Chapter 767: The Man Zhao Jin Was Watching

Ma Chonghao answered in great detail, but inwardly he was puzzled. A new ruler brings new ministers—when a new sovereign ascends the throne, the trusted eunuchs around him all rise to glory, while men like himself fall to the dust. It was the most ordinary thing in the world. Was it really worth such close attention? Though, to be fair, anyone who could enter the Directorate of Ceremonial was indeed a major figure.

"Do you know anything else about this man?" No one expected Zhao Jin to press the question further.

Ma Chonghao blinked, then said with a smile, "Master Jin, you've certainly asked the right person. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has to keep an eye on every standout figure in the twenty-four offices of the inner eunuch establishment—Heaven knows when we'll have to deal with them. And this Wei Zhongxian has several particularly interesting stories attached to him that everyone remembers clearly. You may not know this, Master Jin, but the great eunuch directors of the inner court are much like the high officials of the outer court—they all rise step by step through study and service, enduring decades before reaching high office. It's always a world dominated by scholars. Yet this Wei Zhongxian cannot even read. He was a village rogue by origin, and he castrated himself because he lost at gambling and couldn't pay his debts. And yet, this very man actually knows how to ride a horse and shoot a bow. After entering the palace, he knew how to ingratiate himself with others and how to back an underdog. Though he was only in charge of the kitchen, he ultimately latched onto a blazing hot prospect like Madam Ke, and he ingratiated himself quite well in front of the Tianqi Emperor. For someone of comparable circumstances, entering the Directorate of Ceremonial might not be so remarkable—they would have studied their way up step by step from the Inner Hall. But for an illiterate man to enter the Directorate of Ceremonial, that is truly rare."

At this point, Ma Chonghao stopped. He had intended to show off his eloquence and wit—a way of displaying his own abilities—but to his surprise, the more he spoke, the graver Zhao Jin's expression became, and Wang Zhaojing's face beside him had also tightened. This made Ma Chonghao all the more curious. It was only a newly risen eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial—why such gravity? Ma Chonghao thought for a moment, then spoke again: "The current Seal-Holder of the Directorate of Ceremonial should be Wang An…"

The Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial was one of the most powerful men under Heaven. He was the Son of Heaven's mouthpiece, surpassing even the Chief Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, who was regarded as the prime minister. A change in this position often signaled a shift in the political landscape of the realm. Ma Chonghao's reasoning was quite clear: if he spoke of this, Zhao Jin would surely pay even closer attention.

Wang Zhaojing glanced at Zhao Jin's expression, then turned to Ma Chonghao and said, "Do you still have contacts in the capital who can gather information?"

As a superior officer, he naturally had the right to interrupt a subordinate's question. Ma Chonghao had no objection to this; he only found it strange that a mere Wei Zhongxian could be deemed more important than the Inner Chancellor Wang An. But he kept his thoughts to himself, bowed, and answered, "Third Master, your subordinate still has a few contacts in the capital. These men make their living solely on selling information. Various parties buy news from them, all settled in ready silver."

"Go now and inquire about that Wei Zhongxian. I want every scrap of news. Remember to keep it discreet. Report any expenses to me. You are dismissed," Wang Zhaojing said calmly.

Ma Chonghao had spent years navigating the official circles of both the capital and Nanjing, so he naturally harbored no resentment, nor did he let his inner doubts show on his face. He simply bowed and took his leave. Only after stepping out of the courtyard did a flicker of puzzlement cross his face. The actions of these young leaders, he thought, were truly unfathomable.

"Write a letter to your father. Trouble the old man to inquire more into Wei Zhongxian's affairs. But he must be careful—he mustn't let anyone mark him," Zhao Jin said.

Wang Zhaojing nodded in agreement and replied with a smile, "In the capital, people gossip far too much about everything under the sun. One person brings something up, and others immediately pick it up. My father has grown quite practiced at this over the past few years; he won't be marked by anyone."

