Chapter 868: The Best Timing

Wang Zhaojing coughed once and said, "Eunuch Cui has miscalculated. The half-tithe on three years of taxes from these places should amount to at least fifteen thousand taels of silver per year."

Cui Wensheng froze, then broke into a violent coughing fit. After a moment of silence, he asked again, "What are you after?"

Perhaps feeling that his own question had been too weak, that his stance had wavered, Eunuch Cui straightened his expression and said sternly, "Huai'an Prefecture produces salt, and the salt tax revenue accounts for over a third of the national treasury. Qingjiangpu is the hub of the canal transport, the very lifeline of the Great Ming. It is impossible to let you control these places. I cannot agree to it, and the imperial court certainly cannot agree to it!"

"We have no intention of controlling the salt industry of Haizhou or the canal transport of Qingjiangpu. Haizhou has its local government offices and the Salt Administration. Qingjiangpu has the Prefect of Huai'an and the Magistrate of Shanyang, as well as the various offices of the Ministry of Revenue and the Canal Transport Administration. They are all still operating as usual now. Once the canal is reopened, everything will return to normal. How can that be called control?" Wang Zhaojing countered calmly.

Eunuch Cui shook his head. He was growing confused. What these young men said made a great deal of sense, yet Cui Wensheng felt there was definitely more to it, that there must be some trap or scheme he had failed to see. He was beginning to regret this. He had come to Xuzhou seeking secrecy and had not brought any advisors. Cui Wensheng prided himself on his shrewdness, thinking he was merely negotiating with a few country thugs from the Xuzhou countryside. Who could have imagined that every part of this negotiation would be so unfathomable? If he had brought an advisor, even if the man could not figure it out either, they could at least discuss it together, which would be better than being baffled and confused all alone.

Thinking of the instructions in Wei Zhongxian's letter, Eunuch Cui Wensheng fell silent for a moment, cleared his throat, and spoke: "I cannot fathom this request of yours, but I also know that no one in this world ever does business at a loss. You must have your own plans in doing this. Tell me what those plans are. Otherwise, even if I agree, it will be rejected when it reaches the court afterward. When that happens, not only will I be held guilty, but this matter of amnesty will also fall through."

Whether it was due to the effect of that "half-tithe on three years of taxes" or not, Cui Wensheng's attitude had softened considerably.

Hearing his question, Wang Zhaojing hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Zhao Jin. Zhao Jin smiled and said, "The court earns the court's money, and we earn our money. We're simply picking up what the court never wanted in the first place. Isn't that a happy outcome for everyone?"

Although Zhao Jin's words were vague, Cui Wensheng understood after a moment's thought. It was more or less what he had seen, heard, and pondered on the road. Eunuch Cui breathed a sigh of relief; it was not beyond his expectations. Yet he also felt a bit dismissive. Commerce was like rootless duckweed, no foundation for a state or its military to rely upon. These young men were being short-sighted if they thought they could make something of it.

Seeing Eunuch Cui remain silent, Wang Zhaojing probed, "In that case, is the matter of amnesty settled?"

Cui Wensheng nodded subconsciously. Although this amnesty and pacification effort had caused him no end of frustration, it had been much simpler than anticipated. These terms did not harm the court's dignity; it was merely a tacitly accepted rule of the central authorities. Of course, by "central authorities," one meant Eunuch Wei Zhongxian.

Thinking it over carefully, the demand to eliminate harsh and miscellaneous taxes had put everyone in a difficult position. But if it were reframed as a disaster having struck this region, with taxes remitted for three years, and the other party had promised benefits of over ten thousand taels a year, then a bad thing could be turned into a good one.

