Chapter 1348: The Mo Family of Jinan

In Jinan, the sixth month is the hottest time of the year. During the day, a person feels as if they are being steamed alive. After the sun sets in the evening, there is not the slightest hint of coolness. Every year at this time, many people suffer from heatstroke. The wealthy and idle make a point of going to Mount Li to escape the heat and spend the summer, but that, after all, requires leaving the city. Even the gentry and powerful families cannot leave the city at will.

If one stays within the city, being near a spring where the gushing water carries away the sweltering heat, enjoying the cool shade of green trees — such comfort is no less than that of Mount Li. However, although Jinan is known as the City of Springs, there are only a few spring sources within the city walls. The high officials of the province, circuit, and prefecture, as well as the retired officials, do not even have enough to go around among themselves. What they do get is enclosed within government offices and private mansions — how could ordinary commoners ever get a share?

There is, however, one exception: the Willow Catkin Spring in the southwest corner of Jinan. The southern city was a place where the poor commoners lived to begin with, and there were several marketplaces near the Willow Catkin Spring. The high officials and nobles were naturally unwilling to come there, so it became a paradise for ordinary folk. Every summer, people would gather by the spring source, enjoy the cool breeze, and drink a few mouthfuls of the cold, sweet spring water. The bitter summer was not so hard to endure then.

But for the last fifteen years, this pleasure has been out of reach. A large mansion was built around this Willow Catkin Spring. Its scale and grandeur were in no way inferior to the yamen of the prefectural lord, with multiple courtyards deep and wide, extremely impressive. Let alone getting near the spring water, even approaching the mansion itself was forbidden. If an ignorant child playing wandered within fifty paces, they would be hung up and flogged as a public example. There were also outside peddlers who led their mules over, wanting to rest by the base of the wall, only to have their mules seized outright and themselves given a savage beating.

At first, some able-bodied young men who could not swallow their anger came to argue, but they were beaten by the mansion's household guards until they bled and were maimed. This finally ignited public fury. Nearly a thousand people from the southwest of Jinan went to demand an explanation. Unexpectedly, when they arrived outside the mansion, they were utterly routed by over a hundred household guards from within. In the aftermath, not only did no one receive medical aid, but the constables and runners from the yamen also arrested a batch of them, directly charging them with the crime of gathering a mob to cause disorder. Every household had to cut their own flesh and cough up blood to scrape together a sum of money before they could ransom their people back.

The matter did not end there. In the days that followed, the several men who had rallied the crowd all died under murky circumstances. Among them was a warm-hearted xiucai. To dare lay hands even on a Scholar-Lord — this was truly audacity of the highest order. He was a scholar, after all. The families of the dead, the seriously injured, and the xiucai's family went together to the yamen to file a lawsuit. The xiucai's fellow examination graduates and schoolmates were also filled with righteous indignation. Unexpectedly, once the plaint was submitted to the yamen, it was like a clay ox entering the sea — never to be heard from again.

They had killed people, and even killed a scholar, and the officials actually dared to shield them. Who would dare offend such a figure? After these several incidents, the area around that great mansion had become a dragon's pool and a tiger's den — no one dared go there anymore. The mansion's reputation gradually spread throughout Jinan. No matter who mentioned the Mo Family Compound, they would instinctively lower their voices a few degrees.

The head of the Mo family, Mo Yinglong, was addressed as Squire Mo by both official and civilian circles within Jinan. In the streets and the rivers-and-lakes, among the outlaws of the greenwood, he was respectfully called "Master Mo." And because Mo Yinglong had spent silver to make his youngest son a xiucai, and also purchased the title of tribute student, he was further addressed on all sides as "Lord Mo."

Although people called him "Lord," Mo Yinglong was only just past forty, with a brawny build that made him look like a man in his thirties. His face, however, was rather kindly, making him look just like an honest country squire.

Yet no one dared think he was honest and simple-minded. Colluding with officials and oppressing the law-abiding folk were things everyone did; killing a xiucai or a budding scholar was no great matter either. The reason Mo Yinglong was called "Master" by others was because of his official backing and his ruthless methods.

