Chapter 391: A Father and Son's Night Talk

"... Of course I'm willing. Right now the coal and iron mines are getting deeper and deeper, and moving and digging needs more and more hands. But the people who've worked for our Xu family for generations are only so many. Plenty of them earn a bit of money and go right back to farming. Husband, how many people are we talking about?" Xu Zhenzhen quickly got to the heart of the matter.

"If you provide food and lodging, how many can you take in?" Zhao Jin did not answer with an exact number, only countering with a question.

"Only if they live right beside the worksites and mines can they work in shifts, and only if they eat their fill will they have the strength to labor. So of course we must provide food and lodging... the Xu family can take in five or six thousand." Xu Zhenzhen had long since thought all this through, and she answered the moment Zhao Jin asked.

Zhao Jin nodded, somewhat disappointed by the figure. In front of Xu Zhenzhen, his expression was not always one of detachment. Xu Zhenzhen immediately caught the shift and asked cautiously, "Does my husband have even more people he wishes to settle?"

She did not ask where they came from, only how to handle them. In that moment, Xu Zhenzhen was truly thinking of herself as Zhao Jin's wife.

"There are ten times that many people. But even if they're put to work in the Xu family, they must be counted as members of the Zhao Battalion, ready to be conscripted at any time." Zhao Jin laid out his terms up front.

Xu Zhenzhen smiled and nodded. "This humble wife understands the principle. Still, to have so many people working for a season without paying wages — the Xu family stands to gain a great deal. No, my husband stands to gain a great deal. After all, the Xu family estate is also under my husband's management. Besides, even if my husband uses these people, he won't draw them all away at once."

At this, Xu Zhenzhen showed a hint of playfulness, but then grew more serious and said, "Still, we can only take in six or seven thousand at most. There are, after all, the other refugees we've already settled this year."

"The Xu family's own fields certainly can't supply food for so many. Will you be buying grain from elsewhere?" Zhao Jin asked.

"In the past we've moved grain around from various manors and official granaries. The Kong family also had quite a lot. Husband, after Kong Family Manor was taken, that land is still considered ownerless. The Qufu Kong Estate fears they can't keep order there and can't be bothered to send anyone back. The Xu family has already settled over two thousand people there. But there's too much room for maneuvering in that border region where three provinces meet. Husband, with so many people, why not settle them there!" As Xu Zhenzhen spoke, an idea struck her, and she made the suggestion with excitement.

Zhao Jin nodded slowly and said in a deep voice, "There should be large grain stores there as well. But we can't put too many people there, or it will cause trouble."

This newlywed couple showed none of the atmosphere one would expect of newlyweds. One seemed as if still in camp, the other as if still managing household affairs. They were perfectly content in their own world, and with no outsiders watching, no one would find it strange.

Over on the other side, when Wang Zhaojing returned home, a servant immediately led him to the study. Wang Youshan was waiting there. Along the way, Wang Zhaojing had already noticed the packed trunks and luggage. Upon entering, he asked, "Father is setting out already?"

Any further north and the Grand Canal would freeze over, leaving only travel by cart and horse, far more grueling than taking a grain transport boat. Wang Youshan, however, was in good spirits and said with a smile, "Next year's capital evaluation — some already know they can't hold on and have simply resigned early. Quite a few positions have opened up. They've asked me to go ahead. If a suitable post appears, there will be no need to wait until next year."

"Congratulations, Father!" Wang Zhaojing said quickly. Wang Youshan smiled and waved a hand. "What is there to congratulate? It's merely having some proper work to do, so I won't have to idle away my days at home enjoying the scenery."

At this, Wang Youshan paused, then added, "And I won't have to watch you all fool around and worry myself sick."

An awkward expression crossed Wang Zhaojing's face. He suddenly wanted to tell his father about Zhao Jin's plan from today. The matter was simply too enormous. Or rather, the matter itself was not so much, but what it signified was staggering — it revealed Zhao Jin's ambition.

Brotherhood, righteousness, safety — all these things intertwined. Making a decision on his own was far too difficult. Better to let his father decide for him.

But if he spoke, would his father report it to the authorities and ask the officials to deal with it? Probably not — after all, their own family was already too deeply entangled. Would his father take him to the capital? That was the most likely outcome. Yet he could not bear to leave this band of brothers. In Nanjing, gathering with fellow examination graduates for poetry and wine had seemed elegant at the time, but every man was false and full of polite pretense. It had felt fine then, but afterward it only disgusted him. Only in the Zhao Battalion, among his comrades and brothers, did every man open his heart freely.

