Mo Sang – CH 163

Chapter 163. Return

That day, after meeting with Boss Li on the boat at the Yangzhou dock, Qian Dongsheng, the head of the Yangzhou rice merchants, fled to Southern Liang with his entire family that very night.

The next morning, the authorities surrounded the now-empty Qian family residence and the Cao family, once hailed as the foremost family in eastern Huainan. Then, imperial guards were dispatched everywhere to arrest the scattered Qian family servants and anyone implicated, on charges of treason.

This momentous event was known to the heads and elders of the rice merchants along the river, regardless of their distance from Yangzhou, though some learned of it earlier and others later, all with remarkable speed.

Those who had not gone to Yangzhou were secretly relieved, thankful for their ancestors’ protection; those who had gone were utterly devastated, their fear and trembling beyond words.

How could they have imagined that Qian Dongsheng was actually a spy for Southern Liang!

This was wartime, and even the slightest hint of treason would result in the annihilation of one’s entire family and property—a consequence anyone could foresee.

With this immense danger of annihilation looming, the financial losses from the rice shop reforms seemed insignificant.

After returning to Yangzhou from Jiangning City, the old Yunmeng Guards rested for a day. Then, in groups of five, Li Sangrou dispatched them to inspect the rice shops along the river. The shops had already carefully reviewed the new regulations and were beginning to implement them themselves.

When Li Sangrou set off from Yangzhou to inspect the rice shops along the river, the faster-moving shops were already enforcing her new rules, auditing and clearing their accounts from previous years, and quietly handing over the owed silver.

Li Sangrou inspected each rice shop, checked their accounts, and once a boatload was filled, she had He Shoucai escort it back to Jianle City and deliver it to Wang Zhang.

They traveled north, clearing out each of the eighteen rice shops, and returned to Jianle City late in the seventh month.

Around dusk, Li Sangrou and her group returned to Chaomi Alley from the Dongshui Gate Wharf. The next morning, when Li Sangrou arrived at Shunfeng Shop, Wang Zhang was already waiting in the back of the courtyard.

Li Sangrou entered the back of the courtyard and saw Wang Zhang, his long robe tucked into his belt, bending over weeding the vegetable patch.

Seeing Li Sangrou enter, Wang Zhang, holding a handful of weeds, first bowed in greeting, then quickly threw away the weeds. Mazha, leading the way, hurriedly scooped water from the vat for him to wash his hands.

Da Chang stood beside the vegetable patch, peeked in, and glanced sideways at Wang Zhang.

The vegetables in this patch were older than the weeds; why was he still weeding?

“The day before yesterday, Boss He returned with the boat and said you would be back by today at the latest, so I came to wait for you,” Wang Zhang said, washing his hands and bowing again.

“Things going well here?” Li Sangrou stood to the side, watching Hei Ma and the others carry tables and chairs to the river to wash them and light the stove to boil water for various tasks.

“Everything’s going smoothly. The gold and silver the boss brought back have all been counted and put into storage, and two expenditures have already been made. Here’s the detailed account.” Wang Zhang hurriedly untied the bundle he had brought over and took out a thick ledger.

Li Sangrou took it, flipped to the last page to glance at the total amount, and handed it to Da Chang.

“Before the Boss left, I mentioned to her that the difficulty with military mail lies in delivering it to the troops.

Later, I discussed it with the Privy Council and the Ministry of War. We decided to use titles to designate each department, keeping half of the mail destined for civilians fixed, while changing the half destined for the military every ten days. This requires writing letters from the military first, informing everyone’s families where to send mail or packages.

As for Shunfeng, Old Zuo said it was your order to set up a separate department specifically for sorting military mail, with Zhou Ren in charge. Steward Zhou is excellent,” Wang Zhang said with a bow and a smile.

Li Sangrou nodded. Zhou Ren was the most learned and meticulous among the old Yunmeng Guards. Having injured his leg, he could no longer engage in combat, so Meng Yanqing recommended him to manage the military mail.

“The day after the military mail plan was finalized, the Emperor issued an edict, saying that the Hanlin Academy scholars and Imperial Academy students, who were only buried in their books, were not benefiting from their studies. He ordered them to go to the army and write letters for the soldiers, thereby gaining insight into human nature and the people’s sentiments. This would surely greatly benefit their scholarship.”

Li Sangrou’s eyebrows rose as she listened.

Wang Zhang, seeing Li Sangrou’s raised eyebrows, smiled. “His Majesty is wise. For the first trip, I accompanied several Hanlin scholars and Imperial Academy students. In the army, Master Wen personally arranged everything.

Master Wen said that the Commander-in-Chief said they are all pillars of the nation and cannot be neglected; they are not allowed to get too close to the battlefield. Do not worry, Boss.”

“Boss, the palace has sent water!” Old Zuo, carrying his long robe, ran in excitedly, pointing behind him as he ran.

Wang Zhang quickly stepped aside.

