Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 24 Chess Pieces

The inventory work continued until early June.

Shopkeeper Wang Sheng was quite cooperative, assigning several assistants to help Shao Shuyi complete the warehousing work as quickly as possible so he could settle accounts with the porcelain kiln.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Shao Shuyi, having received his monthly allowance, could finally breathe a sigh of relief. It was also on this day that Wang Huadu quietly arrived.

Shao Shuyi asked the kitchen to bring dinner to the room, ordering four large bowls of meat porridge, which the two of them shared.

"Have you been working at the docks these past few days? How come you're so tanned?" Shao Shuyi asked after the servants had taken away the dishes.

"Indeed, it was quite a lot." Wang Huadu nodded and said, "So many ships came to the dock, I can't even remember their names. One after another, they were full of all sorts of goods. When the river breeze blew, the air was filled with the smell of spices, it was so cloying."

Shao Shuyi nodded.

As we entered late May, the number of ships arriving from overseas did increase, and the docks urgently needed a large number of seasonal laborers. There were many more job opportunities than before, and wages also rose somewhat. Some ship owners even provided two or three meals a day, just to unload cargo quickly, close deals as soon as possible, and recoup funds so they could select goods—they were transporting high-value goods and didn't care about such small amounts; the time cost was likely higher.

When Wang Huadu went to the dock to look for work, he really hit the jackpot.

"I found Sun Chuan, whom you asked me to find." Wang Huadu continued, "I thought he would be hard to find, but he is quite famous. He often goes to the dock to wait for the boat and never asks others to help him. There are five or six official brokers and six or seven private brokers in Qingqi Brokerage. Master Sun is the most famous one. Too many people know him. You can find out about him with just a little inquiry."

"How did you find out?" Shao Shuyi got up and went to the door to look, then sat back down and asked in a low voice.

"I'm not that stupid," Wang Huadu chuckled. "I first looked around based on your description, then pretended to casually strike up a conversation with the people at the dock, and soon I knew which one was Master Sun. Once I knew him, it would be easy to find out more."

"Did you spend money?" Shao Shuyi asked.

"It's just some tea, it doesn't cost much," Wang Huadu said nonchalantly.

Shao Shuyi got up, went to the corner of the wall, brought over a jar of pickled vegetables and three ounces of salt, placed them at Wang Huadu's feet, then counted out ten strings of cash and said, "Take it."

"What's the point of this?" Wang Huadu asked, displeased. "I'm willing to help simply because I'm on good terms with you, not for this reason."

Shao Shuyi stuffed the banknotes into his hand and said, "I still have some money left over, take it. You stayed at your lover's house for so long, you should give her something in return."

Wang Huadu was speechless and had no answer.

Shao Shuyi smiled and asked, "How is Cheng Ji?"

"What can be done?" Wang Huadu's smile slowly returned. "The Crossroads Army has only three or four thousand men, and now more than half of them are working as laborers. Some are unloading goods at the docks, some are growing vegetables for wealthy families, some are doing handicrafts, and some are doing odd jobs. The army hasn't been able to muster enough men for a drill in a long time. What's most frustrating is that these people who go out to make a living have to pay tribute after they earn money, otherwise they can't easily leave the camp. Cheng Ji got a bushel of grain from you, and he's still suffering in the camp."

Shao Shuyi was once again deeply moved.

Why does this look so familiar? It's a bit like the garrison troops of the Song Dynasty. There are waiters, farmers, sheep herders, servants, and even acrobats everywhere, but no one knows how to fight.

The officers turned a blind eye to this, tacitly allowing soldiers to desert to make a living and even accept bribes. Such an army, in the event of war, would be unable to withstand even a weak peasant uprising army and would be defeated.

"Let's not talk about that anymore," Shao Shuyi waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about Sun Chuan."

Wang Huadu sat up straight and said, "You have no idea, Sun Chuan is extremely famous at the docks, the stories that circulate about him are—"

"Let's get straight to the point," Shao Shuyi said.

Wang Huadu seemed not to understand and continued, shaking his head, "Some people at the dock saw Master Sun bring in several large carriages, picking up many foreign merchants and travelers to his mansion. Then he sent his servants out to slaughter cattle and sheep and buy countless bottles of wine..."

Shao Shuyi listened silently. He had little access to such outside information because his sphere of activity was very limited.

"When delivering spices, a servant pointed to a theater and said that most of Master Sun's deals were made there," Wang Huadu continued. "He was very eloquent, and no deal he brokered failed. Foreign merchants trusted him completely. Last year, someone gifted him a piece of coral that was priceless, and many people saw it."

"Who sent the coral?" Shao Shuyi quickly interrupted and asked.

"Foreign merchants, huh?" Wang Huadu blinked and said matter-of-factly.

"Why send it?" Shao Shuyi pressed.

"It is said that Master Sun saved money for the foreign merchants and bought them cheap goods."

"I see, you can continue." Shao Shuyi nodded and waved his hand.

Wang Huadu's words were simple, but Shao Shuyi felt there must be something fishy going on. In his view, Sun Chuan was very successful in the brokerage business, not only collecting a large amount of commercial taxes for the government, but also facilitating many domestic and foreign trade transactions, wielding considerable influence and power.

