novelAbuy Chapter 239 Adding to the Burden
Chapter 239 Adding to the Burden
Chapter 239 Adding to the Burden
The leaden sky hung low, and the wind, carrying fine snowflakes, rustled across the flagstone path.
In the backyard flower hall of the old house, wisps of steam were already rising.
The hall is not large overall, but it has a square layout.
The furniture was made entirely of rosewood, with a warm, lustrous patina. On the table sat an old bronze incense burner, burning fine agarwood incense. The thin, straight smoke rose into the air only to be dispersed by the cold wind that occasionally seeped in through the cracks in the door.
On the wall hangs a painting in the style of Wang Shen, titled "Su Shi's Red Cliff," the silk scroll already yellowed with age, yet Su Shi and the white-bearded old Taoist on the boat still appear perfectly at ease.
The daybed by the window was covered with a gray squirrel fur mattress, which should have been warm to sit on, but no one was sitting on it at the moment.
Zheng Yonghe sat in the main seat in a round-backed chair, with a thick brocade cushion behind his back. He wore a dark blue silk Taoist robe with black trim on the collar and cuffs. The material was good and the workmanship was exquisite, but somehow, it looked loose and unnatural on him.
After a trip to Dadu, he fell ill again upon his return, and Old Zheng lost a significant amount of weight.
Her gray hair was tied up on top of her head with a jade hairpin. Her face was thin and slender, with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes, but her eyes were still bright, like the last two embers in a furnace that was about to go out.
Zheng Fan, who had returned earlier, sat at the lower end of the table.
He wore a purple shirt, casually dressed, with the collar slightly open, revealing a worn white undergarment underneath.
Between the two was a small red clay stove, on which sat a purple clay teapot with a handle. The teapot was simple and unadorned, with the words "Pine Breeze" engraved on it. White steam was rising from the spout, and the water was about to boil.
Zheng Ning was the one who brewed the tea.
Today she wore a light blue jacket over a pale white undershirt. It had no extra embellishments, except for a few light green orchids embroidered on the cuffs, making it very simple and elegant.
Her hair was tied into a simple bun, adorned with a white jade hairpin, and two tiny pearl earrings, each the size of a rice bead, swayed gently as she bent down to fetch tea.
At this moment, she was kneeling on a prayer mat in front of the stove, her back straight and her movements unhurried.
First, a pinch of tea leaves—this year's newly harvested Yangxian tea, with a bright green color—is taken out of the tin can with a bamboo spoon and placed into a celadon teacup. Then, boiling water is poured in to rinse the tea and warm the cup. Each step is done with utmost care, as if it were an important task.
Zheng Yonghe looked at her, a hint of tenderness and worry in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
Suddenly, footsteps could be heard outside.
It wasn't just one person's footsteps; there were at least three people, their steps fast and heavy as they walked on the bluestone path.
Zheng Fan raised his head, his ears twitched slightly, and then a smile appeared on his lips. He stood up and said, "You're here."
The door was pushed open, and a cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in.
"My lord, Shao Shuyi has arrived," a servant announced as he entered.
"Let him in," Zheng Yonghe said, extending his hand.
Upon hearing this, a servant outside the door whispered something, then entered and stood on either side of the person who had entered earlier to report, standing solemnly at the doorway.
Shao Shuyi strode across the threshold.
For a fleeting moment, the light in the room dimmed.
"Little Tiger, I was just telling my husband that you must have grown up eating elixirs, right? You've gotten bigger and bigger these past two years," Zheng Fan said with a smile.
Shao Shuyi smiled and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.
Zheng Yonghe didn't get up, but nodded slightly and raised his left hand: "Xiao Hu, sit down."
Zheng Fan stepped forward with a smile, shook hands with Shao Shuyi, patted each other on the shoulder, and didn't say anything polite.
Zheng Ning stood up and bowed to Shao Shuyi, speaking softly, "Master Shao."
Shao Shuyi returned the greeting but didn't dare to look at it too much, even though the radar was already running at full power.
After exchanging pleasantries, the tea was ready.