Zhao Jin also nodded with a smile. At that moment, Wang Zhaojing's expression grew somewhat serious. He leaned forward and asked with great gravity, "Last time, when Big Brother read the court gazette, he was startled by the name Nurhaci. As a result, the Jianzhou Jurchens rose to power, and the court suffered several major defeats in Liaodong. That Nurhaci has now become the Great Ming's greatest threat. And now Big Brother has taken notice of this Wei Zhongxian. Could it be that there is something amiss with him? Or did Big Brother hear something back in Qingjiangpu?"

In Zhao Jin's memories from a former life, many people could not remember who the Son of Heaven of this era was, and many did not even know who Nurhaci was. But the name Wei Zhongxian left an incomparably deep impression. The reason was simple: he had encountered it far too many times. This reason, of course, could not be told to Wang Zhaojing. Yet it was also a reason no one else could guess—it was simply too preposterous. But just like similar incidents in the past, Zhao Jin did not need to explain; Wang Zhaojing would come up with a reason on his own.

The core members of the Zhao Camp all believed that Zhao Jin had intelligence channels unknown to everyone else. And Qingjiangpu, as a pivotal hub linking north and south and extending in all directions, made it unsurprising that he might know news related to the capital.

"Just keep an eye on it. Back then, I did pay attention to Nurhaci, but for now, it has nothing to do with us," Zhao Jin said with a smile. After saying this, he paused thoughtfully, then added, "Actually, it's nothing. When soldiers come, send a general; when water comes, block it with earth."

By all rights, having recently taken a concubine and with the New Year approaching, Zhao Jin should have spent this Spring Festival at home. But he had been away from Qingjiangpu for far too long. For the vast enterprise that was the Zhao Camp, Qingjiangpu's importance was no less than Xuzhou's. On the seventeenth day of the twelfth month, Ji Xiang's personal guard began preparations, and Zhao Jin prepared to travel south to Qingjiangpu.

Zhao Jin's son, Zhao Long, had not yet reached his first full year, so Xu Zhenzhen naturally could not leave. However, she took the initiative to have Mu Shulan accompany him, saying that Zhao Jin, being alone away from home, needed someone to look after him. But Mu Shulan did not wish to leave Xuzhou, saying that with the New Year approaching, her proper duty was to serve her parents-in-law at home and care for Xu Zhenzhen. Moreover, now that she had returned to Xuzhou, she had a whole series of matters to attend to, such as repairing her father's grave.

This visit to Qingjiangpu caused a genuine sensation locally. In fact, Zhao Jin's arrival this time was also at the request of the wealthy merchants of Qingjiangpu. Ever since the incident of Ma Chonghao's northward collapse, Zhao Jin had not come to Qingjiangpu, which had left those who had once wavered in a state of genuine fear. Zhao Jin coming here to speak with them face to face would set everyone's minds at ease. For this reason, many wealthy merchants who should have returned home for the New Year had stayed behind.

Since he was here to reassure people, the former austere style could be set aside for the time being. Wu Garden, the finest merchant residence in Qingjiangpu, was specially vacated. Rare delicacies were gathered from all directions, and women from the Qinhuai River and Yangzhou hurried northward, drawn by high prices. Previously, everyone had thought Zhao Jin was indifferent to women, but after he took a concubine, a misunderstanding arose: they figured that a young man was still a young man, and in the end, he did like women after all.

However, after Zhao Jin settled into Wu Garden, the first person to come see him was not any merchant from Qingjiangpu, but Yu Zhiyuan from Songjiang. No one had anything to say about it; they were all convinced. After all, the Yu family had dared to place such a heavy bet even back in those uncertain times.

Yu Zhiyuan did not come empty-handed this time. He brought a document with him—the contract for the Songhai Salt Warehouse. Under this contract, Zhao Jin held a seventy percent share, and the Yu family held thirty percent. Zhao Jin directly pushed the contract back and said with a smile, "It's your family's ships, your family's capital, your family's business. Why should you share the profits with me? Since I consider you a brother, there's no need for such empty formalities."

