Chapter 156: Shen Family Learns Shen Yuer Has Been Granted a Noble Title!

After long contemplation.

Shen Wansan raised his head and fixed his gaze on his eldest son, Shen Rong.

“Rong er.”

“Send word to your second brother: from now on, our merchant caravans must increase their protection. If our servants are insufficient, hire a security escort company—money is no issue; the goods and trade routes are what matter.”

“In addition.”

“Have your second brother report to the authorities, petition the Beiping Prefecture, and spend generously on bribes.”

“These necessary expenses must not be cut.”

“To deal with these well-trained men, we must rely on the power of the government,” Shen Wansan said grimly.

Under current circumstances,

Shen Wansan could only think of this solution.

One, hire escort companies to boost safety; two, rely on the government to eradicate them, since banditry is ultimately the government’s responsibility.

If this escalates, it becomes the Yan Wang’s affair.

“Father.”

“I fear even hiring escort companies won’t guarantee safety—this bandit group is ruthless, undoubtedly trained assassins.”

“As for reporting to the authorities, Beiping’s army has already marched north. What remains are weak county troops who, even if aware, will merely go through the motions.”

“But our merchant caravans cannot afford delays.”

“Eighteen caravans have been looted—not just a financial loss, but a blow to our family’s reputation.”

“If we don’t resolve this quickly, other families will snatch our trade routes in Beiping Prefecture,” Shen Rong said anxiously.

In response,

Shen Wansan could only sigh helplessly: “For now, only the two methods I proposed remain.”

“If escort companies fail, we must rely on the government.”

“Of course.”

“If Beiping’s officials do nothing, we must make this public, force the imperial court to take notice, and bring it to the Emperor’s attention.”

“The current Emperor despises evil—if banditry truly occurs, he will not stand idle,” Shen Wansan sneered coldly.

Hearing this,

Shen Rong and Shen Mao could not help but raise their thumbs.

“Father, brilliant.”

“If this reaches the court and the Emperor’s ears, that bandit group is surely doomed,” Shen Rong said with admiration.

“First, let Beiping’s officials handle it. If they fail, we make it public—after all, mishandling this will offend the Yan Wang,” Shen Wansan said gravely.

He knew well.

Beiping Prefecture was the Yan Wang Zhu Di’s fief.

If we truly escalate this to the court, we strike Zhu Di’s face—and our family will surely face his retaliation, which would be far from good.

“Also.”

“We must find out who is targeting our Shen family.”

“Open weapons are easy to avoid; hidden arrows are hard to guard against.”

“If we don’t uncover them, our family will remain helpless,” Shen Wansan said sternly.

“Father.”

“This matter is hard to investigate.”

“That bandit group hides too well—we can’t find them, and after raids, they leave no trace,” Shen Rong said helplessly.

Investigation!

They could think of it, and Shen Wang in Beiping had thought of it too—but investigation led nowhere.

That bandit group vanished without a trace.

“In your view,”

“which family is behind this bandit group?”

“Don’t overthink—name the most likely family.”

Shen Wansan looked at his two sons and asked sternly.

At these words,

Shen Rong and his brother fell into thought.

“Father.”

“Could it be the Lu family?”

“The Lu family has long had business disputes with us. When we competed for porcelain, they tricked us; later we seized their wine and tea trade—they must harbor resentment,” Shen Rong said after a moment’s thought, looking at Shen Wansan.

“The Lu family?”

Shen Wansan considered, then shook his head: “The Lu family has little trade presence in Beiping. Possible, but unlikely.”

“What about the Cao family?”

Shen Mao added.

The Lu family.

The Cao family.

Both ranked among the top three merchant tycoons in Great Ming, like the Shen family.

They all competed in porcelain, tea, wine, and many other trades.

“The Cao family won’t do it.”

“They operate in Yunnan and Bashu—no major conflict of interest with us,” Shen Wansan also shook his head.

“If not these two families,”

“I can’t think of any other,” Shen Rong said, shaking his head, stumped.

“Could it be Zhu Ying?”

After a moment’s thought, Shen Wansan opened his eyes wide and looked at his two sons.

Hearing this,

Shen Rong and Shen Mao froze, then both shook their heads.

“Father.”

“Though Zhu Ying is formidable now and has been granted a noble title for military merit, he certainly lacks the wealth to train assassins and station them in Beiping,” Shen Rong said skeptically.

Or rather,

He refused to believe Zhu Ying was behind this.

“Father.”

“I think it’s possible.”

“This bandit group targets only our Shen family.”

“If we speak of grudges, we and Zhu Ying are true mortal enemies,” Shen Mao said seriously.

“Zhu Ying.”

“He is now the Danning Commandant, holding military power and high rank.”

“You know the wine from his distillery—it’s in constant demand. In the north, where wine is essential, his distillery alone could fund a large force of assassins.”

“Moreover, Zhu Ying no longer just runs distilleries—he owns taverns, even more profitable.”