Zheng Ning first presented the first cup to Zheng Yonghe.
Zheng Yonghe took it and held it in his hands, feeling the warmth in his palm.
The second cup was given to Shao Shuyi.
Shao Shuyi had just sat down opposite Zheng Fan when he got up again to take the food, placing it on a low table to the side without paying attention to its quality.
Zheng Ning offered another cup to Zheng Fan, and finally stood behind Zheng Yonghe, looking at Shao Shuyi with bright, sparkling eyes.
Zheng Yonghe placed his teacup on the table, looked at Shao Shuyi, and asked, "How long did it take you to travel all the way from Liujiagang?"
"Half a day," Shao Shuyi replied.
"Half a day is good," Zheng Yonghe smiled and said, "I traveled north to Dadu for seventeen or eighteen days. The journey was arduous and difficult to describe. However, compared to the storms at sea, the conditions in the north were even more agonizing."
Zheng Fan nodded repeatedly, seemingly playing the straight man: "The sea is difficult to navigate, and the canal is even more so. On the river north of Gutou (sluice gate), many boats have been intercepted, supposedly to be used for military supplies. Many of those military men haven't received their pay for half a year, and many military households have started selling their swords and armor. They have no choice; they're starving."
Zheng Yonghe remained silent, his gaze fixed on the red glow of the stove fire, as if he were thinking about something far away.
After a long pause, he said softly, "When the current emperor first ascended the throne, although there were famines in Lianghuai and Henan, the court's discipline was still intact, and the orders of various government offices were still effective. More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and now in Henan and north of the Yangtze River, the people are living in misery, and bandits roam freely. Even in the south, there are many salt transport workers and sea pirates—"
At this point, Zheng Yonghe looked at Shao Shuyi, his gaze filled with scrutiny, calculation, and a hint of unspeakable helplessness.
"Little Tiger, I, Zheng Yonghe, have served as an official for decades and have seen too many intelligent people fall because of one thing." He paused, then said, word by word, "They couldn't recognize the opportune moment."
Shao Shuyi was startled. What had Old Zheng discovered? It couldn't be that fast.
Before he could finish his thought, Zheng Yonghe changed the subject, saying, "In recent years, the Yellow River has breached its banks many times, causing widespread famine. In the imperial court, after Prime Minister Tuotuo resigned, no one could make a final decision. People like Bie'erqiebuhua were fighting each other to the death. In the magnificent capital, people starving to death on the streets were a common sight, shocking everyone. Yet the court did not think of providing relief, only of driving people away, as if as long as they didn't die on the streets of the capital, out of sight, out of mind, nothing would happen."
These words were heavy, and the four people in the hall fell silent for a moment.
After a moment, Zheng Fan sighed and said, "I told you this when I came back half a year ago, but none of you believed me. The disaster victims flooded into Dadu, with nothing to eat or wear, and the court really only wanted to drive them away. At first, they gave out some money and grain to cover their travel expenses, but later they had nothing left and just kept driving people away. Actually, I know that Dadu doesn't have much grain either. The grain transported by the grain transport department this year is far less than half of what it was during the Taiding era. Even a clever cook can't cook without rice."
Zheng Yonghe nodded slightly, but seemed no longer interested in these matters. He turned to Shao Shuyi and asked, "Xiao Hu, how's the freight business going?"
"It's alright," Shao Shuyi mumbled.
"Yi Fang," Zheng Yonghe turned to Zheng Fan and said, "If any familiar merchants need to transport goods, introduce them to Xiao Hu."
"It can be from the prefecture or the canal transport office; just say it's my idea."
"Okay." Zheng Fan replied with a smile, and then glanced at Shao Shuyi and winked secretly.
Shao Shuyi stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you, sir."
Zheng Yonghe waved his hand gently and asked, "Little Tiger, how many boats do you have now?"
"Fourteen articles," Shao Shuyi said directly, without hiding anything.
"What kinds of ships are they?" Zheng Yonghe asked with great interest.
