nycdaug Chapter 202 Comfort
Chapter 202 Comfort
Chapter 202 Appeasement
Within Youzhou Prefecture, apart from the Song family who were spared because they did not participate in the arson, the Bai family and several others were imprisoned.
The merchants of Youzhou Prefecture were filled with unease as they watched the soldiers escorting criminals from the Bai family to and from the streets.
The following day, after a night of contemplation, Song Heng did not hesitate and personally led his servants to deliver the interest on the grain seeds owed to the government for many years to the government office.
After the officials verified that everything was correct, Song Heng turned to leave the government office.
Suddenly, a man who looked like a guard came up to him: "Boss Song, Lord Zheng invites you."
Upon hearing that Prefect Zheng had invited him, Song Heng's heart sank slightly, but he did not hesitate and followed the guards to the place where Prefect Zheng was working.
He was led outside, but the guards did not go in. Song Heng understood that this meant he was to go in by himself.
He raised his hand and knocked on the door. Only after hearing a response from inside did he open the door and go into the room.
Song Heng walked around the screen, stood before the desk, and bowed to the young prefect who was bowing his head to handle official business: "This humble subject greets Lord Zheng."
The young prefect raised his head, his eyes as dark as ink, and said in a calm tone, "No need for formalities, please sit down."
As Song Heng sat down, he couldn't help but think that the prefect in front of him was really young. He looked like he was only in his early twenties and had already become a prefect. At the same age, he had turned the Song family's silk business, which had been losing money for many years, into a profitable one. But compared to him, what he had done was nothing.
Seeing that Prefect Zheng put down his brush and remained silent, Song Heng pondered for a moment before carefully choosing his words and speaking: "My lord, in the past few years, the Song family was blinded by profit and coveted the grain seeds that should have been distributed to the people. We have truly let down the Youzhou Prefecture government and the people. I am also ashamed. After returning the grain seeds with interest, I am willing to donate another two hundred shi of grain seeds to contribute to the agriculture of Youzhou Prefecture."
Unlike his predecessors, Prefect Zheng was not a fool. After much deliberation, Song Heng did not gloss over the mistakes the Song family had made in recent years.
If they take the initiative to admit their mistakes and cut their losses, they might be able to save the Song family. But if they still harbor any illusions, Prefect Zheng might wipe out the entire Song family just like he did with the Bai and Wang families.
The young prefect lowered his eyes to look at Song Heng, his voice cold and deep: "The Song family has become the leading merchant family in Youzhou Prefecture today, and half of that is thanks to you. I won't waste my breath on you. What makes your Song family different from others that I would let you off the hook?"
Hearing Prefect Zheng's question, even though he was sitting down, Song Heng's heart was pounding. But after years of traveling all over the country, he was still able to keep his composure. Since Prefect Zheng said this, it meant that he did not necessarily want to suppress the Song family.
The young prefect was willing to employ the Song family, but only on the condition that they demonstrate exceptional value, making them irreplaceable by others, so that Prefect Zheng would have no choice but to use them.
Song Heng pondered, and figured that this must be what the young prefect meant.
Before Song Heng could ponder for long, Prefect Zheng sat down in front of him, waiting for his response. He had to quickly and firmly demonstrate his and the Song family's sincere loyalty to Prefect Zheng.
Song Heng cupped his hands and said, "My lord, the Song family has a caravan. I once led the caravan deep into the northern grasslands and met a northern barbarian horse merchant by chance. Because I saved his life, the merchant promised to sell me fifty fine horses every year to repay the life-saving grace."
The young prefect remained unmoved, still sitting steadily behind his desk.
Song Heng continued to increase his leverage: "After talking with him, I learned that his family is one of the three major horse merchants in the Northern Barbarians. Over the years, I have never broken off relations with them. As a result, in the past three years, the number of fine horses they have traded with me has increased from fifty to one hundred."
The young prefect's face was half-hidden in the darkness, and Song Heng could not see his expression. He only heard Prefect Zheng speak, his meaning unclear: "No wonder the Song family has risen to prominence so quickly."
Upon hearing this, Song Heng immediately replied, "Although I have business dealings with them, I have always kept business as it is and have never done anything to betray Youzhou Prefecture or Daqian."
Zheng Hao did not say whether he believed him or not, but only said, "Good horses are needed in the army, what use would a mere civil official like me have for them?"
Good horses were urgently needed by Zheng Hao. His private army required not only soldiers and weapons, but also good horses. However, while the former was easy to obtain, the latter was hard to find.
The young prefect was very composed, and Song Heng couldn't see through his thoughts.
The Song family was teetering on the edge of a cliff; whether it was good or bad depended on the young prefect's decision. Song Heng spoke in a deep voice: "This humble subject dares to offer a word of advice to Your Excellency."
Seeing that the other party did not stop him, Song Heng lowered his eyes and continued, "Your Excellency is not only the Prefect of Youzhou Prefecture, but also the Military Supervisor of Zhenbei Army. You have been in office for many days, but you have not had the opportunity to get involved in military affairs. If you introduce good horses, you will surely be able to win a place in the army."