His backing in official circles was a legal secretary, Mo Peisheng. This secretary was Mo Yinglong's distant cousin, a local xiucai of Jinan who had already served as an advisor in the county and prefectural yamens for twenty years. Mo Peisheng was a native son, familiar with everyone high and low. In the first few years, he may have been inconspicuous, but later on, there was no aspect of yamen routine and administrative affairs, no key connection, that he did not know inside out. From the provincial governor's office down to the prefectural and county yamens, there was no one who did not give him face. No matter who came to Jinan to serve as an official, they could not do without his counsel.

There was an even greater coincidence: from Mo Peisheng's very first patron to the current one, five patrons in succession all had some connection with one another. Because of these connections, the departing official would recommend him to the incoming one, and so it had rotated all the way to the present. The lords had endured bitter study and passed the civil examinations; they were well-versed in the Four Books, Five Classics, and the eight-legged essay, but they were unfamiliar with local governance. This Mo Peisheng understood how to advance and retreat with proper measure and was familiar with all matters great and small. In his hands, there were no difficult problems, so naturally he was relied upon more and more heavily.

From the local perspective, officials came and went like flowing water, but this Mo Peisheng, Secretary Mo, was immovable as iron. Naturally, he was regarded as the number one real power-holder in the region. Mo Yinglong, however, was not a native of Jinan. The true old-time local residents could still recall that when Mo Yinglong first arrived in Jinan, he was in very dire straits, with just over a dozen men following him. Because they were too conspicuous, they were even targeted by the constables and officers, and it was Secretary Mo who vouched for them and got them out. Some people also vaguely remembered that the Mandarin they spoke had a very heavy Liaodong accent.

As soon as Mo Yinglong settled in Jinan, he seized all the various underworld businesses in the southern city. When local street and rivers-and-lakes figures fought, drawing blades and drawing blood was already a huge matter. But Mo Yinglong and his crew directly exterminated entire families, leaving not even a surviving victim behind. Moreover, since everyone knew they were relatives of "Mr. Mo," the officers had to hold their noses and accept it. Yet Mo Yinglong was no reckless brute. After seizing territory, he paid all the tribute that was due. For the official figures, as long as the tribute and offerings kept flowing, they paid no mind to other matters. There were some clerks and officers who felt offended and wanted to make a move, but within the city of Jinan, how could they ever outmaneuver Mr. Mo?

If it had only been the southern city territory, that would have been fine — it was the poor wretches' turf anyway, nothing to care about. A dozen men were not worth the notice of the true powerhouses; which family could not muster over a hundred brawlers? But Mo Yinglong's subordinates grew more and more numerous, and they were all desperadoes who dared to kill and fight to the death. They also knew how to form formations and coordinate with one another. A few dozen of them dared to clash head-on with over a hundred men, without being at any disadvantage. As the fighting went on, they even brought military bows into play.

They could not be bested in a direct clash, nor outmatched in official circles. The money-making enterprises in the city were also gradually seized by Mo Yinglong. By this time, Mr. Mo himself began to see the benefits of this relative. Not to mention the monthly tribute collected, any inconvenient matters outside could now be swiftly resolved. Moreover, he had gained an extra measure of awe and fear for nothing. Mr. Mo, who wielded a pen and negotiated terms, now had a blade in his hand as well.

By the time Mo Yinglong had over three hundred men under his command, all the various underworld businesses in Jinan Prefecture and its surroundings were no longer for anyone else to do. Even if one wanted to exploit a crack, they would need someone to mediate and had to pay tribute on schedule every month.

Ever since Liaodong was invaded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, many Liaodong soldiers and civilians from the Liaodong Garrison had appeared in Dengzhou and Laizhou Prefectures. They formed a closed community, very difficult for outsiders to approach. These Liaodong soldiers and civilians also did their fair share of murder, robbery, and human trafficking, but they kept it all within their own circles. The Shandong greenwood and rivers-and-lakes all knew this was a huge piece of fat meat, but no one could establish a connection, leaving them anxious and helpless.