And if he truly left, what might he miss? What the Zhao Battalion was doing next was indeed against the law, and thinking carefully, there were all kinds of taboos. But in this world today, who still cared about such things? Over a hundred thousand refugees had surged in, besieging cities in desperate battle. Fengyang Prefecture had dared to drive government troops to slaughter innocent commoners. The realm looked peaceful on the surface, but in secret, what rules and laws were left? The Zhao Battalion had already defined its position. If he left now, he would likely be marginalized for good.

Wang Zhaojing's mind churned back and forth in turmoil. He was already a Provincial Graduate. If he passed the Metropolitan Exam and became a Presented Scholar, he would leap through the Dragon Gate, with boundless prospects ahead. Even if he failed, he could already serve as a county magistrate or department magistrate in some remote region, and even in prosperous areas there were official posts. With his father's care, it would surely be quite comfortable.

Tangled up to this point, Wang Zhaojing suddenly found it laughable. The court offered official posts — governing a region or overseeing a specific domain — yet here he was comparing them to a position with a local strongman's militia, and he could not even tell which was better, still struggling to choose. Was this not sheer folly?

Wang Youshan, for his part, did not notice his son's inner turmoil and distress. After speaking, he rifled through his desk and pulled out an envelope, opened it, and handed it to Wang Zhaojing.

Lost in thought, Wang Zhaojing started reflexively before coming back to his senses. Wang Youshan frowned and said, "What are you daydreaming about?"

"I was just thinking that with Father heading north, we must be sure to bring plenty of silver. Things over there are not yet fully settled, and there are still unknowns — you'll need to make your own preparations." Wang Zhaojing immediately found an excuse.

Wang Youshan could tell his son was speaking insincerely, but he did not press the matter. Watching his son take the envelope, he smiled and explained, "Hold onto this letter. Next year when the canal shipping resumes, someone will come to buy bamboo from you. Gather five hundred poles for him, and he will give you five thousand taels of silver in cash."

A single moso bamboo pole sold for two or three hundred wen at most. The Xuzhou area was already bamboo-producing country — it was practically worthless. How could it sell for so much?

But Wang Zhaojing had seen and heard a great deal, and Wang Youshan hid little from him. After his initial shock, he immediately understood there was some trick involved. Then he looked at the name on the envelope and was stunned again, asking in astonishment, "This is a letter from Li Daofu — Master Xiuwu — Li Sancai?"

In his shock, Wang Zhaojing blurted out the man's courtesy name, literary name, and given name all at once. Wang Youshan smiled, took a sip of tea, and gestured for him to read the letter.

The letter's content was quite simple: it said that he had resigned from office and was living in retirement, but still had a few old friends in the capital, and asked Wang Youshan to look after them.

Asking for favors was commonplace in official circles, but Wang Zhaojing found this even stranger. Setting aside the fact that Li Sancai was renowned throughout the realm and had sailed smoothly through his career all the way to the high post of Minister of Revenue, only retiring and returning home just before entering the Grand Secretariat — his record was of the purest and most prestigious kind, his status far higher than Wang Youshan's. For someone of higher status to ask someone of lower status for care — this was truly against all reason.

More crucially, Li Sancai was acclaimed as the leader of the Donglin faction, the purest of the pure-stream officials, while Wang Youshan was tainted with the stigma of the eunuch party. The two sides were mortal enemies in political stance, attacking each other relentlessly in both court and provinces, each wishing the other dead. From this angle, it was even more bizarre.

Seeing his son's shocked expression, Wang Youshan smiled and explained, "He served as Grand Coordinator of Fengyang for thirteen years. All the prefectures north of the Yangtze were under his jurisdiction. Back then, he drove away quite a few of the mine tax eunuchs and customs tax eunuchs, which earned him a tremendous reputation."

Wang Zhaojing nodded as he listened. The customs tax eunuchs, mine tax eunuchs, and textile tax eunuchs were all eunuchs sent out by the court to collect taxes. They bullied others on borrowed authority and never missed a chance to bleed the people dry, earning a terrible name among the common folk. At the time, any civil official who dared to oppose these inner-court agents was praised by contemporaries and regarded as a pillar of the state.

Even though the Wang family was seen as part of the eunuch party, the mainstream of thought in the realm was such that even Wang Zhaojing found such a figure admirable.

His expression fell under Wang Youshan's gaze, and the smile on Wang Youshan's face turned meaningful. He continued, "The mine tax eunuchs and customs tax eunuchs left. Do you know who that was convenient for?"