These words were the result of Song Heng's long period of quiet contemplation in his study last night. If he had encountered a narrow-minded person, his actions would surely have earned him their resentment. However, he was facing a young prefect, and Song Heng was determined to try and carve out a path to rebirth for himself and the Song family.
Zheng Hao said, "Such thoughts are nothing but your wild speculation. As the commander-in-chief of the Zhenbei Army, the Marquis of Zhenbei has strict discipline and orders are obeyed without question. Why should I interfere?"
Saying he wouldn't waste words with him, the young prefect had no intention of speaking frankly. Song Heng knew that if he didn't reveal his hand, the other party wouldn't allow the Song family to continue as the leading merchants in Youzhou Prefecture.
He solemnly addressed Prefect Zheng, saying, "Sir, as the military supervisor overseeing the Zhenbei Army on behalf of the Emperor, you have been unable to take charge of military affairs for so long. I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain this to your superiors."
"The Song family has mastered the best methods for breeding and feeding horses. The foals bred in the horse farm are all of excellent breeds, which will surely help you, sir, to rival the Marquis of Zhenbei and seize military power."
The room was quiet, but Song Heng could hear the constant footsteps of officials outside.
After a long while, the young prefect at the head of the table finally spoke, his tone slow and deliberate: "The Song family has been merchants for many years. Although they made the mistake of coveting grain seeds, they knew their mistake and were able to correct it and make amends. Considering that the Song family has been helping the poor and needy and doing good deeds for many years, I, this official, cannot bear to pursue the matter further. If they commit the same offense again, they will be severely punished."
Song Heng held his breath to prevent himself from exhaling heavily. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and bowed deeply, saying, "Your Excellency is wise."
Not long after Song Heng left, Judge Wan entered the room.
He bowed to Zheng Hao. Having experienced this upheaval, Wan Tongpan looked much older: "This humble official greets Lord Zheng."
Zheng Hao looked down at him and said without any mercy, "To this day, the Bai and Huang families are still audacious and domineering, bullying men and women, and they don't even respect the government. This is inseparable from Lord Wan's indulgence."
Without any identification, Wan Tong confessed: "This humble official has neglected his duties. Even if the Bai and Huang families have committed countless mistakes, I beg Lord Zheng to punish me."
Zheng Hao said calmly, "As a prefect, I cannot punish you. I have already reported your deeds over the years to His Majesty, and His Majesty has already issued a punishment."
The young prefect pushed the memorial forward and placed it in front of Magistrate Wan.
Judge Wan stepped forward, bowed his head, and picked up the memorial. His back was bent, making him appear even more weathered and hunched.
He opened the memorial and looked at the Emperor's reprimand on the paper. His gaze then wandered to the punishments at the back of the memorial: twenty strokes of the cane, a three-year salary deduction, and probation. Judge Wan's eyes flickered, and he suddenly looked up at the young prefect sitting behind the desk.
"Lord Zheng, this..."
Zheng Hao: "As I said, I will truthfully report to His Majesty what you have done over the years, including your weakness as an official and your indulgence of the Bai and Huang families in their arrogance, as well as your dedication to handling government affairs and urging the people to reclaim wasteland."
He thought he was going to be demoted or even dismissed from office, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better. Judge Wan bowed deeply to Prefect Zheng and thanked him profusely: "Thank you, Lord Zheng."
"Remember this mistake, Lord Wan, and never repeat it in the future. You should always do your best to serve the people."
Wan Tong replied, "This humble official will certainly not let Lord Zheng down."
Afterwards, he excused himself and went to receive his punishment.
Sitting behind his desk, Zheng Hao remained expressionless. If Judge Wan continued to collude with the Bai and Huang families that night, even if the other party had done many good things for the people after balancing the relationship between the government and the wealthy merchants, Zheng Hao would not let him go.
.
After Zheng Hao massacred the merchants in the city, the wealthy merchants turned pale with fear at the mere mention of his name. They dared not deceive the government anymore and went home overnight to settle their accounts. Not only did they repay all the money they had owed the government over the years, but they also donated a lot of money and grain to the government to benefit the people.
Even the officials in the government office dared not idly wander around as before. They were all as quiet as quails, and they did not need to ask for permission to handle official business. They were much more diligent than before, and went to the countryside with the yamen runners every day to urge the people to start spring plowing.
For more than a month, a tense atmosphere has permeated the city of Youzhou.
Sitting at the table, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao were eating when he looked up at the young man and reminded him, "If this continues, the wealthy merchants in the city will not be able to sustain themselves."
Even though Gu Lin didn't interact with the merchants, the somber atmosphere in the shops on the street showed that the merchants hadn't yet emerged from the shadow cast by Lord Zheng.
As Zheng Hao placed some food into the young man's bowl, he said, "Even if Uncle Gu doesn't say anything, I'm planning to give them a break."