"Two Canal Boats"
"But what about the kind of boats that can pass through the Gutou Lock?"
"Exactly." Shao Shuyi was not surprised that Zheng Yonghe knew about this Yuan Dynasty version of the "Panama ship type," and continued, "In addition, there are two Yellow River cargo ships, six sea-drilling loaches, and four shallow-hulled boats, two of which were recently purchased."
"That's about six thousand shi (a unit of dry measure)." Zheng Yonghe quickly estimated the total carrying capacity of these ships.
"Your Excellency is wise," Shao Shuyi said admiringly.
Zheng Yonghe suddenly smiled, with a hint of approval in his expression.
"It would be a real waste not to use so many ships," Zheng Yonghe said. "You should go to Jingdezhen next March or April. There are quite a few celadon porcelain pieces there."
The Grand Canal Bureau actually engages in quite a bit of transportation business. Some of these are contract labor, which doesn't make much profit and often results in losses. Others are commercial labor, which pays well and should be profitable. By the end of next January, a large amount of grain will be transported from Longwan to Liujiagang. In previous years, I was too embarrassed to compete with others. Now, if you are interested, I'll let you have a share. What do you say?
Shao Shuyi was overjoyed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."
His ships are indeed not being used effectively, with a lot of idle capacity. If he can participate in this kind of commercial employment activity, it would be worthwhile, as it would solidify his influence among the seafaring community. As for hiring, as Zheng Yonghe said, that is a pure money-losing business, not even dogs would go, and it often requires the government to forcibly select people.
After saying this, Zheng Yonghe slowly leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and his face looked old and tired in the flickering light of the stove fire.
Zheng Ning stood behind him without saying a word, just quietly looking at her grandfather's face, occasionally raising her eyes to look at Shao Shuyi.
Over the past six months, she has received three letters and replied to all three.
In the letter from May, Shao Shuyi mentioned that he threw a handwritten letter she had written into the sea at Wanli Changtan, and that at that time the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, a rainbow appeared on the sea.
When she found out, she hid in a secluded place and secretly shed tears. After she finished crying, she felt very happy.
After returning from Tongzhou, Shao Shuyi gave her a colorful seashell, which was very beautiful.
She placed the conch shells and seashells under the windowsill, letting the sunlight shine on them. She diligently wiped them clean every day, then rested her chin on her hand and stared at them for a long time.
Sometimes she would think of the person who gave her the conch and seashells, and when she thought about how she had someone secretly deliver letters and return gifts, and how the other person had "brazenly" climbed over the wall, she would blush—both because she was embarrassed by these unladylike actions, and at the same time, she felt a little strange.
Shao Shuyi seemed to sense Zheng Ning's gaze, but he kept his eyes straight ahead, sitting there quietly with a solemn expression.
The snow outside the window had stopped sometime ago, the wind had died down, and only silence remained between heaven and earth.
The water on the stove was still bubbling and steaming, blurring the faces of the people in the flower hall.
Zheng Yonghe suddenly opened his eyes and sighed, "The Zheng family's wealth accumulated over three generations is neither a lot nor a little. But if the tide comes, even a million in assets will be nothing more than a straw mat floating on the water, leaving nothing behind. Enough of this. Xiao Hu, stay for lunch. We have guests visiting at noon; you can meet them, as it concerns you."
"Yes." Shao Shuyi was startled and replied in a deep voice.
Zheng Fan leaned closer and whispered, "Xie Qingguang, the Registrar of the Grain Transport Office, and Ni Guangye, the Assistant Prefect of Kunshan Prefecture, are being investigated by someone in both the Grain Transport Office and Kunshan Prefecture recently."
Shao Shuyi frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zheng Fan, and said in a low voice, "Thank you for telling me."
Zheng Fan waved his hand and said, "This is the old master's wish."
Shao Shuyi turned his head and saw that Zheng Yonghe had already closed his eyes and was pretending to sleep.
Zheng Ning opened her beautiful eyes and secretly looked at him. When she met Shao Shuyi's gaze, her eyelashes fluttered and she quickly lowered her head.