But Master Mo did establish a connection. He openly bought all the stolen goods coming from Dengzhou and Laizhou Prefectures, then transported them to Linqing for distribution and sale. The women and children trafficked from Dengzhou and Laizhou were also taken in by him and sold off. This business boomed, and his family fortune swelled rapidly. More and more desperadoes from the Liaodong Garrison came from Dengzhou and Laizhou to join him.

At his peak, Master Mo had over six hundred able-bodied men under his command, well-supplied with blades, spears, bows, and arrows. But reaching such a scale made him far too conspicuous. The Military Defense Circuit, the Jinan Prefecture, and even the Shandong centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard all had their eyes on him. Fortunately, Mr. Mo got word of this in advance, mediated from within, and had Mo Yinglong disperse many of his men himself. Only thus was he preserved to this day.

Just as things were going smoothly and he had become a major power in the region, after Mo Yinglong's son passed the examination to become a xiucai, the Jinan gentry, who had previously kept him at a respectful distance, also began to hold their noses and associate with him. By all appearances, the Mo family was set to put down roots in Jinan and pass their legacy down through the generations. Moreover, with a son having achieved scholarly rank, there would be no more mishaps on the official front in the future.

It was at this time that Cloud Mountain Trading opened for business in Jinan Prefecture. The Han Well Famous Liquor was already a hugely profitable business in Jinan, and the Mo family naturally wanted a piece of it. Every shop that brought in stock had to give them thirty percent based on the purchase price. As a result, the Mo family themselves held the largest stock of Han Well Famous Liquor in Jinan, and their business was the best.

Now that the seller was opening a shop in Jinan Prefecture, the Mo family was certain to muscle in. They knew full well of the awe-inspiring reputation of the Zhao Heavenly King of Xuzhou, but they figured that Xuzhou and Jinan were separated by vast distances — even if they did something, he could not attend to it. Mo Yinglong's second steward directly led his men to the shop, demanding to monopolize the distribution of all the Han Well Famous Liquor there, with payment settled at the three major festivals.

This demand was naturally refused by Cloud Mountain Trading. Mo Yinglong's second steward, long accustomed to throwing his weight around, wanted to smash up the shop on the spot. Their hands were all stained with blood; they trained their bodies constantly. If they truly turned violent and ran amok, the clerks of a mere shop could not stop them, and might well come to harm. Unexpectedly, while some of Cloud Mountain Trading's managers and clerks could not fight, others were very capable. When the other side resorted to fists and kicks, they grabbed long staves and short clubs and struck back directly, beating them down and driving them all out.

In broad daylight, it was naturally not convenient to use blades. The second steward spat a few harsh threats and led his men away in a sorry state. Yet everyone knew that the Mo family would likely resort to ruthless measures next. The Mo family did not act recklessly, however. They had dared to cause trouble because among those who had come to offer congratulations, there were no officials or gentry — they were all local merchants and some entrenched local strongmen. These were people they did not fear.

That very night after the altercation, the Jinan branch of Cloud Mountain Trading was set on fire. The fires were started in several places simultaneously. Some were smoldering fires wrapped in incense ash, some were set by pouring oil on door panels and window shutters and igniting them, and some were started by torches thrown directly inside. Several points ignited at once, making it impossible to guard against.

Compared to ordinary merchant firms, Cloud Mountain Trading was indeed very strictly watched, with personnel specifically assigned to night watches and patrols. But they never imagined that anyone in Jinan would dare be so bold, and the simultaneous ignition from multiple points truly made it impossible to prevent. They extinguished several open blazes, but a smoldering fire flared up, igniting a storehouse. Had it not been for Cloud Mountain Trading's strict fire prevention rules, and the timely smothering with sand and earth, a great disaster might have occurred. Even so, a whole room of miscellaneous goods was burned, two people suffered burns, and the losses were not light.

Thank you, everyone.