"Could it be this very Li Sancai?" By this point, Wang Zhaojing had caught the implication.

Wang Youshan nodded and said leisurely, "His Li family grew enormously wealthy from the canal trade. Without the tax eunuchs, his family's goods could travel everywhere without paying taxes. Without the mine eunuchs, he could buy low and sell high. Goods moved freely everywhere. Think carefully — he served as Grand Coordinator of Fengyang just ten years ago. Are things north of the Yangtze any different from before, from now? Better, or worse?"

"I fear they are worse," Wang Zhaojing said in a deep voice.

Wang Youshan smiled again and said calmly, "Who was singing his praises? I imagine you can guess. It was none other than those renowned gentlemen of pure reputation who did not want to pay taxes and wanted to fatten themselves. Our Wang family has lived in Xuzhou for generations and knows everything about Huaibei and the lands north of the Yangtze inside out. Back then, Li Sancai won great fame but also offended many people. This time, when I return to the capital, nine chances out of ten I'll be serving as a Remonstrance Official again. I am not of the Donglin faction, and he fears some old matters might be dug up, so he's currying favor in advance."

After hearing all this, Wang Zhaojing's expression was rather strange. So even the so-called righteous pure-stream officials were this sordid? Compared to those associated with the eunuch party, the only difference was that one group was cursed for grabbing silver, while the other grabbed silver and still managed to win a good name. Thinking about it, it was truly laughable.

"These five thousand taels are only the first payment. If my trip goes smoothly, there should be more to follow. They say the Li family is the foremost among the merchants of Tongzhou, with a fortune of several million amassed. Judging by this gesture, it seems to be true," Wang Youshan remarked with a sigh.

Only then did Wang Zhaojing react, quickly bowing and saying, "Father, on this journey to the capital, there will surely be many places where money is needed. I have no use for silver here in Xuzhou, and even if I did, I would have no trouble getting it. Please take this with you, Father!"

Wang Youshan shook his head. "You have many places to spend silver. Keep it. When I resigned back then, I left behind a great deal of goodwill. This time, going back, it is time to collect on those debts..."

At the time, Wang Youshan had bravely retreated in the face of danger, vacating a position for his factional allies — an immense favor. Had he remained idle at home, there would have been nothing to say. But since he could return this time, and with an equally prestigious post waiting for him, those favors would now be repaid on their own.

Unlike other families, Wang Youshan had always explained these official machinations to Wang Zhaojing, so Wang Zhaojing understood perfectly.

At that moment, Wang Zhaojing's thoughts suddenly turned elsewhere. With great solemnity, he bowed and asked, "Father, what you just said about the tax eunuchs and mine tax eunuchs — was that a veiled reference to what I am doing now? The Zhao Battalion is also a self-contained entity. If we look at it in the long term..."

At this, the smile vanished from Wang Youshan's face. He looked at Wang Zhaojing, sighed, and said in a deep, regretful tone, "When I resigned and returned home, my mind was unsettled. I thought too much and was far too suspicious. It made you develop this habit. That was my fault."

"Father..."

"You passed the provincial exam this year and can already take up a post somewhere. You can be considered an adult. You must see and think through your own affairs for yourself. Right and wrong is one thing, gain and loss is another, and how it falls upon you is yet another. I have nothing to say, nor am I making any veiled reference. Whatever you want to do, decide for yourself, choose for yourself." Wang Youshan spoke with equal gravity.

At these words, Wang Zhaojing could only bow in salute.

That night, Wang Zhaojing could not sleep. He did not light a lamp in his room, just sat on the edge of his bed in a daze. Li Sancai, the leader of the Donglin faction, the pinnacle of pure reputation among the literati, yet so adept at amassing wealth — and at a time like this, disregarding the line between pure and corrupt to spend vast sums of silver. Below, there was no rule of law left; above, it was a picture of utter chaos... At this thought, Wang Zhaojing shuddered from head to toe. From the very beginning until now, regarding the Zhao Battalion's affairs, his father had never stopped or dissuaded him, never once told him to withdraw or draw a clear line. Only he himself had been constantly weighing the pros and cons, the risks and rewards, pulling back and stepping in. Could it be...

For some reason, just as his thoughts reached this knot of turmoil, Wang Zhaojing fell asleep instead. That night, he slept exceptionally soundly.

This time, Wang Youshan's departure was even more grand. The officials and gentry of Xuzhou saw him off all the way to the border between Xuzhou and Huai'an Prefecture. The officials could not leave their jurisdiction, but the gentry continued to escort him. A group of notables from Huai'an Prefecture received him at Pizhou, solemnly and enthusiastically sending Wang Youshan off on his return to the capital to take up his post.