“From this reasoning, this bandit group may indeed be his doing,” Shen Wansan mused, his face darkening.

“If it truly is him, this becomes very difficult.”

“He holds power, influence, and wealth.”

“We cannot easily oppose him,” Shen Rong’s face turned grim.

“Father.”

“What do we do?”

“If it really is Zhu Ying, our family will struggle to do business in the north. We even abandoned our Danning trade to avoid him—but now he’s sent assassins to raid our caravans in Beiping.”

“He’s gone mad.”

“Should we report him to the authorities?” Shen Mao said, panicked.

Hearing Shen Mao’s words, Shen Wansan glared and snapped: “Foolish.”

“Without proof,”

“how can you report him?”

“Let me tell you.”

“Zhu Ying is riding high—the Emperor and Crown Prince both favor him. Reporting him is suicide.”

“We might incur the Emperor’s wrath,” Shen Wansan glared fiercely.

“Then what do we do?”

“This Zhu Ying is no longer the old Zhu Ying—he’s targeting our family. Must we just endure it?” Shen Mao said bitterly.

“Now, fortune has turned.”

“Zhu Ying clearly wants a fight to the death with our Shen family.”

“He raids our caravans and leaves no survivors.”

“Now he’s leading the northern campaign against the Northern Yuan—if he wins another great victory, he’ll be unstoppable.”

“Now he’s a viscount; someday he may become a marquis, or even rise further—our Shen family… sigh…”

Thinking of Zhu Ying’s current status and position, Shen Wansan’s heart filled with dread.

Now.

He was increasingly regretting what he had done back then.

Sending Zhu Ying to Danning was a blunder—it completely burned the bridge with Zhu Ying, for our Shen family had intended to kill him.

The second step was naturally to send assassins to Danning to kill Lin Fu and Shen Yuer.

This only deepened the enmity between our Shen family and Zhu Ying.

Listening to Shen Wansan’s words,

thinking of Zhu Ying’s potential for further growth, Shen Mao and his brother’s faces turned grim.

“I hope he dies on the battlefield,” Shen Mao growled.

“He’s already a Regional Military Commissioner, protected by thousands of troops—how easily can he die?” Shen Rong said coldly.

“Now,”

“we must find a way to ease relations with Zhu Ying—at least, stop him from hating our Shen family so deeply,” Shen Wansan said softly, though even he sounded uncertain, yet knew he had no choice.

Our Shen family may be rich, but we’re merely merchants; under Emperor Hongwu, trying to buy off officials with money is suicide.

For ordinary matters, it might work—but no official would dare act against Zhu Ying.

“Father.”

“Given what our Shen family has done to Zhu Ying,”

“is there any room left?”

Shen Rong said gravely.

“Let’s try anyway.”

“After all, Shen Yuer was raised in our Shen family.”

“If worst comes to worst, we can use Shen Yuer’s true origins as leverage and tell Zhu Ying.”

“Offer him some goodwill,” Shen Wansan thought for a moment, then said firmly.

“Father.”

“If we release his whereabouts, won’t the Huaixi faction and his former family enemies blame our Shen family for sheltering her?” Shen Rong worried.

At these words,

Shen Wansan’s eyes suddenly lit up: “Rong, you’ve reminded me.”

“Shen Yuer’s grandfather offended many people—he angered nearly the entire court.”

“If the court, especially Huaixi, learns Zhu Ying married his granddaughter, they may intensify their attacks on him.”

“For our Shen family, that would be advantageous.”

Hearing this,

Shen Rong and Shen Mao’s eyes also brightened.

“Father is right.”

“Our Shen family can’t possibly defeat Zhu Ying.”

“But Huaixi and those in the court certainly can,” Shen Rong nodded immediately.

“Rong.”

“I’ll write a letter.”

“Find a way to deliver it to Zhu Ying.”

Shen Wansan said firmly.

“Yes,” Shen Rong nodded at once.

Just then!

Outside the inner chamber,

“Master.”

The Shen family steward’s voice came in.

“Come in.”

Shen Wansan said firmly.

The steward immediately pushed open the door and stepped quickly into the inner chamber.

“What is it?” Shen Wansan asked sharply, fixing his gaze on the steward before him.

This steward, of course, was deeply trusted by Shen Wansan—many covert matters were handled by him.

“The young lady just sent word of something—I don’t know if it’s true, but it’s already spread.”

“It’s already public,” the steward said respectfully.

“What news?” Shen Wansan asked at once.

“Regional Military Commissioner Zhu Ying has won new merit in the northern campaign—on the first day, he breached a city and slew countless enemies.”

“Now, His Majesty has issued an edict granting Zhu Ying’s wife, Shen Yuer, the title of fourth-rank Lady of Honor,” the steward said in a low tone, glancing sidelong at Shen Wansan as he spoke.

At these words,

the faces of Shen Wansan and his two sons changed.

“Lady of Honor?”

“She’s been granted the title of Lady of Honor?”

Shen Wansan clenched his teeth, disbelief twisting into a deep, unspoken regret.

