cong was square or round, and he had been kicked out just like that.

In the past, when they came to the capital to hand over the farm harvest every year, it was not as if Jia Lian, Jia She, and others didn't have complaints.

But the farms in Black Liaodong were too far from the Love Shenjing. Who among the masters in the mansion who enjoyed wealth and luxury all day would personally go to the farms to inspect? It was always whatever the Wu family said it was.

Even if Jia Lian and Jia She had some doubts, the noble estates were managed by the second branch after all, and with Lai Da mediating, they usually just listened to a few complaints from the first branch, and in the end, big things were turned into small, and small things into nothing.

Wu Jinxian never expected that this Cong Sanye Cong would act so fiercely; he had dismissed him without even meeting him.

He said with a flushed face, "Great Steward, our Wu family are family-born slaves. We have managed the farms for the mansion for a lifetime and have always been diligent and conscientious. How can you dismiss us just because you say so?"

"I ask the Great Steward to help me plead in front of Cong Sanye. If he thinks the harvest this year is insufficient, I will scrape together everything I have when I go back this time, even if I have to smash the pots and sell the iron, I will make up the deficit Cong Sanye wants."

Lin Zhixiao said, "Steward Wu, we have known each other for more than ten years; who doesn't know whose background? Let's speak plainly. Cong Sanye said he won't pursue the past accounts for now. I think you should take it while it's good."

"Regarding the harvest of the farms over the years, you were always planning and coordinating with Lai Da. You know best whether the foundation here is clear or not."

"Do you know what happened to Lai Da?"

Wu Jinxian's face turned slightly pale at the thought of Lai Da, and he said, "I heard he was put into the Ministry of Justice prison and was executed after autumn..."

Lin Zhixiao sneered, "He ended up like that because Cong Sanye found out that he had been embezzling and scraping the Jia family's fortune for many years!"

"I think you must have heard of Cong Sanye's reputation. He has heaven-reaching ability, a mind like a clear mirror, and cannot tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes."

"If you think he is as easy to fool as the Great Master and Second Master Lian, then your life is at an end."

"Now that Cong Sanye hasn't pushed you to a dead end, you should pray for your own good fortune. When you go back this time, hurry up and count the property of the Black Liaodong farms clearly, leave no handles, and hand them over cleanly early, so as not to leave roots of disaster for yourself."

"Cong Sanye established his merits and was granted his title in Liaodong, and he built his family business there. The civil and military officials in Liaodong might all be Cong Sanye's comrades and colleagues. You can imagine how many eyes he has there."

"You must not do anything foolish and leave yourself a way out..."

After Lin Zhixiao finished speaking, he sighed at Wu Jinxian and turned around to walk into the west side gate.

Only Wu Jinxian, with a pale face, was left standing there like a dead tree, as if he would fall over with a gust of wind.

……

Rongguo Prefecture, side courtyard.

Although Lady Wang had moved out of the Rongxi Hall, the refinement of her food, clothing, housing, and transportation was not discounted at all.

For dinner, there were six or seven exquisite hot dishes on the table, as well as a large bowl of black-bone chicken and sea cucumber eight-treasure soup, the fragrance filling the table.

Jia Zheng had already eaten messily and returned to the Mengpo Study. By the time he went to bed late at night, he would mostly stay in the study or sneak into Aunt Zhao's room.

Even with a table full of delicacies, Lady Wang didn't have much appetite. She ate half a bowl of rice hastily, just to fill her stomach.

Suddenly, a dowry maid hurried in, looked at Yu Chuan and Cai Yun who were cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, and hesitated to speak.

Lady Wang frowned slightly when she saw her expression, so she got up and went into the inner room, and the maid followed.

After Lady Wang sat down, she asked, "Is there any urgent matter?"

The maid said, "My Lady, news came from outside the second gate that the harvest handed in by Wu Jinxian was dismissed by Cong Sanye Cong because it did not match the amount!"

"Cong Sanye Cong also handed over the Liaodong noble estates to a man surnamed Zhou to manage."

Lady Wang's expression changed, and she exclaimed, "What did you say..." (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 523 =====