Considering that the brokerage fee was "30% of the total," the speed at which wealth could be accumulated was astonishing. So the question arises: is it possible that Sun Chuan had other sources of income besides the 3% brokerage fee? For example, could he be profiting from both sides, taking advantage of both foreign and local merchants? Shao Shuyi thinks it's highly likely.

The simplest model is to persuade local merchants to lower prices, allowing foreign merchants to buy porcelain, silk, and other goods from the Central Plains at lower prices, and then the foreign merchants would give him a rebate.

As for how to persuade local merchants to lower prices, that is a problem, but not impossible.

He can fabricate information, such as saying that there are fewer foreign ships coming this year than in previous years, and that the goods you have stockpiled cannot be sold at a good price, or may even be unsaleable. He can also say that if you are willing to lower the price, he will help you sell them first, but you have to give him some benefits, and so on. It is possible that some people will fall for it.

Or they might collude with local gentry, officials, or merchants' agents who negotiate prices. After all, these people are pampered and don't necessarily handle everything personally, often delegating tasks to trusted subordinates. This creates the possibility of kickbacks, since money is a powerful motivator.

Wang Huadu didn't think that much about it. He excitedly recounted what he had heard: "Master Sun has dozens of concubines and maids, as well as five large boats that travel to various places. It is said that he is from Zhenjiang and has a large mansion in the countryside there, with hundreds of servants and thousands of acres of fertile land. He is incredibly wealthy, and many people envy him. Sigh, I really want to rob him and make some money to spend."

Shao Shuyi couldn't help but chuckle. This guy, all he knows is to rob and fight.

"Did you see anyone from the blueware shop meet with Sun Chuan?" After wiping away his smile, Shao Shuyi glanced at the door and asked in a low voice.

"No, that's not true," Wang Huadu said. "When I saw Sun Chuan, he was only accompanied by his nephews and foreign merchants."

Shao Shuyi hummed in agreement. Thinking about it, it made sense. If Sun Chuan wanted to meet Wang Sheng and the others, he would definitely choose a secluded place, at the very least a private room reserved for him in a teahouse or theater. How could they possibly discuss business on the docks? It was already quite good that Governor Wang Hua had managed to find out so much; one couldn't ask for too much.

After recounting what he had seen at the dock, Wang Huadu glanced at Shao Shuyi and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Hu, do you think Wang Sheng and Sun Chuan are having some kind of shady deal?"

Shao Shuyi hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Then you'd better be careful," Wang Huadu said seriously. "Their business dealings must be quite substantial, right? Whether Wang Sheng or the foreign merchants give a little, it's not a small amount. That money is enough to buy our lives many times over."

Shao Shuyi looked at him in surprise.

Wang Huadu was illiterate and very poor. When he was down on his luck, he would swindle food and drink at the Yeli Kewen Temple and even go to the homes of orphans and widows to freeload. He had no shame. But he was clearly not stupid. He could see things from the most basic perspective: blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents.

"I haven't made things difficult for Wang Sheng yet. He's just a little worried that I might ruin his plans," Shao Shuyi said. "But as you said, the bulk of his profits will likely come from Sun Chuan. He probably doesn't care about petty theft in the shop; that's for people like Wu Youcai and Zhang Neng. Although he might have to give Wang Sheng some money, the amount shouldn't be large."

"That's dangerous too," Wang Huadu said. "I saw Zhang Neng when I came in. He was standing under the eaves, looking gloomy. Xiao Hu, you're staying at the inn. If someone takes the risk, it could be a huge problem."

Shao Shuyi sighed softly, stood up, took a few steps, and said, "People like you and me, poor and destitute, of low status, what choice do we have when faced with real trouble? Back in the day, I could barely afford food at home, and people came to my door to collect debts. I was on the run, and next year I'll even have to do miscellaneous corvée labor. The little bit of wealth my family had accumulated was gone in an instant by the court's purchases and hiring. And now? I can eat my fill, three meals a day, and meat and fish every day or two. Isn't that much better than before?"

Wang Huadu listened blankly, and it seemed to make some sense.

"If you want to gain something, you must give something in return." Shao Shuyi said in the end, "It is indeed very likely that I was used as a pawn by Zheng Song, but if you don't even have this much value, and can't even be a good pawn, why would Zheng Song need you? Do you really think that there can't be another almanacist in Taicang? Not to mention those far away, there must be some in Yantietang, but they are either relatives of the Zheng family, fellow villagers of the Zheng family, or confidants who have followed the Zheng family for decades. They are all more valuable than me, and it would be a bit painful to lose them."

At this point, Shao Shuyi gave a self-deprecating laugh and said, "If I were to pass away, Master Zheng wouldn't even need to provide any compensation, wouldn't that save money to the extreme?"

While Wang Huadu was dumbfounded, he had to admit that it made sense.

"You're pretty ruthless," he sighed, looking at Shao Shuyi.

Shao Shuyi shook his head and said, "Actually, I was just doing my duty. I don't have any irreconcilable grudges with Wang Sheng. Wu Youcai is a mediocre man. He's greedy enough, but he's also timid. Zhang Neng might be a bit bolder, but he wouldn't dare do anything in the shop. Wang Sheng wouldn't allow it. You should go back to Taicang for a few days and tell Cheng Ji to bring the bow and arrows on the tenth."

"Okay." Wang Huadu agreed without hesitation.

(This is a trial post today, please read on and add to your favorites, thank you.)