Behind Old Zuo, two men hurriedly removed the threshold, and then two large carts each pulled in a large wooden bucket, about half a person’s height.

“Greetings to the Boss! By imperial decree, two buckets of spring water will be delivered to the Boss daily for tea,” a middle-aged eunuch standing beside the water cart stepped forward and reported with his hands at his sides.

Li Sangrou gave an “Oh,” watching as the two robust eunuchs first set up the rack, then lifted the buckets and placed them on the rack.

Wang Zhang’s eyebrows shot up. The buckets were engraved with the words “Imperial Use”—this was spring water reserved for the Emperor! The Boss’s status was astounding!

The eunuchs withdrew, and several people, including Da Change, circled the two large water buckets, looking at them with curiosity.

“Look at this! Is it not amazing? Have you ever seen anything like it? I knew you had not! Look at this! There are even words written on it!” Hei Ma did not really understand the intricacies, but that did not stop him from clicking his tongue in admiration.

Da Chang looked it over, patted the bucket, and said, “It’s just a big bucket full of water, nothing special.”

Da Chang grabbed Hei Ma with one hand and Xiao Lu with the other. “Get to work! There’s a ton of work!”

Everyone scattered, and Hei Ma quickly went over, grabbed the copper kettle, and started scooping water from the imperial bucket to boil it—that was his job!

The table and chairs had already been washed and scalded. Li Sangrou and Wang Zhang sat down, and Li Sangrou, while preparing tea bags, gestured for Wang Zhang to continue.

“So far, four batches of letters have been sent out from the army. We’ve also received some letters from various households addressed to the army, and the first batch has been sent out smoothly.

Regarding the several boatloads of gold and silver that the Boss sent back, after much consideration, I decided to place them under Shunfeng’s name and put them in Shunfeng’s warehouse.

I submitted a memorial about this, and the Emperor summoned me to inquire about it in person.” Wang Zhang smiled.

Li Sangrou looked up, noticing the smile on Wang Zhang’s face, her eyebrows slightly raised. It seemed this summons was something that pleased him greatly.

“I calculated that this gold and silver should be enough for at least two or three years’ worth of military postage.” Wang Zhang’s smile deepened. “By the way, does the Boss still remember Hanlin Academician Qiao?”

Li Sangrou nodded. Of course, she remembered him; it was all thanks to him!

“When the Emperor’s decree came down, Hanlin Academician Qiao was the first to sign up and was among the first to go to the army.”

“That’s a bit of a waste of his talent,” Li Sangrou laughed.

“He was extremely dedicated, working tirelessly and never complaining that writing letters was a waste of his talents.

But he was too focused on literary style and too fond of allusions. A single letter could contain two or three allusions, and after just one day, no one wanted him to write for them anymore. They said his writing was poor and incomprehensible.

Because of this, Hanlin Academician Qiao was utterly frustrated,” Wang Zhang said, laughing as he spoke.

Li Sangrou thought of Hanlin Academician Qiao, then of the illiterate soldiers in the army, and chuckled.

Wang Zhang then recounted seven or eight more details and, together with Da Chang and Xiao Lu, went to the newly borrowed storeroom from the Ministry of Works to check the accounts and count the silver.

Li Sangrou sipped her tea, glancing at the water clock hanging outside the small accounting room. She counted the time; sure enough, a series of hurried, light footsteps came from the courtyard.

Princess Ninghe, lifting her skirt, rushed in, with Gu Fei reluctantly following behind.

“I’ve come so many times! You are finally back!” Princess Ninghe’s voice was bright and cheerful.

“Sit, have some tea. It’s freshly brewed spring water sent by your Eldest Brother,” Li Sangrou gestured to Princess Ninghe and Gu Fei.

“You were gone for three months! A whole three months!” Princess Ninghe held up three fingers at Li Sangrou. “I missed you so much! I asked my Eldest Brother where you were and why you had not returned yet, and he said you had important business to attend to and told me not to worry, that you just traveled along the canal and did not go to the army.

Do you know what the Seventh Master said about you?

The Seventh Master said you went out to rob and steal money. I said he was talking nonsense, but he wanted to bet with me, so I bet with him!”

Princess Ninghe looked indignant.

“How did you bet? How much silver did you wager?” Li Sangrou asked, raising an eyebrow.

“One hundred taels! She still wants to bet a thousand taels, but Seventh Master only has one hundred taels of silver!” Gu Fei answered cheerfully before Princess Ninghe could.

“It’s only one hundred taels; you can afford to lose,” Li Sangrou patted Princess Ninghe sympathetically.

“Ah? You really went to rob and plunder? How could that be! My Elder Brother is very strict about the law, even I…” Princess Ninghe’s eyes widened.

Li Sangrou smiled at Princess Ninghe without saying a word.

“I told you, did I not? She’s a former robber; she’s even an assassin! Everyone told you! I told you, but you did not believe me. Look, she lost!” Gu Fei looked at Princess Ninghe with a gloating expression.