Meanwhile, in the marketplaces and the underworld of Xuzhou, everyone knew that the Zhao Battalion had posted a bounty. They were looking for people with families, who knew the roads of Fengyang and Xuzhou well, and who were skilled in combat to do a job. No one knew what the job was; they only knew that those who went had first moved their families to the nearby He Family Manor or to residences inside Xuzhou city.

For those who lived in the underworld, aside from the bosses with territory and status, everyone else lived a hard life. When they had money, they enjoyed themselves for a few days; when they had none, they tightened their belts. And it was a life of licking blood from a knife's edge — no one knew when they might meet their end out there, leaving their families with nothing. Anyone with a bit of foresight dared not spend the money they earned, only handing it over to the family to save, guarding against the day when they could no longer wield a blade and needed to support themselves in old age. So while the profession looked impressive from the outside, their homes were often as poor as paupers'.

The families of these underworld figures who moved to He Family Manor and Xuzhou city were different. Every one of them wore new clothes, and at every meal their mouths glistened with oil — clearly they were eating plenty of meat and fish. The whole family beamed with joy.

Everyone could see it clearly and knew they were receiving the benefits of the Zhao Battalion. Zhao Jin had not been in Xuzhou long, but there was one point of reputation everyone acknowledged: he would never burn bridges after crossing them. What he promised you, he would certainly deliver. It must be that those recruited had been sent out on a job, and their families had received excellent care.

When a man rolls and licks blood on the edge of a blade, ties his head to his belt and fights for his life — what is he after? Nothing more than living happily himself and his family living comfortably. Judging by the Zhao Battalion's reputation, once this job was done, neither would be lacking.

The first few days were fine, but after a while, even jianghu men from the north bank of the Yellow River and the Pizhou area came asking around, trying to find out exactly what the job was.

But all those who had been recruited had already vanished without a trace. There were rumors that people had been spotted on the road to Fengyang Prefecture, but the news was vague and elusive — no one could say for sure.

Another matter was that Cloud Mountain Temple and the gentry of Xuzhou were planning a grand charitable undertaking, preparing to set up porridge shelters across all four counties of Xuzhou to relieve the refugees and accumulate some merit for the region. This year had seen far too much bloodshed and misfortune.

This was a good deed, but everyone who heard of it found it strange. What refugees were even left in Xuzhou these days? Those who could be caught had been caught, and those who could work were all busy. The construction site outside He Village, the ditches along the Yellow River — they were all hard at work there. As for the rest, they had fled as far as they could. Who would dare come to a cursed place like Xuzhou to court death?

Strange as it was, everyone from top to bottom was enthusiastic about it. Even the wealthy gentry households, normally so tight-fisted they wouldn't part with a single hair, were eagerly contributing money and grain. Cloud Mountain Temple had no shortage of manpower, and for a time, every corner of Xuzhou bustled with activity.

Even the perpetually gloomy Prefect Tong brightened up a little. A charitable endeavor like this, jointly undertaken by the local community — no matter where word of it spread, it would reflect well on him as a local official who had properly cultivated the people.

When Xu Zhenzhen married into the Zhao family, she brought over a hundred servants from the Xu household. Among them were twenty-some young women who served in roles akin to managers, highly skilled at relaying messages and keeping accounts. At first, word around Xuzhou was that the eldest daughter of the Xu family, knowing she was getting on in years and fearing she could not please Zhao Jin, had brought these young and beautiful women to serve as bedchamber maids. But after a few days, the rumors died down. Not only did these women live in a residence on the street-facing side, but Zhao Jin was never home all day. Even if he wanted to enjoy himself, he would need the time for it.

However, around mid-October, four more young women arrived at the residence where these maids and servant girls lived. These four truly could be called young and beautiful, yet they did not seem to come from wealthy families. The old speculations started up again — everyone figured the eldest daughter of the Xu family had commissioned someone to procure these girls. But then the rumors died down once more, because these young women never set foot outside and were kept under strict watch by several sturdy matrons every day.

The goings-on inside the city were there for all to see, but He Village had become completely off-limits. Although the mule and horse market, the various trading fairs, and the Zhao Battalion encampment were adjacent, high walls stood between them, revealing nothing. And so no one knew that within the Zhao Battalion encampment, a separate compound had been set aside, where nearly twenty people were confined — some let out from time to time, some returning from time to time.