Chapter 1025: Turbid Currents

Wang Youshan glanced at Wang Zhaojing, who nodded. The matter was of such gravity that Wang Zhaojing dared not make a fool of himself, yet for a true scion of the Kong family to be like this was indeed peculiar.

"Young Master Zhao, everyone, the Kong family has no taboos about doing business. Thirty li south of Qufu lies the prefectural seat of Ziyang, where the Lu princely fief is located, so the Kong family finds it inconvenient to operate there. But everywhere else, especially in Qufu and its surroundings, all business is in the Kong family's hands—the salt trade and the butchering trade alike." Kong Zhang spoke without the slightest reservation.

This was something everyone could imagine without being told. A paramount magnate like the Kong manor of the Yansheng Duke, with so many clan branches and collateral lines to settle and having endured for so many generations, would naturally seize every profitable business around them. The salt trade was certainly private salt, and both private salt and butchering were base trades whose practitioners were barred from the imperial examinations; it was no surprise the Kong family held them tightly. What was interesting was that Kong Zhang stated it so openly. Only Wang Youshan coughed quietly there; he was, after all, a man of the old school. Even if he knew it in his heart, hearing someone speak of it to his face still made him uncomfortable.

Kong Zhang smiled and continued, "Still, for appearances' sake, some discretion is maintained. In the main household, there are still some old pedants who put on airs and never discuss vulgar matters of money and business. But a Kong family scion like me hardly counts as legitimate—my origins can't even be stated plainly, and I'll never be entered into the clan genealogy. So I don't care about so many things, and I'll speak to Young Master Zhao straight from the shoulder."

Though nothing was said explicitly, everyone could guess Kong Zhang's general circumstances. Thoughts like "idle pawn on a cold board" or similar notions surfaced in their minds. Zhao Jin, however, grew somewhat interested and spoke: "Your Kong manor has been contending with me in Shandong over land and property, and you've been thwarted at every turn, likely with some casualties. Given this situation, you still want to come here and open a shop—that's rather strange. Aren't you afraid of being blamed by your clan? Also, let's lay everything out in the open to avoid awkwardness later. Since you've come so openly, I assume you're not here as a planted agent or spy. But with your status as a Kong family member, if you wanted to open a shop, Linqing or Jining would be far more convenient, and you wouldn't earn less than in Xuzhou. Why go to the trouble and risk of coming here?"

Zhao Jin spoke bluntly. In a normal social setting, a guest would have long since flushed with embarrassment or anger, yet Kong Zhang listened with a smile on his face. Zhao Jin continued, "You are a noble of the Kong manor, and I am the Security Chief of Xuzhou. But right now, getting an audience with me is no easy matter. If you don't make things clear now, and some conflict or misunderstanding arises later, you won't be able to see me again. Don't waste this opportunity!"

"Big Brother, Kong…" Wang Zhaojing rose somewhat awkwardly.

"No matter, no matter. Young Master Wang, please let me speak," Kong Zhang said with a smile, stopping Wang Zhaojing's attempt to smooth things over.

Kong Zhang straightened his back, his smile unchanged, and spoke as he stood there: "In the past, I did not know there was a figure like Young Master Zhao in Xuzhou. I had heard the name 'Heavenly King Zhao,' but I paid it little mind, thinking it was nothing more than some hero of the rivers and lakes. That Tiger of Kong Family Village was the doing of a few stewards in the manor; when Young Master Zhao exterminated him, no one cared. But after you routed the government troops last year and quelled the roving bandits this year, swallowing three-quarters of Yanzhou Prefecture in one gulp, I gradually came to understand and realized that Young Master Zhao is actually such a heroic and extraordinary figure, having built so great an enterprise in just a few short years. Coming to Xuzhou this time and seeing it with my own eyes is even more breathtaking. Talk of the rule of the Three Sage Kings, talk of using the Analects to bring peace to the world—I do not know of anyone else who could make the Xuzhou and Pizhou region so prosperous and wealthy, so peaceful and contented in their lives and work. I had thought such peace and plenty existed only in Jiangnan, never imagining I would see it in Xuzhou…"

Everyone in the room except Zhao Jin wore expressions of pride and satisfaction. Good work deserved praise, and being praised by a person of stature made it all the more significant—especially when that person came from the Kong family.

"Many people have said these things. Just state your purpose in coming," Zhao Jin said. In this room, he alone was not particularly courteous to Kong Zhang. In his mind, the Kong manor of the Yansheng Duke was merely a great magnate, nothing more.

Zhao Jin's words were utterly unceremonious. The smile on Kong Zhang's face froze for a moment. No matter how carefree and self-deprecating he might be, that was when he was speaking of himself; being addressed like this by Zhao Jin immediately made him feel a loss of face. Yet that stiffness in his expression lasted only an instant. Kong Zhang's mind raced as he recalled his arrival in Xuzhou—using the scholar Wang Zhaojing as an opening, sending in his card to pay a visit, and then being treated as an honored guest while waiting to meet Zhao Jin. Although Kong Zhang was someone who could keep his composure, he had inevitably become a bit carried away. Now, thinking back on his meeting with Zhao Jin today, this young man had shown no reverence for the Kong family from start to finish, nor any excitement at the arrival of a Kong family member.

Kong Zhang did not believe for a moment that Zhao Jin was unaware of the significance of a visit from the Kong family. Though this young man was not particularly polite to him, he could tell he was a cool-headed figure. Such a figure, even if he looked down on the Kong manor of the Yansheng Duke, would still treat it with courtesy out of practical considerations. Yet Zhao Jin clearly knew all this and simply disdained it, as if he had never taken the Kong family seriously at all. Could it be that Zhao Jin was a brainless brute, ignorant of the Kong family's symbolic significance to the realm and its altars? Or did Zhao Jin's grand ambitions simply have no place for the descendants of the Sage or the patriarchal seat of Confucian learning?

