Chapter 55: Teaching

Wei Liangqing kept running. His fall from power was no secret, and with his clumsy tongue, those wealthy households—acting out of the charity one might show a beggar—would occasionally toss him a few hundred taels, but more often than not, he got the door slammed in his face!

All the humiliation Wei Liangqing had endured in his life, he suffered through in a single day.

But by the later part, he was no longer angry. At every house he visited, he secretly noted it down, as if he could already see them kneeling before him begging for mercy. Far from being angry, he felt a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

Continuing on, he seemed almost unable to stop himself.

While he ran about in this state of pain and pleasure, Yang Huaizhong's men couldn't let their master keep waiting—they hurried back to report.

"Manager, Wei Liangqing really does seem to be planning to open a money shop."

The gatekeeper said in a low voice from within Yang Huaizhong's room.

"Tell me everything you've learned, in full detail."

It was impossible for Yang Huaizhong not to care at all about the three hundred thousand taels Wei Liangqing had extorted from him, but what he was even more curious about was Wei Liangqing's true purpose!

The gatekeeper organized his words and said: "I followed him the whole way—he went to wealthy households all over the capital. He got the door slammed in his face quite a few times, and the ones he did get into, he was chased out of before long. I went in to inquire as well—some gave five thousand taels, some gave a thousand, and some even gave a hundred. He accepted every single one without exception."

Yang Huaizhong's brow furrowed immediately. Accepting even a hundred taels—could Wei Liangqing truly be at the end of his rope, shamelessly scraping together money to open a money shop?

Unable to figure it out, Yang Huaizhong raised his head and asked, "How many households has he visited so far?"

"Nearly thirty, and he's still going." said the gatekeeper.

Yang Huaizhong had come to the capital many times and knew something of Wei Liangqing's sort. No matter what, the man couldn't have fallen so low as to beg shamelessly for a mere hundred taels.

He thought for a long time without finding an answer. After a moment of deliberation, he said, "Let's set him aside for now. How is the gathering of our goods coming along?"

The gatekeeper looked puzzled and said, "Manager, something strange is going on. The prices of steamed buns, pastries, and other wheat-based foods in the capital have dropped sharply for no apparent reason, but the prices of rice and flour are extraordinarily high—much higher than we expected. We're still negotiating."

Yang Huaizhong had already heard something of this, but he paid it no mind and said, "Regardless, even if the price is ten or twenty percent higher, that's acceptable. We need to gather everything as quickly as possible and leave this place at the earliest opportunity."

Yang Huaizhong was a merchant with a keen nose. Whether it was Wei Liangqing or something else, he felt a vague unease in his heart and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

The gatekeeper hesitated for a moment, then said, "Very well, I'll consult with the various managers."

News of Wei Liangqing's activities would eventually reach the palace, but Zhu Xu didn't pay it much mind.

At this moment, he was engaged in a friendly cultural exchange with Fu Tao.

On the wall of the side hall hung a stone slab, covered in scrawled markings that looked like ghost-written charms to Fu Tao.

Fu Tao sat on a small stool, slightly lower than Zhu Xu, obediently staring at the stone slab.

Zhu Xu's expression was quite excited, though he forced himself to appear calm. With one hand behind his back and the other holding a stick, he tapped the slab with considerable authority and said, "Big brother, repeat after me—1, 2, 3..."

Fu Tao felt a hundred resistances to these baffling ghost-scribbles, and combined with the psychological shadow Zhu Xu cast over him, he had long wanted to run. But for one thing, he couldn't run, and for another, he couldn't get away—behind him stood Cao Wenzhao, big and burly, a highly deterrent presence.

Helplessly, he opened his mouth and said, "1, 2, 3..."

After quite a while, Zhu Xu pointed at the slab again and said, "Come on, repeat after me—ones place, tens place, hundreds place, thousands place..."

Fu Tao could only follow along like an elementary school student, reciting: "Ones place, tens place, hundreds place, thousands..."

Zhu Xu was feeling immensely pleased right now. He had once been a graduate student—one of those legendary research dogs—scolded day in and day out. Now, at last, he experienced the thrill of being a teacher.