“So what if I lost? I can afford to lose!” Princess Ninghe retorted, face-to-face with Gu Fei.

“You always lose at gambling! The Seventh Master can only win money from you! And you dare say you can afford to lose?” Gu Fei craned his neck forward, almost nose-to-nose with Princess Ninghe.

Li Sangrou stared wide-eyed at the two ladies… no, two fighting cocks!

“Hmph!” They both snorted simultaneously and retreated.

“How did you run into the Seventh Master?” Li Sangrou changed the subject.

“We came out to watch the literary gathering. You know, my Elder Brother sent all those Hanlin scholars and students from the Imperial Academy to the army for training, so there were far fewer literary gatherings.”

“We went to see the temple fair. The temple fair is much better than the literary gathering,” Gu Fei chimed in.

“Yes, yes, the temple fair is better! We ran into the Seventh Master and his Ah Tian at the temple fair. Ah Tian said the Autumn Festival performance was even better. Ah Tian even took us to see a rehearsal of a local opera. It was amazing! They all have martial arts skills!” Princess Ninghe’s eyebrows danced, looking like she was having a great time.

“We went to see the release of animals again!” Gu Fei chimed in.

Li Sangrou sipped her tea, watching the two women chatter excitedly, one after the other recounting the exciting events they had witnessed that summer.

“Has your Third Brother written you a letter?” Li Sangrou asked with a slight flutter in her heart, looking at the cheerful Princess Ninghe.

“Yes,” Princess Ninghe drawled, a hint of shyness lingering in her voice, “My Third Brother is very busy; Master Wen writes them for him.”

Li Sangrou raised her eyebrows, while Gu Fei’s lips curled into a downward V-shape as he glanced sideways at Princess Ninghe.

“Oh, right! My Second Brother wrote me a letter!” Princess Ninghe straightened her back, quickly changing the subject.

“Your Second Brother wrote a letter? How is your Second Brother now?” Li Sangrou asked with concern.

“My Second Brother’s letter was full of stories about what he’s been through. Many people are sick, without medicine, without medical care, and without money. It’s so pitiful. He said he’s already learning medicine from his senior apprentice. He said the people suffer terribly, and it saddens him. I read what he wrote, and I feel sad too. Sigh.”

Princess Ninghe’s eyes drooped, and she sighed repeatedly.

“What about your Second and Third Brothers?” Li Sangrou asked Gu Fei.

“Third Brother is doing well, and Second Brother is doing well too,” Gu Fei replied somewhat awkwardly.

“Her Third Brother is doing very well, but her Second Brother is not doing well at all!” Princess Ninghe immediately changed the subject. “Her Third Brother came to see her, and he seemed to be doing well, though he said he was very busy.

Eldest Brother praised him several times, saying he was very diligent in his work.

Her Second Brother also came, and he actually asked her if I had bullied her or if anyone in the palace had bullied her. He was complaining outside, saying all sorts of things, and then someone secretly reported it to Eldest Brother. Your Second Brother is really stupid!”

Princess Ninghe leaned close to Gu Fei’s face.

“So, your Second Brother is quite stupid,” Li Sangrou said seriously, looking at Gu Fei.

Gu Fei pursed his lips tightly.

“Boss! Look at this sheep!” Hei Ma rushed in, and before he even got close, he held up the sheep it was carrying.

Gu Fei screamed in fright at the sight of the bloodied, skinned sheep and darted behind Li Sangrou.

Princess Ninghe, with her back to the courtyard gate, turned around and also screamed in fright, darting behind Li Sangrou.

“Look at you two, this is mutton! Delicious mutton! What’s it called?” Hei Ma patted the sheep.

“It’s good; the fat is just the right thickness, best for roasting. Hang it up, chop it up, wash it clean, and marinate it quickly. We will roast mutton for lunch!” Li Sangrou stood up, examined it carefully, and happily gave the order.

Datou followed behind, carrying a load of vegetables, chicken, and fish.

Li Sangrou ignored Princess Ninghe and Gu Fei, inspecting each item of meat and vegetables Datou had brought back, directing them to buy some seasonings. Hei Ma hung the sheep up, brought out the cutting board, set up the grill, lifted out a large pot, and started a fire.

Princess Ninghe and Gu Fei followed behind Li Sangrou, watching her cut the mutton into large pieces, prepare the seasonings, and spread them on the mutton. Then they watched her wrap a few crucian carp in gauze and stew them with the mutton bones in the pot, their mouths watering.

“Let’s have lunch here,” Princess Ninghe nudged Gu Fei.

“Alright!” Gu Fei agreed readily. “Why did she wrap the fish up?”

“I do not know, but it looks delicious.”

Princess Ninghe looked at the large chunks of mutton on the cutting board, then at the mutton bones in the pot, still covered in meat. Although they were still bloody, they somehow looked incredibly appetizing.