This second conjecture made Kong Zhang tremble all over. The instant this thought flashed through his mind, he felt as if heaven and earth were about to collapse, but then he grew excited. If it were not so, how could he gamble on this once? Besides, he had come here privately, without any will or even hint from the Kong manor of the Yansheng Duke. Among the entire Kong manor hierarchy, the vast majority had probably never even heard of Zhao Jin of Xuzhou.

"Young Master Zhao, what is my purpose in coming? I regard myself as an idle pawn on a cold board for the Kong family. Secondly, I want to make a fortune. Young Master Zhao is unfamiliar with Shandong. You may have spies and agents, but there are surely subtleties I know better than they do. Furthermore, the Kong family has many properties they don't particularly care about, but Young Master Zhao might not be indifferent to them. I would act as a middleman, bridging the gap—there will be benefits in it regardless. And lastly, I want to open a shop here in Xuzhou. With a market this thriving, it would be a shame not to reach out and grab a share." Kong Zhang spoke with ease and confidence.

Zhao Jin leaned back in his chair and smiled, asking leisurely, "That being the case, aren't you afraid that in the end, the court's grand army will converge in a punitive campaign, my Xuzhou will be reduced to ashes, and you'll lose everything and be implicated? Have you considered this risk?"

"If I lose, it is but one. If I gain, it is a hundred or ten thousand. Such a risk is worth it." When Kong Zhang said this, he was utterly solemn.

His words silenced the entire room. Zhao Jin narrowed his eyes and looked at Kong Zhang, then smiled and shook his head, saying, "Don't think too far ahead. If you want to open a shop here, someone will help smooth the way for you. In the future, Xuzhou will also have a storefront in Jining. If you have any business, you can go directly there. Business is business—for now, let's just all work toward making a fortune."

Kong Zhang smiled and bowed in thanks. At this point, the expressions of Wang Youshan and his son Wang Zhaojing were both rather odd. Ruhui, however, looked at Kong Zhang with a bit more appreciation in his eyes. But having reached this point, there was no way to continue a deeper discussion. Kong Zhang was tactful enough to recognize this; after expressing his thanks, he said he had urgent matters to attend to back in Shandong and must take his leave of everyone, hoping there would be a chance to meet again. Wang Zhaojing saw him out.

When he returned, Wang Zhaojing's expression was even stranger. He spoke: "Big Brother, that Kong Zhang said that the Kong manor currently has no armed force of its own, that its handful of village guards and household defenders aren't worth mentioning, and that you should feel free to act as you see fit."

Wang Youshan, who had been lifting his teacup, set it down again and shook his head, saying, "What kind of Sage's descendant is this? He seems to have studied the arts of vertical and horizontal alliances quite thoroughly. Are all Kong scions like this? Have they all seen that the times are turning bad?"

As an elder, Wang Youshan knew that the younger generation felt constrained in his presence. After a couple of sighs and lamentations, he left on his own. The Wang family also had property and servants within He Family Village, so lodging and the like were convenient. Everyone rose to see Wang Youshan off. When they returned, Wang Zhaojing's expression was somewhat sour. He had made such a great show of calling Zhao Jin back, treating the matter with such gravity, only for the conversation to turn out like this—he felt it had all been rather pointless.

"This Kong Zhang is very interesting. Get to the bottom of his background, and quickly," Zhao Jin said with a smile. Liu Yong promptly acknowledged the order.

Zhao Jin drew a circle in the air with his hand and spoke: "In the past, when we were only in He Family Village, the forces we encountered were the various local strongmen and powers of Xuzhou. When we expanded beyond Xuzhou, figures like the Feng family of Yangzhou began to approach us. When we took control of Qingjiangpu, that drew in Ma Chonghao and his ilk. Now that we're expanding outward again, people from the Kong family are making contact with us. Don't think this means we are favored by Heaven's mandate. It's simply that we've encountered them, and those who find us suitable have come seeking us out. Don't attach too much importance to this. So many have come to us on their own initiative—how we treat them still depends on their value and their proximity to us. Right now, our top priority is the expansion and reorganization. Zhaojing, bring out the drafted plan and let everyone hear it."

Wang Zhaojing nodded, took a booklet from a wooden box beside him, opened it, and began to read aloud. Everyone listened with rapt attention. Ji Xiang, who had rushed back, felt a bit uneasy in his heart and kept glancing at Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng. Only when he saw that their expressions remained normal did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that those two exquisitely beautiful women in Yangzhou were truly peerless. That wealthy merchant was keeping them for him in Qingjiangpu, but who knew when he could go there again. The merchant was tactful, though, making no demands and seeking only to curry favor…

On the northern bank of the Yellow River in Xuzhou, the Zhao Character Battalion's household retainers and trained levies numbered roughly four thousand. In a crisis, the Xu family's own trained able-bodied men and youths could also muster over three thousand. This number was sufficient to suppress the Yanzhou Prefecture region. It must be understood that if all the trained levies from the various manors in that area were assembled, they would also number between five and six thousand.

The core of these Zhao Character Battalion troops consisted of two large regiments: Zhang Hubin's Fourth Large Regiment and Lu Da's First Large Regiment. By now, everyone tacitly acknowledged Zhang Hubin as the leader, with Lu Da second. Although Lu Da's seniority among the household retainers was arguably the highest, Zhang Hubin possessed greater strategic judgment and decisiveness, and he was far more flexible than Lu Da.

The short holiday ends tomorrow. You all rested for three days and had fun for three days; Old Bai wrote for three days. Tomorrow you all go back to work, and Old Bai will do the same. We all have to push on.

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