Perhaps,

at this very moment,

Shen Wansan truly regretted it.

“That lowly servant Shen Yuer has been granted the title of Lady of Honor?”

“That’s equivalent to a man’s noble title!”

“Damn it.”

“How could she?”

Shen Rong gritted his teeth.

But beside him,

Shen Mao muttered bitterly: “If only we’d spoken to Zhu Ying properly back then and simply betrothed Shen Yuer to him, we wouldn’t have had to target him so fiercely—and none of this would’ve happened. We could’ve tied ourselves to Zhu Ying.”

But as soon as he spoke,

Shen Wansan glared sharply and snapped: “Shut your mouth.”

Clearly,

Shen Mao’s words had just slapped his father in the face.

After all, every plan back then had been Shen Wansan’s own, carried out by his sons.

…

Time slipped by!

In the Northern Yuan territory!

The war continued.

The Ming offensive continued.

Now, the Ming forces were winning steadily on the Northern Yuan front, while the Yuan suffered repeated defeats.

More than two months had passed.

The ten mutually supporting fortresses the Northern Yuan had spent countless resources to build had been completely captured by the Ming.

The reason for such rapid success?

All because of Zhu Ying.

His breach of the first city shattered the battlefield’s balance, allowing Lan Yu’s army to advance smoothly.

At this moment,

in the Northern Yuan’s capital, Xin Du!

The city was sealed, no entry or exit allowed.

A strange atmosphere hung over the entire city.

For the Northern Yuan,

even their fortified passes could no longer hold.

In the Northern Yuan court,

“Your Majesty,”

“our ten border fortresses have all fallen.”

“Now the Ming army is advancing from all directions toward our capital,” a general knelt in the hall, his face grim as he reported.

The Yuan Emperor, seated on the dragon throne, wore an equally grim expression.

Even with reinforcements, they could not stop the Ming’s momentum.

“Chancellor,”

“where has General Guili Chi deployed his troops?” the Emperor asked Shilie Men.

“Your Majesty,”

General Guili Chi stationed his troops at the imperial pasture, a hundred li beyond the new capital.

“He plans to rely on the strength of our Great Yuan cavalry to fight the Ming army to the death,” Shiliemen said immediately.

“Our hundred thousand cavalry will surely deal a crushing blow to the Ming army.”

The Yuan Emperor was also very confident in his cavalry.

“Therefore, Your Majesty need not worry.”

“In this battle, our Great Yuan’s hundred thousand cavalry, against an enemy that relies on cavalry, will surely defeat the Ming army.”

Shiliemen spoke with equal confidence.

At this moment.

Although the Northern Yuan had already lost over a dozen cities in succession.

Even though the Ming army was now only one or two hundred li from the capital, he had no fear, thanks to the power of his cavalry.

“Your Majesty.”

“To prevent unforeseen disasters and ensure the long survival of our Great Yuan.”

“I believe.”

“Your Majesty should first withdraw into the northern frontier and return to our ancestral homeland.”

The Grand Marshal Manzi stepped forward and declared loudly.

As soon as these words were spoken.

The Yuan Emperor frowned and said at once: “Grand Marshal, what do you mean? Do you think our Great Yuan cavalry cannot match the Ming army?”

“Your Majesty, it is not that I lack confidence.”

“It is for the sake of absolute safety.”

“Your Majesty is the very foundation of our Great Yuan. If anything happens to you, our Great Yuan will surely collapse.”

“If Your Majesty returns to the heart of the northern frontier to hold the line, our soldiers will fight without fear. With Your Majesty present, our soldiers have no cause for worry.”

“Therefore, I humbly beg Your Majesty to consider this carefully,” Manzi said solemnly.

Above him.

He clearly understood the situation.

He knew full well that many court ministers likely wished for the collapse of the Great Yuan court, even hoped the Yuan Emperor would die in the chaos—so the many tribes long held in check by the court would be freed from restraint and eventually declare themselves kings, unbound and uncontrolled.

Though confident in the cavalry’s combat power, Manzi’s proposal was made for the long-term survival of the Great Yuan.

Only if the Yuan Emperor moved his court to hold the northern frontier could he both intimidate those tribes and ensure the Great Yuan’s survival.

However.

As soon as he finished speaking.

A court minister immediately stepped forward.

“Grand Marshal, do you really underestimate the combat power of our Great Yuan cavalry?”

“Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. Holding the capital inspires our soldiers’ fighting spirit. If Your Majesty retreats to the ancestral northern lands, our troops will think you have abandoned them, fled the battlefield.”

“This would surely damage morale.”

“Exactly.”

“Your Majesty holding the capital will surely boost the army’s spirit.”

“Your Majesty must not move.”

“I second that.”

“Our elite troops have already been assembled: besides the hundred thousand cavalry, nearly four hundred thousand soldiers are stationed in the capital.”

“Why fear the Ming army?”

“Grand Marshal, your thinking is excessive...”

(End of Chapter)