Chapter 289: The Banquet

In a spacious estate on the eastern side of Yangzhou, a Jiangnan-style garden named Shangfang Yuan sat nestled within, its rockeries and strange stones winding along secluded paths, with all manner of rare flowers and exotic plants visible everywhere.

This estate was the residence of Xu Qiming, a major timber merchant in Yangzhou, and also the primary venue for his social gatherings and banquets.

That afternoon, at the middle of the shen hour, the sky was still quite bright, yet every lantern in the halls and courtyards of Shangfang Yuan had already been lit. More than a dozen servants of the Xu household, dressed in blue clothes and small caps, carried various delicacies to the moon gate of one courtyard, where they handed them to two rows of beautiful maidservants waiting outside the gate, who then delivered the dishes into a flower hall within the courtyard.

The spacious flower hall was brightly lit, and two rosewood octagonal tables set not far apart were already laden with fine food and wine. Xu Qiming, the master of Shangfang Yuan, sat at one of the tables chatting idly with several guests who had arrived early.

"Old Huang, I hear you're planning to open a cart and horse transport business soon, specializing in hauling goods for people over short distances—is that really true? Aren't you going to keep up your cotton cloth business? In this Southern Zhili region, you're one of the most prominent cotton dealers—why suddenly change your trade?"

Xu Qiming took a sip of fragrant tea, set down his cup, and asked a thin, gaunt-looking man of about fifty.

"Hah! Truly, no one knows your affairs thirty li away! It's true enough, but it's not for hauling other people's goods—it's strictly for transporting my own!"

The merchant surnamed Huang replied with a dismissive look.

"Oh? Hasn't your cotton always gone north by water? Why switch to overland shipping? Cart transport wastes time, effort, and silver—I truly can't fathom why you, Squire Huang, with your million in assets and your usual shrewdness, would resort to such a clumsy scheme!"

Another portly merchant at the table mocked.

"Isn't it because I was forced into it with no other choice? Who doesn't know the advantages of water transport? But now that the court has levied commercial taxes, why would I still ship my goods by water to places like Linqing and Xuzhou? The customs houses don't care where your goods are headed—they only know to tax by quota, and not a single tael of silver can be spared. At this rate, shipping by water to the prefectures and counties south of Shandong just isn't worth it anymore!"

"Hey! Old Huang, you're something else! The nickname 'Iron Abacus' is well earned! How is it none of us thought of such a clever trick? If this adds up over time, you must save a good deal of silver each year, right? No good! I need to learn from you—when I get back, I'm starting a cart transport business of my own!"

The portly merchant Wang Zuohai slapped his thigh and exclaimed.

"The method is fine as far as it goes, but the cost of feeding men and horses is no small matter. All told, it only saves a few thousand taels a year—just enough to cover the expense of buying a few Yangzhou sing-song girls. After all, the bulk of my goods go north of Shandong, and those still need water transport; switching to carts would be uneconomical! They say taxes were harsh in the Wanli Emperor's day, but now they're even harsher than in the Wanli years—it's practically outright robbery!"

Huang Zhi's tone carried resentment and anger; he showed no particular pleasure at Wang Zuohai's flattery.

"There are treacherous ministers at court! Some villainous scoundrel must have come up with such a rotten idea—isn't this competing with the people for profit? If the court lacks silver, it should levy more on those mud-footed peasants. How many households do we gentry families amount to in total? There are hundreds of millions of farming households in this realm—if each paid a few extra qian of silver per year, the silver in the Taicang treasury would spill right out! Someone must speak up for us with righteous indignation! The Emperor is supposed to share the realm with the gentry, not with those mud-footed peasants! His Majesty has been deceived by wicked men!"

Xu Qiming sighed.

As the men were talking, more guests arrived outside the flower hall. Xu Qiming, as host, apologized briefly to Wang and Huang, then rose and went to the door to receive them.

At the exact you hour, the sky had gradually darkened. Both tables in the flower hall were now filled with guests—all of Xu Qiming's invitees had arrived.

"Every one of you seated here is an old friend of mine, and most of you know one another well. That you, honored squires, could take time from your busy schedules to grace my humble home today fills me with the deepest honor! Come, come—Xu offers a toast of humble wine to all you squires in gratitude. Ganbei!"

Xu Qiming, his face beaming with spring-like warmth, rose with his cup and smiled at the guests at both tables.

Including Xu Qiming himself, there were sixteen people at the two octagonal tables, all wealthy merchants and magnates from the prefectures of Yangzhou, Huai'an, Changzhou, and others. Their businesses were varied, but none had conflicts or disputes of interest among them. Many had met on various occasions; some, though unacquainted, had heard of one another's reputations, so after sitting down and exchanging a few words, they quickly grew familiar.