Although Zheng Hao wanted to quickly establish his authority and intimidate everyone, he did not intend to make the wealthy merchants in the city tremble with fear of him and the government, as the economy of Youzhou Prefecture still needed their support.
Zheng Hao said to Gu Lin, "They fear me like a beast now. If I step in to appease them, the effect may not be good. I will need to trouble Uncle Gu to appease them on my behalf."
Gu Lin hesitated for a moment: "Is it appropriate for me to step in?"
After all, that's his status.
Zheng Hao explained, "No one is more suitable than Uncle Gu."
He looked at the young man with dark eyes: "In the eyes of the merchants of Youzhou Prefecture, Uncle Gu is my elder. I treat you with the utmost respect. If you step forward to appease them, they will know that this is my intention."
Gu Lin agreed.
Invitations from the Zheng family were sent to the homes of various merchants. Even after several days, everyone's heart still skipped a beat when they received the invitations. It wasn't until they saw the name "Gu Lin" at the end that they realized that the person inviting them was not Prefect Zheng, but his uncle.
They were puzzled, thinking the other party had invited the wrong person, and asked the steward to deliver the invitation to the lady. But the steward said, "Sir, the prefect's son is the one who invited you!"
Upon hearing this, the heads of each household immediately lowered their heads and looked at the invitation again. Seeing that it was indeed an invitation to them, although they did not understand what Prefect Zheng and his uncle were up to, the merchants still accepted the invitation to the banquet.
The banquet was hosted by Gu Lin, and therefore, it was held at the Zheng residence. The wealthy merchants were visiting the residence of Prefect Zheng for the first time, but they were distracted and had no interest in looking at the residence in front of them.
The servants led them to their seats in the main hall.
After waiting for a quarter of an hour, the young man who had hosted the banquet finally arrived. Seeing that he had come alone, without Prefect Zheng accompanying him, the group of guests looked at each other in bewilderment.
Although Gu Lin did not hold an official title and was a commoner like them, the other party's nephew was Prefect Zheng. The guests stood up and bowed to Gu Lin, saying, "Greetings, Mr. Gu."
Gu Lin took his seat and smiled, "No need for formalities, everyone."
After standing up, the crowd did not sit down. Unlike their first time attending a banquet hosted by the young prefect, where they were outwardly convinced but inwardly unconvinced, they were now terrified by Zheng Hao's methods and dared not put on airs anymore.
They're all incredibly honest.
Gu Lin said, "Everyone, please don't be nervous. I invited you all here for two reasons: first, I am new to Youzhou Prefecture and want to get to know you all; second, I have something I would like to share with you."
The man in the head seat spoke up: "It is our good fortune that Mr. Gu wishes to get to know us. May I ask what Mr. Gu would like to see with us?"
The man speaking was Song Heng, who had recently joined Prefect Zheng's side. When he saw that Gu Fulang was hosting a banquet for them, he guessed that it was at Prefect Zheng's behest, so he naturally wouldn't let the atmosphere become awkward.
The others echoed Song Heng's words.
Gu Lin raised his eyes and gestured to Da Yan, who immediately clapped his hands. The guests then saw two rows of servants carrying jade-white porcelain into the room. The porcelain was exquisitely crafted, and even without touching it, one could feel the warm and delicate texture of its surface.
Song Heng couldn't help but focus his gaze, most of his attention on the porcelain. He quickly began to plan how much profit he could make if he transported such porcelain to the northern barbarians of the grasslands and sold it to the local princes and nobles.
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on the white porcelain, Gu Lin knew that his plan should be able to proceed.
He explained, “This white porcelain was made by my craftsmen. Everyone here is knowledgeable and knows how precious it is, so I don’t need to say more.”
Naturally, listening to the young man's introduction, Song Heng had already calculated that if he sold the dozen or so pieces of porcelain in front of him to the Northern Barbarians, it would be equivalent to his Song family's annual income.
Gu Lin continued, "Like everyone here, I have been in business for many years. I previously built a kiln in the capital to do business, and now I have come to Youzhou Prefecture to rebuild a white porcelain factory to fire white porcelain."
Before the young man could finish speaking, someone quick-witted, completely forgetting the terrifying nature of the young prefect, shouted, "This humble subject has a vacant plot of land in the city that he has not used for anything else. If Mr. Gu wants to build a white porcelain factory, feel free to use it. This humble subject only asks that after the white porcelain factory produces white porcelain, Mr. Gu can spare a few pieces to sell to this humble subject. This humble subject will absolutely not sell white porcelain in Youzhou Prefecture and steal Mr. Gu's business."
The immense profits hidden behind the white porcelain were quickly realized by those present. With money at their fingertips, all fear vanished. Not wanting to be left behind, they all said to Gu Lin, "This humble one has a newly built factory. If you don't mind, my husband, please feel free to use it."
“I own land and factories both inside and outside the city. If you want to build a factory somewhere, just let me know, and I will immediately take people to arrange everything perfectly so that you don’t have to worry about anything.”
In their struggle for the profits from white porcelain, everyone resorted to various means to win the favor and attention of the young man.