At this thought, Cui Wensheng nodded with much greater emphasis, and his expression eased. At that moment, Zhao Jin, who had been sitting there, spoke again: "Eunuch Cui, I know this negotiation cannot be put down on paper, that there must be a tacit understanding from top to bottom. Xuzhou is not trying to rebel. The government offices of Xuzhou's one subprefecture and four counties are all still properly in place, and the same is true everywhere else. However, should anyone feel aggrieved and stifled and wish to stir up trouble, the ones who will suffer hardship and misfortune are certainly not us. Eunuch Cui, you must make sure to give careful instructions on this!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the just-eased atmosphere vanished completely. Eunuch Cui Wensheng occupied a high position. Although he had experienced several ups and downs, his power and status came from the Great Ming, and he naturally could not tolerate such contempt from others, let alone from a few wet-behind-the-ears youths. But having reached this point in the negotiations, he could not very well tear off all pretense and erupt in anger. Cui Wensheng merely said coldly, "My agreement does not count. It must still be reported to the imperial court and approved by the various gentlemen of the inner and outer courts, with the nod of His Majesty, before it can be settled."

"It doesn't need to be that troublesome. As long as Eunuch Wei agrees, that will suffice," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

Cui Wensheng narrowed his eyes. This statement confused him somewhat. With the Tianqi Emperor's ascension, Eunuch Wei had entered the Directorate of Ceremonial. Wang An had been confined and was likely dead by now. Everyone in the inner court bowed their heads to Wei; his authority was naturally awe-inspiring. As the head of the inner court, even the outer court dared not show him disrespect. This entire matter, from beginning to end, was being overseen by Eunuch Wei, who sought to keep everything firmly within his grasp. But the key question was, how did this young martial man from Xuzhou before him know that?

Not to mention a mere country thug from Xuzhou, even the official circles of South Zhili and the core region of Nanjing only knew that Eunuch Wei held high office and great power. No one there clearly recognized that Eunuch Wei's power had already reached such an extent. How did he know?

"Even if Eunuch Wei nods, this matter may not succeed. You have no idea how great a calamity you have caused. The canal transport has been cut off by you. It is nearly October now. By the time the river freezes over, the capital will not have enough grain to last the winter. No matter how they try to cover it up or gloss over it, it will shake the court and the public. When that happens, they will certainly get to the bottom of it. I fear that by then, the court will have no choice but to fight. For a major affair like this, someone's head must be offered up as an accounting." Eunuch Cui spoke slowly. While he was indeed stating facts, he also had the intention of not letting Zhao Jin and his men feel too pleased with themselves.

But after these words were spoken, Cui Wensheng saw no look of gravity, solemnity, or disappointment on the faces of Zhao Jin or those around him. Zhao Jin merely nodded and then said, "Eunuch Cui is not wrong. But winter is nearly upon us. In autumn, the horses are fat and strong, and it is the season when the border garrisons are on high alert. Both the Jurchen and the Mongols must be guarded against with utmost vigilance. Liaodong is the highest priority of all. Even if the court wanted to fight, where would they draw troops from? Or would they redeploy the border armies and the capital garrison? Would the Tartar slaves then need no guarding against?"

"Taking advantage of others' peril, utterly ignorant of righteousness—this is shamelessness to the extreme!" Eunuch Cui lost his composure and cursed, yet his heart was filled with shock and suspicion. He had initially seen Zhao Jin as such an outstanding figure, a young hero, and it was common enough for someone to far surpass their peers. But this analysis of the greater situation under Heaven made Cui Wensheng suspicious once more. Who exactly was guiding the Zhao character camp from behind? That Wang Youshan? The letters from the capital said he was an ordinary man. Then who could it be?

At being so denounced by Cui Wensheng, Zhao Jin, Chen Sheng, Ji Xiang, and Liu Yong all remained expressionless. Ji Xiang even had a cold, mocking sneer on his face. Wang Zhaojing, however, showed a trace of embarrassment and couldn't help but lower his head, only to hurriedly raise it again a moment later. He was so flustered that he didn't even notice Chen Sheng glance his way.

"This is not taking advantage of others' peril. If we wanted to exploit the nation's crisis for profit, we would not have accepted amnesty at all this time and would have simply kept fighting." Zhao Jin spoke very matter-of-factly.