Once most guests had drained their cups, Xu Qiming laughed and announced in a loud voice: "Guest quarters have all been arranged—two of the world-renowned Yangzhou sing-song girls for each of you! Tonight, honored squires, please enjoy yourselves to the fullest!"

Though the wine on the tables was exquisite, everyone present was a major household worth hundreds of thousands or even millions, and such things held little appeal for them. But at the mention of Yangzhou sing-song girls, the crowd's enthusiasm was quickly ignited, and amid a chorus of cheers, the atmosphere in the hall instantly grew lively.

After three rounds of wine, Xu Qiming made the rounds toasting each guest, then returned to the main table and shot a glance at the household steward by the door. The steward understood and waved his hand. The several beautiful maidservants who had been serving tea, wine, and dishes in the flower hall exited and quietly slipped away, leaving only the sixteen people in the entire courtyard.

"Honored squires, have some tea and rest a moment—Squire Liu of the Liu Family Trading House has something he wishes to discuss with you all!"

Seeing that the guests were all somewhat tipsy, Xu Qiming rose and announced in a loud voice.

A man slowly stood from the seat of honor at the main table and clasped his hands toward the assembled guests—it was none other than Liu Xingwen, the elder cousin of Liu Zuo.

The protagonists of today's banquet were Liu Xingwen and Xu Qiming.

Since the secret discussions with Liu Zuo and Li Junshan nearly a month earlier, Liu Xingwen had taken on the duty of contacting the major households of several neighboring prefectures to jointly suspend business.

The first person Liu Xingwen thought of was Xu Qiming, who was in the same city of Yangzhou.

The reason Xu Qiming had amassed such a vast fortune was the backing of his second uncle, Xu Wenyuan, currently Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing.

But Xu Qiming knew well that the magistrate on the spot outranks the distant official. Though his patron was powerful, he still showed ample respect in daily life to Liu Xingwen, who had the backing of the Yangzhou Prefect. Through deliberate cultivation of the relationship, he soon became a bosom friend of Liu Xingwen.

The next day, Liu Xingwen found Xu Qiming and told him about the official boats smuggling goods being seized and his subsequent secret discussions with his cousin upon returning. Xu Qiming, who had been of the same mind, immediately expressed his support. The two hit it off at once, and Xu Qiming promptly began arranging to invite people to Yangzhou for a banquet.

Xu Qiming could not afford to be lukewarm about this matter, because his timber business was utterly dependent on water transport, and water transport could not bypass the Grand Canal—the commercial taxes were simply inescapable.

As for the scheme of suspending business to oppose the court and force it to dismantle the tax customs, Xu Qiming was naturally very optimistic. From the mouths of the major merchants he associated with, Xu Qiming heard nothing but extreme dissatisfaction and resentment toward the court. He believed that as long as someone took the lead, there would surely be a flood of supporters, and with the north likely facing a prolonged shortage of goods, the court would have no choice but to yield.

After nearly a month of communication and coordination, today's banquet proceeded smoothly.

"I am Liu Xingwen, proprietor of the Liu Family Trading House of Yangzhou. Among those seated here are some I know well and some I meet for the first time, but familiar or not, we are all merchants—households of some standing. The purpose of gathering you here today is, I imagine, already clear to all of you: to join hands and do battle against the court's evil policies, to win back a fair place for us merchants! So long as we stand united, with the support of the many righteous officials, gentry, and common folk, this matter has nine chances in ten of succeeding! Liu asks you all to summon a measure of courage and demand justice for the people of this realm! If any of you have further suggestions, speak freely—tonight we must settle this entire matter properly!"

Just as Liu Xingwen and Xu Qiming were feasting their guests and discussing great matters, a soft "pop" sounded from the darkness not far outside Shangfang Yuan.

"Ow—damn mosquitoes are eating me alive! Those bastards are inside enjoying fine food and drink while we're out here getting bitten by insects! Damn it all! Once this business is done, I swear I'll strip them naked and drive them out into the wilds for a night so they can taste what this feels like!"

"Platoon Leader, most of these fellows are from out of town and will surely stay at the Xu residence tonight. Why should we suffer out here? Let's come back after dawn tomorrow and tail them separately when they leave!"

"Fine then. The city gates are already closed, so they can't leave the city anyway. Let's go back and rest, then return before the mao hour tomorrow to keep watch! Damn it, I'm itching to death! Let's go!"