"Please, Big Brother, you must accept it. If this were an ordinary business, your younger brother would not resort to such clichés out of a storyteller's script. But when I ship salt from Haizhou to Fujian, one boat of salt is one boat of silver. Counting the return voyage, it's even more incredible. Moreover, every party involved in this salt transport gives us every convenience. Those Dragon Head sea lords who used to look down their noses at everyone now at least offer a smile and some face. Without this salt, how could we receive such treatment? And without Big Brother's care, how could your younger brother have obtained this salt? It is all rightfully yours," Yu Zhiyuan said with great sincerity. He did not push the contract back, but instead held it in both hands, rose solemnly, and brought it over to Zhao Jin.

It was not the case that anywhere by the sea could produce salt by sun-drying or boiling. The Huai salt from Haizhou in South Zhili supplied the entire realm, yet the salt fields of Zhejiang, which also bordered the sea, had very low yields. As for Fujian, it produced no edible salt at all; its salt was all shipped in from Guangdong. A single boatload of salt brought in meant huge profits. If one added the return trade at Moon Harbor and the various private ports, the immense profit was no less than trading with Japan or the South Seas. But the Dragon Head sea lords of Fujian and Guangdong fought viciously among themselves, leaving no room for salt ships to pass. And there was no channel to sell salt from the Haizhou route. The salt merchants, the wealthiest men under Heaven, could make a vast fortune simply by trading salt in their routine, year-by-year fashion. They had no interest in exploring new routes and feared getting entangled in trouble. This was precisely why Zhao Jin's salt market could make money—because he opened up new routes for everyone, further refining the buyers and sellers. Likewise, because of Zhao Jin, the mediocre and conservative salt merchants were forced to sell salt to the Yu family as instructed. The Yu family used flat-bottomed sand ships to transport Huai salt to Fujian, making an enormous fortune.

Without Zhao Jin, this source of wealth for the Yu family would not exist. Yu Zhiyuan naturally could not forget his roots. Moreover, this was critically important to the Yu family's standing at sea. People need salt. The Yu family, capable of providing a stable, large-scale supply of salt, naturally earned the special regard of the Fujian sea lord Dragon Heads, who saw them as possessing great strength. This brought great benefits in every other aspect of business as well.

"Fine, I'll accept it. Go find Mr. Zhou yourself and give this to him." Having clarified the matter, Zhao Jin did not put on false airs. He nodded crisply in agreement.

The smile on Yu Zhiyuan's face remained unchanged, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. This meant an extra layer of security. He cleared his throat, coughed once, and continued, "Big Brother, your younger brother also has a cousin on my father's side…"

"Away with you, away with you. Don't come adding to the chaos. Haven't you heard the whole story between Xiaolan and me?" Zhao Jin asked in return, caught between laughter and exasperation.

Yu Zhiyuan chuckled once and did not bring the matter up again.

After Zhao Jin took a concubine, countless people thought they had found a pretext to curry favor and ingratiate themselves. One family had a younger sister, another had a daughter. As for paternal and maternal cousins, they were beyond counting. Some approached Zhao Jin directly, and others approached Zhao Zhentang and He Cuihua directly. Among them, people from the Guard Posts were the most eager. Zhao Jin turned them all down, finding the whole thing utterly tiresome.

Yu Zhiyuan was, after all, a man of tact and discernment. Everything he spoke of next was serious business. For instance, he mentioned that at this time of year, the wind and waves at sea grew stronger, and the ports to the north were all frozen over and closed. The shipping fleets, both north and south, had all returned to winter and refit.

Thanks to "Dai Daimin, Kunkun Yang, Yuan Heng Li Zhen, Mu Ming" and several other new and old friends for the tips. Thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. More are still needed—thank you all.