Eunuch Cui was so angered by Zhao Jin's words that he laughed aloud, his voice involuntarily turning shrill. He said, "Young man, do not think that winning a couple of battles means you can be so arrogantly ignorant. For two hundred years of the Ming, from His Majesty down to the common people, everyone has had backbone. In years past, there was the Tumu Crisis, the rise of the Little Prince, the raids of Altan Khan, and the Japanese pirate troubles in the southeast. This realm has weathered through time and again. How dare you be so presumptuous over this little bit of commotion you've caused? Zhao Jin, I see that you and your men are talented. Perhaps you have just temporarily strayed down the wrong path and thus committed such wrongs. It would be better to use this amnesty to get onto the right path, to serve and be loyal to the imperial house, and to win glory for your ancestors."

Unknowingly, Cui Wensheng had begun to persuade and recruit. The Great Ming's policy toward rebels who could not be suppressed had always been primarily amnesty and pacification. Moreover, Cui Wensheng truly believed the other party had talent.

Zhao Jin smiled, but showed no excitement. He merely continued on his own: "Eunuch Cui may not be aware, but for news from Sichuan to reach the capital by fast horse relay takes at least ten days. Yet it reaches the Jiangnan region in less than ten days. The reason is simple: Sichuan salt is far cheaper than Huai salt. The salt merchants in Yangzhou all have agents stationed in Sichuan keeping a close watch. As soon as the flow of Sichuan salt into Huguang increases, they send fast boats to carry word to Yangzhou, either mobilizing the local government or lobbying the imperial court!"

"So what?" Cui Wensheng was growing impatient with this talk, wondering why they had strayed onto such trivial matters.

"That is why news from Sichuan reaches us here very quickly. The day before yesterday, we just learned that the She family of Sichuan has raised the banner of rebellion. They killed the Grand Coordinator and the Regional Commander at Chongqing and are now attacking and raiding prefectures and counties. It is said they plan to besiege Chengdu. For a major rebellion like this, the court will surely have to deploy a large army to suppress it. They might even have to redeploy the border armies from Shaanxi and Shanxi, no?" Zhao Jin asked.

Hearing this, Cui Wensheng first froze, then his expression changed drastically. Gnashing his teeth, he said, "Truly the ambitions of wild wolves! They think not of serving the nation, but instead take advantage of its misfortunes. This She family truly deserves to be cut to pieces!"

"Eunuch Cui is, after all, someone who served as a Supervising Secretary in the Directorate of Ceremonial. Having been long at the central hub, you are well-informed about the affairs of the world. When this news first arrived, none of us even knew who the She family was." Cui Wensheng's constant denunciations had made Wang Zhaojing very embarrassed and annoyed, and he couldn't help but offer these two sarcastic remarks.

But at this moment, Cui Wensheng no longer had the same confidence as before. He stood dumbly for a while, then sat down of his own accord. Anyone could see his spirits were very low.

"If the She family of Yongning has rebelled, I fear the An family of Shuixi is also unstable..." Eunuch Cui muttered to himself.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jin looked toward Wang Zhaojing, who also shook his head. They had only learned the name of the She family of Yongning a few days ago from Yangzhou. At that time, they had heard nothing about any An family of Shuixi.

After muttering these two sentences to himself, Cui Wensheng slammed his hand heavily on the table and said with bitter indignation, "These native officials have enjoyed the state's grace for generations, yet each one of them harbors the ambitions of a wild wolf. Whenever the Great Ming faces trouble, no one thinks of being loyal to the sovereign and serving the nation. Instead, they all scheme to tear a bite of flesh from the Great Ming's realm. They truly deserve to be exterminated!"

Thanks to old friend "Yuan Heng Li Zhen" for the tip, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions, monthly tickets, and tips. The events that have happened in the circle these past few days are truly lamentable. Everyone, please take care of your health and cherish yourselves.