Truly, "Once one ascends to the summit's crest, all other mountains appear small beneath!"

Cao Wenzhao watched Fu Tao, who was being tormented to the point of near madness, and felt great sympathy for him. Though he stood there with perfect posture, in truth his ears were shut tight, half-asleep.

Only when dusk fell and Fu Tao absolutely had to leave the palace did Zhu Xu wave his small hand and say with a pardon-like air, "Alright, that's all for today. Take this primer back and memorize it."

Fu Tao was overjoyed inside. He took it and said, "Good, I'll head back right away."

Zhu Xu nodded with great approval, then said something that made Fu Tao want to die on the spot: "Mm, I'll give you one night to memorize it. Tomorrow I'll prepare an exam to test you."

Fu Tao's heart wept rivers of tears. With a face full of tragic resolve, he was escorted out of the palace by Cao Wenzhao.

Zhu Xu was thoroughly satisfied. With his hands behind his back, he stood before a basin washing his hands, humming a strange little tune whose name he had long forgotten.

After washing, Zhu Xu extended a hand toward Yao Qingqing beside him and said, "Come, dry His Highness's hands."

Yao Qingqing looked at Zhu Xu with a strange expression, pressed her lips together, and took out a towel to dry his hands.

Today, Zhu Xu's vanity had been greatly gratified. He looked at Yao Qingqing with an expectant face and said, "Don't you think I'm especially capable? That I know so much? Do you want to learn too?"

Yao Qingqing thought of Fu Tao's expression of wanting to die, pressed her lips together, and hurriedly shook her head, not daring to agree.

Zhu Xu's vanity immediately felt a pang of regret—too few students.

After drying his hands, he sat down in the reclining chair, picked up a book, and idly flipped through it.

Yao Qingqing watched Zhu Xu. Though she had been there for quite some time now, Zhu Xu always left her unable to fathom him—so young, yet seeming to harbor thoughts and schemes with no visible end.

Before long, Cao Wenzhao returned and said to Zhu Xu, "Your Highness, the person has been escorted out of the palace."

Zhu Xu gave a slight nod, then raised his head to look at him and said, "The people I asked you to find—have you found them?"

Cao Wenzhao was startled, then remembered what Zhu Xu was referring to, and said, "I have. As Your Highness instructed, they're all old bookkeepers with over a decade of experience, along with some younger ones—partly young eunuchs the palace dismissed and cast out, and partly refugees. All of them are quite sharp. We're already about halfway there."

Zhu Xu sat up and said with satisfaction, "Good. Settle them somewhere for now. Once I've trained Fu Tao properly, I'll have Fu Tao train them. These people all need to be cultivated carefully—in the future, our money bags will depend on them to manage."

Cao Wenzhao knew these were the bookkeepers being trained by His Highness Prince Hui, who would later be sent to the Huitong Trading Company and throughout the realm, to control and oversee the operations of the entire company.

He nodded in agreement, then added, "Your Highness, word has come from the old master on your mother's side. He says he has a way to strike the Huitong Trading Company from the list, and asks you not to worry."

"Oh?" Zhu Xu was slightly taken aback, stroking his chin. It seemed his maternal uncle was highly favored in the Ministry of Revenue—he probably had a hand in drafting that list himself. He must wield considerable power.

Zhu Xu's eyes narrowed immediately, a gleam flashing in them as he said, "Mm, then let Wei Liangqing make things bigger—until everyone in the capital knows, until no one is unaware."

The moment Cao Wenzhao saw that expression on Zhu Xu's face, his heart skipped a beat. His Highness Prince Hui was about to set a trap for someone again!

As for the Wei Liangqing Zhu Xu spoke of—only when the moon hung in the southeast did he drag himself home, exhausted, his face numb, wearing an expression that could not be identified, step by difficult step.

He had visited over seventy households today. Most had slammed the door in his face, and a few had nearly dragged him off to the authorities. If he hadn't run fast, he might not have made it back today.

——

Favorites, recommendations, tips—all so few. Why?

I think what I've written is pretty good, you know. Looking up at the sky at a forty-five degree angle, in a pose of deep thought.